ABSTRACT

Youths are influenced habitually from what they see or hear through the internet, television, over the radio, reading books, or watching movies. In recent times Nollywood film industry and the new media have become the major sources of entertainment, inspirations and aspirations for the youths and even adults alike. This study, however, focuses on ritual representation and quick money syndrome themes in Nollywood films and thus applies Stuart Hall's Media Reception theory as a theoretical framework to evaluate how the receiver of media messages behaves. A survey design of a quantitative research method is employed to carry out the analysis of the numerical data generated for the study. The research findings reveal that there are changes in the behaviours of most of the Nigeria youths living in Awka metropolis as a result of seeing Nollywood movies on ritual killings and financial crimes which most of the respondents agreed is one of the reasons behind the get-rich-at-all-cost syndrome among today’s youths. The researchers therefore recommend that the government of Anambra State/Nigeria should organize conferences, workshops and symposia for the filmmakers to ensure that film productions are being built on proper storylines different from ritual killings and the bastardization of the people’s cultural practices. The script writers must be encouraged and sponsored to write scripts worthy of changing the prevalent narratives of money rituals and get-it-atall-cost syndrome that is dominating more content in the Nollywood film industry.