Nigeria’s movie machine called ‘Kannywood’ named after its largest city Kano, has become the major source for entertainment in West Africa. It provides entertainment to about 80 million Hausa speakers. This time of period when coronavirus is creating havoc in each industry, the film industry in Nigeria’s mainly Muslim north is going from strength to strength. According to the Kano chapter of the Motion Pictures Practitioners Association of Nigeria, it was started in 1992 with only 7 production houses but now it has grown to 502 production houses in which 300,000 people are engaged.
The CEO and co-founder told that the subscriber base of 40,000 has nearly doubled, while revenue has tripled. Northflix, has seen its client base soar since authorities imposed lockdowns due to the coronavirus pandemic in March. Kannywood films have the same themes of love, revenge and betrayal but the content must adhere to strict Islamic rules also.
Data source: Reuters