Exploring messages of identity and race through Nigerian media

Since she was a girl,  Omotayo Banjo has been intrigued by questions of cultural identity, race and assimilation.

The University of Cincinnati communication professor takes her questions to Nigeria, where she will conduct research under a Fulbright scholarship for the next seven months, extending her inquiry into the context of Nigerian film and popular media.

Banjo, an associate professor in UC's College of Arts and Sciences, comes by her interest naturally. As a first-generation American with Nigerian parents, “I grew up around a lot of Nigerians — and Africans in general — who would come to the states and they would, from my observation as a child, take on this performance of what it means to be an American,” she said. “I always found that so fascinating. Of course, I never intended to study it when I was 8 or 9 years old.”

Since entering academia about 12 years ago, Banjo has focused her research on how media messages shape cultural and self-perception. Much of her work has been published in scholarly journals including the Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, Communication Theory, Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, Journal of Media and Religion, and Race and Social Problems.  

For her current Fulbright research, Banjo plans to explore media impact on individuals and groups through the lens of African populations, specifically Nigerians.

“I am interested in looking at how exposure to Western media may or may not have an impact on how Nigerians may see themselves, white Americans and black Americans. That’s the major question. A secondary research question has to do with the growth of Nigeria’s media industry.”