Kannywood: Film, Faith, and Identity in Northern Nigeria

This book critically examines the cultural, religious, and linguistic contestations within Kannywood, the Hausa-language film industry in northern Nigeria. It explores how filmmakers navigate religious expectations, cultural norms, and language ideologies while appealing to a diverse audience. Using audience reception theory and detailed analyses of selected films, the study reveals internal tensions—particularly regarding the dominance of the Kano dialect, the marginalisation of others, such as Sokoto’s, and the commodification of “broken” Hausa. It also highlights the challenges posed by global influences and conservative religious forces, positioning Kannywood as a contested space of identity, representation, and sociolinguistic negotiation.    The Author Teaches Hausa Studies at the Institute of African Studies at the University of Cologne. He is an expert in Hausa-language media and cultural production, with a particular focus on how religion, censorship, and identity influence film, language, and popular discourse in Northern Nigeria.