The Female Body, Myth and Ritual Murder in Selected Nigerian Films
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This paper examines the representation of the female body in selected Nigerian films, exploring how ritual narratives construct the female body as a symbolic site of spiritual power, sacrifice, and cultural meaning. Drawing on Archetypal Literary Theory, the study employs qualitative textual and visual analysis to examine Seven Doors (2024) and The Mystic River (2021). The analysis reveals that the slected films consistently represent the female body as a sacred vessel, ritual altar, and symbolic medium through which wealth, communal survival, spiritual authority, and cosmic balance are pursued. These representations are shaped by mythological, socio-cultural, and religious beliefs that associate the female body with fertility, spiritual power, and regeneration. While the films present ritual violence as a warning against greed, moral corruption, and the misuse of spiritual power, they also reveal cultural beliefs that treat the female body as a medium for ritual sacrifice and supernatural exchange. The paper argues that the female body is more than a victim of ritual violence; it serves as a powerful cultural and mythological symbol through which ideas about power, morality, spirituality, and communal survival are expressed. In doing so, the study contributes to existing scholarship by showing how Nigerian films use myth and archetypal symbolism to shape the representation of the female body.
Institution: Federal University Lokoja
Language: English
Topic: Cinema History and Criticism
Subfield: Visual Arts and Performing Arts
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Gender equality
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7225458605