As I read Kraidy's piece on hybridity and Miller's piece on the 'telenovelas', as well as the discussion on telenovelas from class, I couldn't help but reflect on my first introduction to telenovelas. I was in the 7th or the 8th grade when "Cuando Seas Mia" or "When you are Mine" came on air in Nigeria. The show came on at 10pm right after the evening network news. Because the electricity is unstable in Nigeria, most homes functioned on generators. Some families would save the fuel for their generators so they could watch 'When you are Mine.' From 10pm to 10:30pm, a deadness hit the streets in most cities in Nigeria. People were in their homes watching their new favorite show. Every night, five days a week, millions watched 'When you are mine'.
Even students in school came up with ways to keep up with the show. I was in boarding school and we were not allowed to watch TV while we were in school (good old school rules). We would team up with some of the staff or workers to help us go to the closest cyber cafes to print out the daily posts online of the last night's episode. More telenovelas were introduced to Nigeria. People really got into the shows that some of the stars of some of the telenovelas were invited to Nigeria.
It is evidently clear that the telenovelas succeeded in Nigeria. Despite its success, there was not a drastic shift or desire to embrace the cultures portrayed in the telenovela, contrary to what some theorists would think. But, the Nigerian media industry did take on the format from these telenovelas. Since the introduction of telenovellas in Nigeria, the most successful shows continue to be the shows that come on every single night. The ratings stay up and viewers keep watching. I know for a fact that I would be sick of 'Glee' if it came on every single night. I wouldn't even have the time to watch it.
The case of the rise of telenovellas in Nigeria is not necessarily a case of hybridity but shows how countries are able to adopt different styles of media from different parts of the world.
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