EXPLORING THE CONSTRUCTION OF MASCULINITIES IN SELECTED NIGERIAN VIDEO FILMS

Abstract

Masculinity has been an important topic in the study of gender and film, and this research seeks to contribute to the discourse on the representation of masculinities in Nigerian video films. Previous studies have largely focused on masculinity within the domestic sphere in Nigerian films and literature, leaving the role of masculinity in the crime genre underexplored. This study aims to fill this gap by analysing how the crime genre shapes the construction of masculinity in Kemi Adetiba’s King of Boys and Jade Osiberu’s Gangs of Lagos. The study employs Raewyn Connell’s concept of hegemonic masculinity as theoretical framework. Using an interpretative research design, the study analyses samples of Nigerian video films: Kemi Adetiba’s King of Boys (2018) and Jade Osiberu’s Gangs of Lagos (2023) to explore the ways in which masculinities are constructed, challenged, or subverted. Findings reveal that the two films challenge dominant patriarchal norms and stereotypes by presenting alternative forms of masculinity, including non-traditional gender roles, emotional vulnerability and transgressions. The study concludes that Nigerian video films have the potential to contribute to the deconstruction of dominant patriarchal masculinities, and recommends that filmmakers and other cultural producers consider the impact of their representations of masculinities on society