Occult African Films as a Reflection of Resurrection Stories: A Socio-Cultural Perspective on Cameroonian and Nigerian Video Films

Resurrection and near-death narratives from charismatic Pentecostalism in Cameroon and Nigeria shape the region's popular culture and are increasingly reflected in local video films. These stories, told by founders and leaders of neo-Pentecostal movements who claim firsthand mystical or paranormal encounters with the spirit world, influence cinematic depictions of the afterlife. The paper uses secondary sources and qualitative content analysis of relevant films to examine how such narratives describe the spirit world and how they appear in Cameroonian and Nigerian cinema, filling a gap in research on the intersection of religious experience, popular culture, and film production in Africa.

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Abstract

The African religious landscape is partly characterized by a plurality of vibrant neo-Pentecostal and charismatic movements. Many of these movements are founded, led or influenced by perceived gifted individuals who claim to have had a firsthand experience with the spirit world through diverse mystical or paranormal means. Some of these means include near death experiences or resurrection from the dead. Although some research works have examined the relationship between the narratives of these gifted individuals and the socio-political discourse in Africa, very little attention has been devoted particularly to how their descriptions of the spirit world and the afterlife affect or reflect cinematic production in Africa. This paper seeks to fill this gap in knowledge through an examination of the ways in which resurrection and near death stories driving charismatic Pentecostalism are reflected in some Cameroonian and Nigerian video films. Using secondary sources and a qualitative content analysis of relevant films, the paper specifically attains two main objectives. In the first place, it examines how Cameroonian and Nigerian resurrection stories describe the spirit world and affect the popular culture in Cameroon and Nigeria; while in the last place, the paper examines how these stories are particularly reflected in Cameroonian and Nigerian films.