In remembrance of Nigeria’s 50th anniversary, this study explores the healing of the African word. The history of the African word has been greatly affected by the history of the colonisation of Africa, for the implementation of the Latin alphabet in many parts of Africa dramatically changed communications. Thus the colonial impact on the evolution of the African word is relevant in modern age; there is clearly a correlation between the so-called crisis of the Nigerian word and the collective trauma experienced by West Africans. The nature of the Nigerian word is therefore explained using the example of Nollywood. The recovery of a pan-African experience is the subject of discussion in interviews conducted in Nigeria and the African Diaspora with some forty experts including Nigerian film-makers, producers, actors and viewers. Nigerian home videos effectively support not only the de-colonisation of Africans everywhere but are also instrumental in healing collective trauma. Thus this study links post-colonial theories with the history of the Nigerian word. This is a story of healing.
