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Redefining Leadership and Power in Lion Heart: A Critical Review of Genevieve Nnaji’s Lionheart

Genevieve Nnaji’s Lionheart is a groundbreaking film that challenges traditional ideas about leadership, gender, and culture in Nigerian cinema. The story centers on Adaeze Obiagu, a young woman who steps up to save her family’s transport business when her father falls ill. Through this plot, Lionheart explores how female leadership, local identity, and cooperative business values can offer a refreshing alternative to conventional Nollywood storytelling. The cinematography in Lionheart sets the tone for a film rooted in realism and cultural pride. One of the first scenes features an aerial view of Enugu, which instantly grounds the story in a specific Nigerian city rather than relying on the more common Lagos backdrop. Throughout the film, the use of wide shots allows viewers to see Adaeze within her environment, especially in the company boardroom, where she is often seated beside men, showing how she holds her own in a male-dominated space. During emotional moments, such as the arg...
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Power in Pixels, A Formal Analysis of Peter Obi’s Presidential Campaign Poster

 Posters are one of the oldest and most effective ways of communicating ideas during elections. They speak without sound and try to win attention through design. In Nigeria’s 2023 elections, one campaign poster that stood out was that of Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi. With a focus on clean design, national symbols, and visual calmness, his poster seemed to reflect the kind of leader he aimed to be, honest, modern, and for the people. This essay offers a formal media analysis of Peter Obi’s campaign poster, paying attention to color, typography, image placement, and symbolism, and how each element works together to express values like transparency, unity, and leadership. One of the first things the eye notices in Obi’s campaign poster is the color scheme. The poster uses green, white, and red, which are also the official colors of the Labour Party. Green, in Nigerian symbolism, often stands for growth, renewal, and progress. White represents peace and clarity, wh...
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Class on Display: A Marxist Critique of Chief Daddy

EbonyLife’s Chief Daddy (2018) is a star-studded Nigerian comedy that tells the story of a wealthy man’s sudden death and the chaos that follows among his large, extended family and associates. While the film presents itself as light-hearted and entertaining, it also reveals deep-rooted ideas about wealth, class, labor, and privilege in Nigerian society. Using Marxist theory , this essay will explore how Chief Daddy represents class structures, focusing on themes such as inheritance, economic inequality, commodification, and class mobility. The aim is to understand whether the film challenges the excesses of the elite or simply glorifies them. According to Karl Marx, society is structured around class conflict, especially between those who own the means of production (the bourgeoisie) and those who sell their labor to survive (the proletariat). In Chief Daddy , this divide is clearly visible. Chief Beecroft, the patriarch, represents the capitalist class. He is wealthy, powerful, an...
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Framing Protest: A Stuart Hall Reading of CNN’s EndSARS Coverage

On October 20, 2020, during the height of Nigeria’s EndSARS movement, peaceful protesters gathered at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos to demand an end to police brutality, specifically targeting the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). What followed that night sparked outrage and confusion. Many protesters reported being shot at by the Nigerian army, while government officials initially denied that any violence had occurred. In response, CNN released a video investigation titled “How a Bloody Night of Bullets Quashed a Young Protest Movement,” which examined the events of that night using eyewitness interviews, video footage, forensic evidence, and satellite images. This coverage not only aimed to expose the truth but also shaped how the world viewed the incident. Using Stuart Hall’s encoding/decoding theory, this essay will explore CNN’s intended message and how different audiences, the Nigerian protesters, the government, and international viewers might interpret it in dominant, negotiate...
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Understanding the Male Gaze and Oppositional Gaze in Tiwa Savage’s “Koroba”

Tiwa Savage’s music video for Koroba is colorful, bold, and visually striking. But beyond the dancing, makeup, and beautiful outfits, there’s something deeper going on. The way Tiwa is shown on screen raises important questions about how women especially Black women are seen in media. Using Laura Mulvey’s concept of the male gaze and bell hooks’ idea of the oppositional gaze , this will explore how Koroba balances between showing Tiwa as a powerful woman and presenting her in ways that may turn her into a product for people to consume. The male gaze, according to Mulvey, happens when the camera is used to view women through the eyes of a heterosexual man. In Koroba , the camera often zooms in on Tiwa’s body especially her hips, waist, and legs. The movements are slow and detailed, drawing attention to her curves rather than her full presence as an artist. The sets, with luxurious chairs and glittery backgrounds, help create a stage where Tiwa is placed as something to be admired a...
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Critique of the Glo Christmas Ad Using bell hooks’ Theory

  Critique of the Glo Christmas Ad Using bell hooks’ Theory bell hooks were a Black feminist who talked about how race, gender, and power show up in the media. She believed that real representation isn’t just about showing people it’s about showing them with power and voice. Looking at the Glo Christmas ad: It celebrates Nigerian culture with music, dance, and community. Black people are shown positively, which is great. But most of the women in the ad are just dancing or smiling. They don’t lead or speak. Men do more performing and leading roles. bell hooks would appreciate the celebration of culture and Black joy, but she would also point out that women are still being put in traditional roles. They’re shown, but not empowered. Also, the ad uses culture to sell a product which can reduce something meaningful to just a marketing tool. In conclusion: The Glo ad is joyful and full of culture, but it still keeps women in the background and...
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Critique of the Glo Christmas Ad Using Laura Mulvey’s Theory

  Critique of the Glo Christmas Ad Using Laura Mulvey’s Theory Laura Mulvey is a film theorist who introduced the idea of the male gaze. She said that in many films and ads, women are shown mainly to please the eyes of male viewers. They’re often made to look beautiful or sexy, but they don’t do much else. In the Glo Christmas ad: We see a lot of women dancing, smiling, and wearing colorful clothes. They don’t speak or take leading roles, they’re just part of the background. The camera focuses on their movements and beauty, which shows how they’re being used for visual pleasure. This is exactly what Mulvey talks about. Even though the ad is joyful and colorful, it still uses women as decoration. They’re there to look good, not to lead or have a voice. In conclusion: The Glo ad is fun and festive, but it still shows women as objects to be looked at not as active, powerful people.
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