Religion in Nigerian Home Video Films

The relationship between religion and art, as forms of cultural expression, is an inextricable one. Both are concerned with the fundamental human search for the good, the true and the beautiful. The religious sense of a people is inscribed in their artistic productions. Both art and religion are universal and fundamental human values and they use similar forms of expression. In order for a work of art to have a popular appeal, artists articulate stories that activate and awake the religious perception in audiences. Religion, in a broad sense, is prevalent in Nigerian home video films. The focus of this paper is to examine the religious questions that these films address, and whether these representations facilitate audiences in their search. The paper also explains what accounts for the popularity of these films.