1 The Socio-semiotics of Filmic Representations in Nollywood and its Implications for Nigeria's Cultural Diplomacy By John Ochinya Onah Department of Theatre Arts Benue State University, Makurdi choreonah@gmail.com [This paper is published in Ted Anyebe (ed.) MAJAC: Makurdi Journal of Arts and Culture. A publication of Department of Theatre Arts, Benue State University,Makurdi. Vol. 13, No. 1, 2016. Pp. 9-24. ISSN: 1117 – 3440] Abstract The popularity and currency of made-by-Nigerian films, both within and outside the shores of Nigeria, is acclaimed to be high and may explain why it is today noted to be among the largest film industries in the world. Although the popularity is hardly in doubt, what is represented and how Nigeria is portrayed are critical to her image in the international community. In a fast globalizing world, Nigeria cannot afford a context of isolationism since its socio-economic and political systems interweave and are relatively dependent on the network occasioned by globalization: as a strategy for achieving political and economic goals on one hand, and its nexus with the promotion of positive image in the international arena, on the other. This context justifies the value of cultural diplomacy as a means of negotiating diplomatic exigencies and expedience. The contention of this paper is on the nature of the portraiture of Nigeria that is experienced in Nollywood films. Through socio-semiotic analytical approach, the paper interrogates the nature of representations in some Nigerian films and how these films impact on Nigeria’s diplomatic realities. It concludes that if Nigerian films transcend economic capital and integrate diplomatic concerns, the gains could permeate every aspect of socio-political realities and engender advancement and development. Key words Socio-semiotics, Cultural Diplomacy, Image-building, Globalization, Nollywood, Film,Representation Introduction Since Aristotle, it is the general consensus that art is representation because it refers to something else. Film is among many modes of expression that is based on representations and is an influential medium that could shape the construction of personal, group and national identity. It offers frameworks through which the cultural realities of given environments are