The Presentation of Religion in popular West-African Video Films and their Impact on the Society

Since the 1990's West-African video films enjoy increasing popularity, especially those produced in Ghana and Nigeria. They are an important part of modern African popular culture and have often displaced Hollywood films.These films cover a wide spectrum of different genres. They range from comedy, romance and horror to religious films. Often the various genres are mixed but all of the films got something in common: They reflect the modern urban life in contemporary western Africa and are an account of the current process of social change in many societies.This paper mainly concentrates on religious films, especially those produced by charismatic Pentecostal Churches.