Nigeria is Setting the Wave of National Representation in the Media
Advertising is an excellent way to demonstrate creativity, display a variety of cultures, and promote a product, especially within the beauty and fashion industry. The right marketing tactics can produce the perfect commercial to gear an audience towards a company’s product. But we all know this, the issue comes with who will be the spokesperson for this product to bring in the target audience. The beauty industry is in this revolutionary period of vast cultural and demographic representation, and this idea is moving within all sectors. For example, the beautiful African country of Nigeria is known for its active role in entertainment with its movies and television series that promote the use of primarily Nigerian actresses and actors. But the brilliant idea of national representation does not stop there! A few weeks ago, the country’s Federal Government stated that Nigerian advertisements and several entertainment entities banned the use of foreign actors and models, making it the first country to do such an action.
In the Scoop Upworthy article, “Nigeria Becomes the First Country to Officially Ban Foreign Models and Voice-Over Artists in Adverts,” author Jisha Joesph gives some insight into the terms and regulations of the law along with the Nigeria government’s reasoning behind it. “Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Information and Culture announced last week that the country’s Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ACRON) has issued a complete ban on the use of foreign models and voice-over artists in Nigerian media from October. According to a statement shared by the ministry on Twitter, the ban will cover all non-Nigerian actors — including white actors who have predominantly appeared in the country’s television adverts for years. The announcement signals a shift in national feeling toward wanting to take back the narrative of representation in the country’s native population.” (Joesph).
It is lovely to see the country take back the entertainment sector and allow future generations to see themselves represented in all media genres. That is the root of this movement, to enable all people to feel included. But also, to terminate the whitewashing that has occurred in all forms of media for several generations. I have implored that the world is changing, and people of color are taking action to control their narrative in all sectors of the professional world. The people will no longer stay silent and allow Europeanistic standards to take over the representation of their culture and way of life. The people of Nigeria make that point extremely clear. Unfortunately, everyone is not happy with this change, and it is evident that many believe that country will add more controversy to the media sector, which has been a consistent victim of the issue of racial representation for years. But that is what makes the ruling that much more a matter of immense importance because it will make regions across the world look at media in a more favorable light into the idea that national representation may be the next step into a brighter future of entertainment and beauty.
Jisha Joesph’s article also shows people’s different responses to the country’s legal action. It opens the door to a bigger question of the importance of racial and national representation in a world where many may not be prepared for such drastic change. “News of the ban has received mixed reactions from social media users. “This is the way a responsible government protects its own people and culture,” commented @JoshuaHogarth1. “So, it’s now this government came to their senses? You are just seeing the need to patronize our local artists? Not only patronizing our local artists but also our products and services. Nigeria needs to look inwards,” wrote @Born2Win_Unltd. “I have mixed race kids. There is not a good future for non-POC,” argued @mikeall84403276. “I agree with African nations proactively being self-reliant and determining their culture. I’m not sure if govt policy is needed though. What if Sweden or Spain were to adopt this legislation? I’m not sure the reaction would be the same,” stated @konick_tim.” (Joesph).
Although social media comments may not be the most reliable source, these statements tell a lot about where our world is now and the fear of the unknowable future, especially for people of color. But there was one that stuck out to me the most, and it begged the question of whether other countries, such as Sweden or Spain, were to adopt this law. Would the media have the same attitude toward these countries as their reaction to Nigeria? Well, it is hard to say since the world has many mixed singles with the issue of race. But my take on it would be that no matter the country, there will always be someone that will have a problem with the way racial and national issues are handled. The case of race is a complex subject that we still struggle to control in the modern age because of past generations’ prejudice and discriminatory actions. Unfortunately, we are all the product of these issues, and although we can work to change the future, we are a long way from racial peace and justice. The people of Africa have been and continue to be victims of cultural and demographic genocide by European nations, who were their main oppressors for generations. The Nigerian people have spoken and will not allow such reign to continue. If that is such a “terrible thing,” then that is for the country to decide, not others who do not know or understand the history of a nation that is desperately trying to change the narrative of all African people.
Nigeria is taking the opportunity to uplift the talent that resides within the country and allow the reproduction of generational wealth by working with professionals within. But more importantly, they are taking the first step of changing the narrative of their demographic by taking control of their media so that they can recreate their own story for their people. Their statement is powerful and influential for me as an African American. Where in this country, our American “democracy” took decades for people of color to have any representation in American Entertainment, let alone receive credit for the work they produce. So, for me, it is a tremendous milestone for Nigeria to take a step that many regions may be afraid of due to public acceptance. But the most remarkable changes happened through revolution. The world will have its opinions that will never change. But it is up to each of us to make a difference, to ensure that our communities are represented through the media because future generations depend on us to fight for the images, they see so they will know that they can do and be anything!
Author: Jasmine Boskent
Be sure to follow our social media channels below:
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/skincare-anarchy/id1522162686
Spotify Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/298oIu74qjd3pXaaBMDr19
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skincareanarchy/?hl=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skincareanarchhy/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SkincareAnarchy
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/Skincare_Anarchy/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skincareanarchy/
Pinterest: https://cz.pinterest.com/skincareanarchy/_created/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skincareanarchy
Works Cited
Joseph, Jisha. “Nigeria Becomes the First Country to Officially Ban Foreign Models and Voice-Over Artists in Adverts”. Scoop Upworthy Magazine. 2 Sep. 2022. https://scoop.upworthy.com/nigeria-becomes-first-country-ban-foreign-models-in-adverts. Accessed 11 Sep. 2022.
