A trip into Nigeria's illicit world of movie piracy
Even though streaming is reducing the number of people watching films via DVD or CD, movie piracy continues to be a huge problem for the Nigerian movie industry. According to the World Bank, for every legitimate copy of a Nigerian film sold, nine others are pirated. This business is particularly lucrative for young people. But who are these movie pirates and how does the industry reacts to them?
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00:00 On these streets, both young and old are hustling to survive.
00:05 But when it comes to music and film, the pursuit of wealth sometimes takes a murkier path.
00:11 Pirated videos are everywhere, even the latest movie, Jagoon Jagoon.
00:18 It's an illicit trade in broad daylight, and it's good business for those seeking to make a quick buck.
00:24 Piracy is robbery.
00:26 When you rob people of their work, rob them of their gains, of their profit.
00:31 Under Nigerian copyright law, sellers and producers of pirated content can either be fined or imprisoned.
00:39 Alaba International Market, infamous for its role in mass-producing pirated movies, offers a wide range of illicit foreign and local films.
00:49 Yet the big question is, where does the piracy start, and how do the vendors obtain the movies?
00:56 Sometimes we download the masters through the internet, and the film from DSTV.
01:01 We cut the masters, then we produce the masters, and we can print mass production.
01:06 After mass production, the movies are taken to the market for movie marketers to purchase at wholesale prices.
01:14 Many sellers, like Kehinde, travel from far to buy movies at Alaba International Market.
01:24 I always try to buy a diverse range of movies, including Korean and American series, spanning several seasons.
01:30 I sell both foreign and local Fuji music.
01:34 Wuliagba, a well-known Nigerian comedian, recently shared his experience of having his content pirated on Instagram.
01:43 The VCDs came complete with his picture and a fake title.
01:49 What's funny about the video I made on social media, was that for the fact that the person pirated the production alone, he couldn't get a good title.
01:58 He said, "I own Igbo Wuliagba." Was I encouraging my brand?
02:02 Despite the digital shift to online streaming, the demand for video CDs and pirated movies continues to plague Nigeria's entertainment industry.
02:14 As movie pirates and marketers profit, Nigeria's content creators are calling on authorities to crack down on trade, so far with little luck.
02:24 They have a particular thing called anti-piracy, whatever. So they have it in Alaba market there.
02:30 They have tried many times to just cover it in their own ways, but it is very, very difficult for them.
02:36 there.