To end this fascinating class, one in which I feel I have learned just as much about myself as I did about the countries we studied. We go back to the beginning.
Africa,
The cradle of civilization.
So I decided this last post will be about the cradle of my dreams.
When I began my degree five hundred years ago; I hoped to be able to use the business degree and the organizational aspects of it for one of my side passions, Film Producing. I have already worked in productions for my brother’s company and hoped to learn more.
There are two things we have discussed that have come from Africa; Humanity, and because it is the hot spot for the first humans, it is also the origination spot of a myriad of diseases. But I can’t help but think that Africa then is also the birthplace of story.
Because we are a story based humanity, we tell each other stories, we change through the stories we tell, we grow with each story generation of story tellers, through their literature, theatre, poetry and yes, film.
Africa, has in the last decade become, the second biggest film market in the world. No, America is not first, that honor goes to India’s Bollywood, America is actually third.
And the African country leading the business revolution of film in Africa is Nigeria.
Known as Nollywood, Nigerian film makers are producing about 50 movies per week, and although it’s revenues are not as high as India or the United States, because of how cheap it is to make films in Nigeria, the revenue is actually stronger. (American films are so expensive they never become profitable until they hit the international market) But Nigeria is providing 590 million dollar annually to Nigeria’s income, and creating over one million jobs. It has grown to be the second biggest source of employment. The first is farming.
“Nollywood resonates across Africa with its stories of a precolonial past and of a present caught between village life and urban modernity. The movies explore the tensions between the individual and extended families, between the draw of urban life and the pull of the village, between Christianity and traditional beliefs. For countless people, in a place long shaped by outsiders, Nollywood is redefining the African experience.” (Onishi, 2016)
I keep thinking about how much of the culture we studied is shaped by story, the stories of Russia define Russia, the stories of China, Japan, the Middle East shape our perception of those places. We have somehow in one way or another been exposed to them, because we are connected by trade. But in a way, through this class we learned to tell our stories to each other in a productive way.
And now that our film distribution systems are becoming simpler, a person can make money by distributing a film themselves through streaming; we may have a period of incredible African films, and maybe this is a way to connect with Africa, by being exposed to their stories, by understanding their culture in a way that many understood American culture in the 30’s and 40’s.
And after all aren’t we better as a humanity when we are exposed to as many stories as possible.
Managing Cultural Differences is in the sharing of the stories that shaped us. Our mannerisms, our culture, our unique characteristics are the way we tell our stories to each other. Listen, pay attention and we will learn so much.
There is an African Proverb I found in the writing of this last blog; “Until the lion learns how to write, every story will glorify the hunter.” Nigeria is a lion that is learning how to write.
References
Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences 9th Edition. London: Routledge.
Moudio, R. (2013, May 1). Nigeria’s film industry: a potential gold mine? Retrieved from African Renewal Online: http://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/may-2013/nigeria%E2%80%99s-film-industry-potential-gold-mine
Onishi, N. (2016). Nigeria’s Booming Film Industry Redefines African Life. New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/19/world/africa/with-a-boom-before-the-cameras-nigeria-redefines-african-life.html.
This is so interesting! I would have never thought that Nigeria was such a large film market! Best of luck as you as you work towards your degree!
Hello Lourdes,
Learning about Africa and all that is going on there is truly astonishing. However as global leaders we have to take into account the obstacles that can come from trying to lead in these regions. There is a lot of opportunity in Africa that has not been tapped yet however due to hardship it makes it very difficult to do so. Managing cultural differences in this area of the world will be a challenge that all global leaders will have to try to adjust to. We all have our story to tell and we have to try to learn as much about other people’s story in order to try to lead them.
Your blog was so fascinating, I never would have known that Nigeria was the 2nd biggest film market in the world. Let alone America was only 3rd! Fantastic job pulling together the entirety of the semester into one post. Hopefully you graduate soon and not in another 500 years, and while doing so you can use your business degree towards film producing. Your reference to the lion and the hunter is such a great way to look at this term as well. As we’ve had to learn different ways to manage cultural differences and that American culture is not the only culture and there are many others to mold our way of doing business around.