The Portrayal of African Aesthetics in the Films of Tunde Kelani’s Thunderbolt and The Narrow Path

Abstract

This paper examines aesthetics from an African perspective, with a focus on selected films of Tunde Kelani, with the argument that African aesthetics in these films remain the valuable artistic ingredients that make Nigerian video films (Nollywood) acceptable and appreciated at home and abroad. This study adopts textual analysis as its research method and ‘semioaesthetics’ as its theory. It could be established that there are many African cultural
elements which spread across Nigerian video films of English expression. These elements serve to generate what African culture represents. The study concludes that African cultural elements in the films go a long way to sustain African cultural heritage which many African scholars clamour for. The study therefore maintains that the cultural elements add to the originality of the Nollywood products.