Tribal Prejudice and Its Impact on Nigeria’s National Cohesion: A Comparative Analysis of The Meeting (2012) and The Wedding Party (2016)

Abstract Tribal prejudice remains a major obstacle to national cohesion in Nigeria, where ethnic identities continue to shape social relations, political participation, and access to opportunities. This article examines the representation of tribal prejudice in Mildred Okwo’s The Meeting (2012) and Kemi Adetiba’s The Wedding Party (2016). Drawing on intersectionality theory, it explores how ethnicity intersects with class, gender, bureaucracy, culture, and power to produce discrimination and exclusion. Using qualitative textual analysis, the study finds that The Meeting critiques institutionalised tribal prejudice through bureaucratic favouritism and ethnic patronage, while The Wedding Party exposes stereotypes and cultural tensions within family and interpersonal relationships. Despite their different genres, both films challenge ethnocentrism by promoting intercultural dialogue, empathy, meritocracy, and cross-cultural relationships as foundations for national cohesion. The article argues that Nollywood serves not only as entertainment but also as a cultural institution capable of interrogating ethnic divisions and encouraging inclusive national consciousness. By extending intersectionality to ethnic inequality in postcolonial Nigeria, the study contributes to scholarship on Nollywood, representation, and nation-building.