Paper short abstract:

Nigerian filmmakers' construction of Feminine heroism has historically shifted to envisioning and conceptualizing femininity through the eye of modernity and a perspective projection of the future. This shift has resulted in an emerging feminist theory - women's transversal identity.

Paper long abstract:

In the past, feminine heroism in Africa was conceptualized against the backdrop of war and invasion. Through drama or documentaries, the Nigerian film industry has reflected on some epic figures historicizing and institutionalizing their roles in nation-building. For instance, the industry has projected the heroic identities of Queen Amina of Zazzau, Queen Moremi, Queen Idia, Efunsetan Aniwura, and more. These are women of nobility and war survivors who fought winning powers to restore peace during their time. Much later, the pendulum swung to projecting women identified for their involvements in civil and anti-colonial activism, philanthropism, and reengineering women's consciousness to reposition them on the pedestal of feminist ideology and struggle; the list remains inexhaustible. These women now remain in our consciousness, and their names will forever be remembered for their contribution to Nigeria's historical culture. In recent times however, deconstructing women stereotypes, there has been another shift in the route leading to the creation of these figures as products of fictitious imaginations, the construction of feminine heroism occasioned by the features of modernity. A good example is the character of Alhaja in the movie "King of Boys." This study, therefore, traces the creation of Feminine heroism through historio-fictional characters and thematics of selected films as envisioned by notable Nigerian filmmakers towards feminine identity recreation. The study's findings have led to an emerging African feminist theory, with a future projection of women's transversal traits achievable through African socio-cultural reality as reflected in Nigerian films.