164 african appropriations
by applying some of the typical stylistic features of the Western horror
genre.^4 At this point, Nigerian films come in as sources of inspiration as
well, for Banzi is also a great fan of Nolly wood movies. His second horror
movie, Shumileta (2005), for example, a film about a seductive evil female
creature—half “mermaid” (mami wata), half vampire—that wreaks havoc
on men, is partially inspired by the Nollywood classic Karishika (19 9 8;
Krings 2007; Böhme 2013).
Like many Nolly wood movies, Banzi’s horror films always feature some
kind of battle between spiritual forces and ordinary men, and these battles
almost always involve waganga—loca l “med ic i ne men” or “w itch doc tors.”
Unlike his Nigerian colleagues, however, Banzi, who is a Muslim, steers
clear of any references to Pentecostal belief. But the way he and other
Tanzanian directors following in his footsteps depict these battles—in
particular the makeup, costumes, props, and settings—demonstrates a
strong Nolly wood influence. Similar to Nigerian films, witch doctors and
witches alike know how to use TV asilia (original television), as Banzi
calls it, for example, using a calabash full of water to see distant things or
presenting a simple piece of cloth on a wall that turns into a screen at the
press of a button on a magical remote control (Böhme 2015). Similar to
Nigerian films, digital special effects render visible the magical power of
witch doctors as well as those of mermaids, vampires, angels, spirits, and
other strange creatures. Thus, colorful electric flashes shoot from their
eyes and hands or out of magical tools. Again, similar to many Nolly wood
films, the typical witch doctor of Bongo movies is almost always depicted
half naked, dressed only in blankets (often red, white, or black in color),
with strange white patterns painted on his face and body. Most often he is
adorned in paraphernalia signifying “tradition,” such as cowrie necklaces
and various amulets, and equipped with rattles or gongs to communicate
with spiritual helpers.
However, the horror genre is only a small segment of Tanzanian video
film production. The majority of Bongo movies explore gender relations,
and many of the early productions of this genre tried to convey the “aura”
of Nolly wood films as well. This was achieved by adopting the constitu-
ents of Nigerian video film style, such as mundane settings, costumes,
and props, as well as a certain way of acting (probably also some aspects
of camerawork, montage, and sound typical of Nigerian video). Above all,