Conundrum of Communal life and Existence of the Igbos in Contemporary Society Joe, Anyira, & Anyiam Nnu Ejije: A Journal of Theatre and Media Studies, Vol. 3, No. 1, 2021 9 Conundrum of Communal life and Existence of the Igbos in Contemporary Society Divine S.U. Joe PhD Department of Creative Arts, Imo State Ministry of Tourism, Culture & Creative Arts, Owerri evgdivinejoe@yahoo.com Kingsley C. Anyira PhD Department of Performing Arts, University of Delta, Agbor. kingsley.anyira@yahoo.com Lady Hope Anyiam Imo State Ministry of Housing, Owerri. hopyhia@yahoo.com Abstract The quest for harmonious existence and communal living in Igbo land predates this generation. A people who are predominately domicile in the south-eastern region of Nigeria and once revered far beyond their territory for their commonness of goals and tenacity to upholding brotherhood above every other thing, are today fast becoming the reference point of infighting, strife and disunity. Despite several efforts to address this unhealthy development, recent occurrences show that the trajectory is far from changing. Hence, the need for an inquest into the possible causes of this unwanted, anti-developmental scenario. In this regard, the film, The Widow becomes a valuable tool for scholars and others alike, to analytically decipher the reasons for the continued existence of this ugly trend. To this end, the study therefore hinges on the combination of Bandura’s social learning theory, Dialectics and the theory of instructional cinema in analyzing the film in relation to the subject matter. In conclusion, it suggests an investment in mass re-orientation and unflinching commitment to reinforcement of core Igbo values at all strata for a paradigm shift to curb these triggers and salvage the Igbo race from the ravaging menace. Keywords: Communality, conundrum, Igbo, unity, development Introduction Today, films have become essential to the existence of Nigerians so much that even the government of the day has come to recognize so. The idea that films play a special role in social orientation, formation character and outcomes of the living of the citizens was authenticated recently by Nigeria’s Honourable Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed. A national daily newspaper, the Vanguard publication of February 27, 2022 reports that the minister blamed the Nigerian film industry popularly known as Nollywood for the surge in ritual killings in the country. The paper reports that, “Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, while on a media visit to Daily Trust office in Abuja, had blamed Nollywood for featuring money rituals in some of its movies, noting that this has negatively influenced the vulnerable youth”. Even though practitioners of the industry have come out to repute the minister’s claim as well as question the indices of his conclusion, it brings to the fore the undeniable place of films in the Nigerian society. Before reaching such conclusion, the minister whose ministry is in charge of Nigeria’s creative industry – Nollywood inclusive, may have relied on data available which positions Nollywood as the third largest film industry in the world only behind America’s Hollywood and India’s Bollywood in terms of number of productions churned out