ABSTRACT
This chapter explores affinities between cinema and oil. The former’s representation of the latter has played an important role in shaping both oil consciousness and oil economies the world over. By the time the commercial exploitation of oil commenced in Oloibiri in January 1956, Western cinema had established a familiar set of strategies for addressing oil citizens, modeling collaborations between multinational oil corporations and state power, and presenting some of the possibilities of postcolonial oil governance. Petrocapitalism makes certain forms of cultural production possible while militating against others. But Nollywood has responded to such histories from distinctly Nigerian perspectives, contesting familiar claims about the country’s petroleum riches. This chapter includes close analyses of some of the industry’s many depictions of the politics of oil.
