Film is one of the safest spaces for exploring social issues, and Nollywood filmmakers have long embraced this role. In Tunde Kelani’s 1999 film, Saworoide, for example, there is a direct critique of the Nigerian military’s incursion into the government. Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen’s Issakaba addresses Nigeria’s political, justice, and security systems, while Andy Amenechi’s Igodo and Egg of Life explore themes of patriotism towards one’s parents and homeland. Similarly, recent Nollywood films have continued this tradition, tackling economic, social, and political issues. Films like Collision Course, Gangs of Lagos, The Trade, The Black Book, The Blood Vessel, Aníkúlápó, and Jagun Jagun each address political and socio-cultural concerns in their own unique styles. However, what often undermines these socially conscious films—and many of those referenced in this essay—is their lack of strong storytelling. The script’s eagerness to deliver a ‘social message’ frequently weakens both the cinematic experience and the effectiveness of the message itself. 

The films approach their subject matter like hasty tourists exploring a new territory. Eager to experience all the pleasures a new place has to offer, these tourists quickly move from one location to another, checking items off their to-do lists while missing out on a more meaningful and immersive experience. This same tendency is evident in Nollywood’s portrayal of sex work and sex workers. Characters and situations are often introduced arbitrarily to keep the plot moving, with scripts that fail to depict characters as complex humans but rather as superficial images merely ‘experiencing’ something. Like those tourists, filmmakers carelessly navigate through the characters’ stories, prioritizing the delivery of a fraught ‘social message’ over genuine storytelling. 

In a 2017 interview with Women of Rubies, Chukwuogo highlighted how sex workers are often treated as mere plot points in films. According to her, 

In the years since sex work has become a plot point; a twist is thrown in to give a flailing film some edginess, a trump card filmmakers rarely touch unless they can use it as a contrast to purity. The complexities that define sex work and the realities that sex workers have to live through to survive are rarely told with empathy, grace or even distance from personal prejudices and predispositions. 

Nollywood director, Nwamaka Chikezie, noted that as with many sensitive subjects, sex workers are often portrayed through a lens of stigma and moral judgment, reflecting societal views without acknowledging the humanity and struggles of the characters. In earlier films, representations of sex workers relied heavily on stereotypes. However, as Chikezie pointed out, there is now a welcome shift that introduces more depth and nuance to these sensitive topics. A staunch advocate for empathetic storytelling, she believes there is a potential for storytelling that explores the lives, motivation, and challenges of sex workers beyond tired and surface-level portrayals. ‘By doing this, filmmakers could not only serve up some seriously compelling drama but also spark bigger conversations about gender, power, and societal norms in Nigeria because there’s a goldmine of untold stories waiting to be explored,’ Chikezie said. 

For progress, it is crucial to create films that do not impose a noose around the stories of sex workers. Such films can amplify the voices and stories of Nigerian sex workers, fostering the understanding and empathy needed to challenge generationally inherited stereotypes. If filmmakers embrace their social responsibilities, the result will be films that adopt a non-judgmental tone rather than relying on cheap, memorized depictions. These films have the potential to dismantle the generational and unfounded hatred towards sex workers in Nigerian and African societies.