SEUN MANUEL FALEYE and NNENNA ABIGAIL MBA
More and more by the day, the culture of liberalism that rules a substantial part of the western world to the disdain of Nigerians, has started to manifest in the country.
Known to be an essentially traditional and religious people, Nigerians have until recently taken a critical attitude to any hint of nudity, not to speak of explicit sex in the home-grown film industry. How then would you expect such a people to embrace pornography, defined by British writer and poet, D.H Lawrence as an attempt to insult sex.
For example, when Kenneth Nnebue produced “Glamour Girls”, in 1994, puritans went to war over some daring scenes in the movie. It was even rumoured that Zach Orji, who starred opposite Eucharia Anunobi in a bathroom scene got a suspension from his church for the dare! And years after, not a few of Nigerian movies have had the axe of the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) cut off one or two scenes regarded to be obscene. In the same vein, many musical videos have come under the hammer of the National Broadcasting Commission. But beyond the powers of regulation, the Nigerian ostensibly religious or moralist advocates would frown, fight and shout to end the public distribution or display of whatever they consider to be obscene.
Despite all the efforts however, which should include not just public disapproval but an inculcation of the need to reject the temptation to consume these materials, Nigeria seems to be losing out fast in the war of keeping its teeming population from pornography.
Investigations by eelive.ng show that with the advent of the internet and the various possibilities that it brings for streaming, increasing number of Nigerians have started to find a means of livelihood, either as producers or actors of pornographic videos. And as there are many actors, so are there numerous indigenous consumers who see more of their realities of fantasies as the case may be in their compatriots who have taken to the business.
How Did It Start?
While consumers of pornography in Nigeria had totally depended on film content from the United States of America and other western countries for years, the country has had its own of pornographic comics which tickled the fancy of many lovers of the erotic. From the 90s, Nigerians had publications like “Lolly Magazine, Better Lover” and many others. But the last one decade has thrown up one of extremely daring people who have pushed the frontiers of the public display of Nigerian sexuality forward.
Enter Judith Chichi Opara Mazagwu, a US-based singer, actress and film producer. She is also the founder and CEO of Invisible Twins Productions. Popularly known as Afrocandy, she went into acting in 2013 after separating from her husband to fend for herself and her children.
When she started out as a producer, Afrocandy released a few films which were littered with modestly explicit sex. While this was on, she engaged in a war of words with social media sensation, Maheeda over who would take the crown as Queen of Porn in Nigeria. But in 2017, Afrocandy turned a full-time porn star, settling the scuffle between her and Maheeda who is more sensational for sharing her nude photos and videos on social media.
Today, Afrocandy, now has hardcore porn videos which go for between $15 and $20 per view on popular website ‘pornhub’. In February this year, she became a verified actor on ‘xvideos’ where many of her videos are available for view at a price. That same month, she told Vanguard she had spent $14,000 on LIPO 360 and BBL surgeries to enhance her body.
The Home-Grown Group – How Actors Get Recruited
While Afrocandy, the 48-year-old self-acclaimed Queen of Porn, may be Nigeria’s ambassador in the US porn industry, there is a group of younger Nigerians making brisk business of what a lot of people would want to describe as the “dark” industry.
Eelive.ng’s investigation shows that Nigeria has an abundant pool of human resource from the producer to the actors. And there are three basic ways in which actors get cast for roles in porn films in Nigeria, though there are instances where the actor’s reputation brings opportunities to them.
Nkiruka Nwosu, a porn actress, who has plied the trade for nearly two years, told our reporters that she sees her jobs as mere acting and does not care what members of the society say about her. She explained that the first opportunity she got came from a call for audition that was announced at the strip bar where she works. She explained that she went for the audition and got a role and has been invited to auditions since then.
It is the same with Princess Anabelle, a 26-year-old holder of an Ordinary Diploma in Business Administration who also got an invite from her job at a club. Anabelle however informed us that she no longer responds to auditions because she has realised that a lot of the directors just want free sex in the name of auditions. Anabelle who says that she gets a job once or twice every three months explained that directors that she had worked for in the past just call her whenever they need her these days.
Philomena, who graduated from Philosophy from a university in north-west Nigeria, was invited to feature in a porn film by a male friend who was close to a producer and had been cast in roles before. This young man, Adamu, who eventually spoke to eelive.ng, could vouch that his friend can play the role and when she eventually got the role, had the fortune of acting with the same friend who introduced her!
There are also instances when a producer,claimed that girls who are willing to play roles in his videos send direct messages on social media, giving samples of what they could do.
“I never send messages to any girl to introduce them to my business.All I have to do is to open my Instagram DM and reply the girls probably hi-ing and wanting to do something crazy. Most girls love to do crazy things secretly in the country, but they join to criticize someone who do it…” Adamu was said to have told MEL magazine.
We were told that producers like girls who are beautiful and are flexible, daring and confident about their bodies while the guys must be athletic and well-endowed.
And There Are No Regrets…
The porn actors interviewed were unanimous in the conclusion that they have no regrets. Except for Adamu, who says he does it more for fun and in support of his friend’s business, the three ladies who spoke to us said they are in the business for the money that they get and have no regrets whatsoever, in fact they are now in love with what they do!
Anabelle told our reporter: “Although, when I started the job, it was just because of the money, but over time, I now love it. And I’m proud of the job and I do not care what anyone says about me. They do not own my body. Now, I can dictate my terms on set and if the producer does not like it, I leave. You can’t just ask me to do anything on set. We must have discussed it well before we shoot. Personally, I don’t do anal sex, and I don’t sleep with dogs or other animals.”
Nwosu, who says her elder sister is aware of her porn career was more forthcoming about the condition of her work and the expectation of society.
“Why should I be ashamed of a job that feeds me? The job pays my bills; I can never be ashamed of it. If I’m broke who will take care of me? Nobody. Naturally I don’t lie about anything, so anybody that cares to know how I make my money, I always tell them. My elder sister knows the job I do, it’s my life. After all, I am not scamming anybody, and I don’t steal. See, there is no big deal about this thing now. It is just acting. We usually exaggerate the reactions. We scream and moan loudly, and we look straight into the camera to connect with the viewers at home. A lot of my videos can be found on naijatube.com, nollyporn.com, mojonaija.com and bangnolly.com. Some, I don’t know where the producers take them to. They just pay us after work we go.”
In her own case Philomena throws the question back at our reporter: “Do you see money making as regret. One must survive somehow and if I do not do this, I don’t know what else I will be doing. People need to know that porn is just like acting and it is entertainment. And we thank God that we have an audience who want our videos, so I do not regret anything.”
Another popular porn actress, Savage Trap Queen recently told the BBC; “When I first started, I used to use mask because I didn’t have the confidence. This year alone, I have done like three blue films and one lesbian shoot. I make between N80, 000 to N100, 000 for one shoot. My mother still loves me even with the way I am. She still shows me motherly love.”
Remuneration and Risks Therein
Those interviewed by eelive.ng indicate that they get paid between N50, 000 and N150, 000 per episode, depending on who the producer is and the type of action that is involved, which could be just with just heterosexual, lesbian, multiple partners(orgies) or just masturbation.
On whether these sums of money are commensurate to the risks that attend this intimacy with a variety of people repeatedly, Nkiruka Nwosu who confirmed that condoms are not allowed during the shoots explains: “Usually, we don’t use condoms. But we always take series of tests to be sure we are HIV negative. We also take tests for other STIs. One thing you can be sure of is that any porn star you see out there is safe and clean. Even more than a lot of people out there. We take tests very regularly. And we are sure of the status of those we are having sex with, because they take same tests too.”
Apart from Adamu who introduced Philomena to the business and starred with her in a film, the ladies indicate that they have no relations with their co-actors immediately the job is done. They insist that their relationship is strictly professional and that the sexual act they record do not go with any emotional attachment.
Nkiruka Nwosu offered: “…there’s no emotional attachment between us at all. What we just do is to be friends with them before we shoot, so that everything can flow well. Once we are done shooting, that is the end. You don’t know me, and I don’t know you!”
Although the three ladies we spoke to hope that they will get married someday, they are not in any relationship currently. They are also united in the opinion that any man who does not like the business they do can simply take a walk and move to the other woman. In other words, it is business they think they are stuck with since as they see it, Nigeria has nothing better to offer.
Philomena has plans to seize the initiative and become a producer herself. She explained: “I plan to create channels and I can get up to 2000 views, I qualify for pay from AdSense and channels such as ‘nollyporn’, and’xvideos’. All that is needed is to ensure that the picture quality is in HD. This is because videos with low qualities don’t gain views at all. These videos can be shot in hotels unless you have a nice place of your own. For amateurs, the length of the video can be between 3 to 5 minutes while pros have videos almost one hour long. If one masters the art of video editing, one is very much on your way to becoming your own producer and every money made goes to you alone. I am also considering the option of web cam where I can interact with clients who can pay.”
This is exactly what Peace Olayemi, a regular face on Tblak’s video before they fell out in 2017 has done. After allegedly going through so much hardship when she left her former producer alongside another porn star, Lady Gold, Olayemi has opened a private Snapchat account, to which access is usually only gained by subscription. She fulfils the sexual fantasies of her over a hundred thousand followers, who watch her strip, dance, reveal her breasts and masturbate to their viewing pleasures for prices that range from N10,000 weekly, N20,000 monthly and N40,000 for premium access.
Those Who Control the Business
Even though there are numerous Nigerian-owned pornographic sites on the internet, the most visible of them all is the self-styled 26-year-old, Jolaoso, otherwise known as Tblak.
Young, loquacious and daring, he gained social media prominence in 2015 when he started off posting raunchy photos and videos featuring him and unclad female models and actors in hotel rooms on Instagram. After gaining online traction, he then created his own website, called ‘hoclifestyle’ – which is now shut down. He uploads exclusive sex videos of himself, as a solo-male protagonist conquering his numerous female actors.
His Instagram @Kingtblak_Africa and other social media accounts are littered with videos and pictures of him practically pouring money on the bodies of numerous ladies daily. His content can be found on ‘xvideos.com/pornstar-channels/kingtblakhoc’ and other porn sites where he gets up over 1 million views on each video and 10,000,000 video views all together.
Tblak has faced the wrath of the law in Nigeria a couple of times, yet he is regarded as the king of pornography in Nigeria and perhaps Africa, having gained ardent following in countries like Ghana, Tanzania, Kenya and Cote D’Ivoire. In January 2019, he claimed to have made a total of twenty thousand dollars from his videos which streams on various websites across the world.
There Are Abundant Viewers
When you recover from the shock of the number of people who live by Nigerian pornography, you will then begin to ask questions about where they get patronage from. But despite all the pretences, Nigerians have proved to be incredible consumers of pornography. Apart from the internet, porn contents are distributed through other channels such as DVD. These DVD wares are hawked along with other Nollywood movies on the streets. They are mostly distributed at Alaba International Market, Ojo, Lagos.
In 2016, social media strategist and data analyst, Subomi Plumptre, disclosed in an insightful article titled: “Nigeria, we’ve got a sexuality problem!” that Nigeria has overtaken the US for most search for pornographic content online. She wrote that in 2015 when this study was conducted, “The number of average monthly searches by volume was 135,000 and the States with the greatest popularity for porn searches (from high to low) were: Enugu, Oyo, Ogun, Rivers, Lagos, Abia and Cross River. The relative popularity of rape porn videos was also above 80, with Lagos State leading the charge. In 2014, Nigeria ranked third globally for the most Google searches for Gay Porn!” Two youths who spoke to eelive.ng also confirm their addition to porn especially now that the Nigerian version is available.
Olajumoke Tinubu, a self-acclaimed 23-year-old -virgin admitted to eelive.ng that: “Although, at 23 I am still a virgin, I feel horny and sometimes feel like having sex. But I have mastered how to satisfy myself, because I am not ready to give myself to any man yet. I have more than 15 downloaded Nigerian porn videos on my phone in a secret folder. No matter how much you go through my phone, I bet you cannot find them. I don’t watch straight sex porn. Like the man and woman thing. Since I have not had it with a man, it does not interest me. The only one I enjoy watching is Masturbation videos. Where girls touch themselves till they cum. That is more fun for me. Although, I am not a lesbian, but I watch lesbian videos too.”
Chigozie Nwadibia, a cosmetologist, who admits to being an unapologetic consumer of ‘mojo’ as he puts it said: “I don’t enjoy watching foreign porn, maybe it’s because I have a racist tendencies, It does not arouse me. I love to watch Nigeria pornography more. There is a satisfaction that comes from watching people with your skin colour having sex. It is more relatable for me. And I have a monthly budget for it.”
The Repercussion
Although there are no firm laws against pornography in Nigeria, there are life-long repercussions that addiction could impose on viewers. In the article cited above Miss Plumptre quotes an article by Frank Powell describing a TED talk by Gary Wilson, a retired neurologist. The talk was titled “The Great Porn Experiment.”
In the video, Wilson details the devastating effects of long term consumption of porn on the developing brain including, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), social anxiety and depression. Porn also numbs the ability to feel real life intimacy. The longer a brain is exposed to porn, the more hyperactive it becomes at the sight of porn.
In other words, the more you view porn, the more your brain desires it. It is a vicious cycle that ultimately erodes your willpower and self-control – a rough end for instant sexual gratification.