Why I Laugh When People Say It's Not African to Wear Revealing Clothes - Nancy Isime

Nigerian actress and media personality Nancy Isime is talking in a new interview about Nollywood going global, and during the conversation, the topic of what is African and non-African came up during which Nancy spoke about people saying that wearing revealing clothes or being half-naked is not African. Here's what she said about why she disagrees with people saying such.

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Speaking about Nollywood going global and expressing our African-ness through media, Nancy Isime said:

NANCY ISIME: These days, we have huge movies on huge platforms like Netflix, Amazon, that is purely Yoruba. We have Shanty Town where Ibibio was perfectly spoken. We have films like Jagun Jagun, Anikulapo, it's being introduced more. Even Blood Sisters, there's a lot of our culture there. So we've gone from trying to sound and behave like the Westerners to completely sitting in our own selves and in our own culture because that's what those people are coming for. Netflix isn't coming for another American film with Nigerians in it. They are coming for a Nigerian film with Nigerian actors who talk like Nigerians, behave like Nigerians, speak like Nigerians, dress like Nigerians.

As Africans, we already know that our dress code has been completely influenced by the Western world. If we really were to dress like Africans, or dress our culture, everybody here would be half naked [laughs]. So when people say it's not African to be half naked, it's not true. It's very African to be half naked or naked. I think it's more Western to be covered up. But we appreciate it. The modesty, yes. We're happy to be modest and keep our body parts so we thank the Western culture.

But yes, languages and our culture is what people can see and it's what the world is coming for. Who knew a day would come when Netflix would come to us? Who knew a day would come when Amazon comes to us, and the world comes to us, and stops still to recognize us?

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