You didn’t book a session. You didn’t pay ₦50,000. But somehow, while watching “Tears in the Compound” at 2 a.m., you sobbed through a breakup you hadn’t even admitted you were grieving.
Welcome to Nollywood therapy 2025—where over-the-top drama, dramatic slaps, and aunties screaming “This house is not for nonsense!” are doing more for Gen Z’s mental health than half the wellness apps combined.
From Ghana’s “Accra Hearts” to Kenya’s “Mama Kayai’s Court”, African soaps are becoming unlikely sanctuaries. Why? Because they name the unspoken: toxic family loyalty, financial shame, the pressure to marry, and the quiet grief of migration. And they do it with flair, fashion, and a soundtrack that slaps.
Psychologists are taking note. “These shows model emotional vocabulary,” says Dr. Folake Adeyemi, a Lagos-based therapist. “When a character says, ‘I’m not fine—and that’s okay,’ it gives permission to millions.”
Streaming data confirms it: 78% of viewers aged 18–30 rewatch emotional episodes—not for plot, but for catharsis.
So next time someone mocks your “soap opera addiction,” just say: “I’m in therapy. My therapist wears lace and yells in Igbo.”
Follow us on Instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/businessnewsng?igsh=ZXpweTdjOGF1ZXdu
