₦airaland Forum

Today's Nollywood was not started by Living in Bondage. That was someone's misconception taken as fact. It's not true.

However, it was the first real commercial success in the VHS home video era of Nigerian movies. That can never be denied.

ogwumgbe:
Mr just go and sit down, the contemporary Nigeria movie today known as Nollywood today started by the movie; living in bomdage that featured 99 percent Igbo actors and actresses such as Kenneth Okonkwo Daniel Onuigbo, Ichie million and the rest, followed by other block busters like glamour girls, that featured the likes of Dolly Unachukwu, and other hot stress,
Before arguing blindly, who coined the name Nollywood, is it Igbo or Yoruba? We don't compete with to you people ok, we set the pace and when you appear with your usual jealous coated competition, we quietly leave the stage for you,
Just like the modern Nigeria music making waves all over the world today was started by Psquare, you came with your usual envy filled competition and we left ok, leaving you to wallow in your illusionary competition, someone even claimed Egusi soup is not Igbo delicacy,haha, wonders shall never end, Igbos put Nigeria on the internal map and leave the stage when it becomes ladden with jealousy, now we are focused on prompting only igbo which is fast gaining international recognition
Which of your so called Netflix stars are known internationally in comparison with the likes of Osuofia and Mr Ibu? None knows your actors and actresses dear, Omotola you are bragging about came into limelight through the Igbo dominated movies, no need to educate you, Ogumde this Balogun that, what of the Igbo Production; the New masquerade that exposed Nigeria cinema to the world? We don't compete as I said, we create, then leave the stage when you crawl in with your snake poison jealosy

Shikena:
Today's Nollywood was not started by Living in Bondage. That was someone's misconception taken as fact. It's not true.

However, it was the first real commercial success in the VHS home video era of Nigerian movies. That can never be denied.

That is what is true but it was not the first VHS film. Traders can't start a film industry. That would be like saying traders are the foundation of the bloom of the software industry because they pyrate in large volumes

The Igbo version of Latest Adedimeji..

Them to dey quick cry and sabi portray a suffering young man who doesn't want to go Tinubu's way.

Kingzjayzee:
Veteran Nollywood actor Francis Duru has sparked debate with his views on the changing ethnic influence within Nigeria’s film industry, arguing that the Yoruba community has become more dominant because of its ability to organise and promote its own.

In a recent interview on Gbam, aired on the Yan Content Factory YouTube channel on Friday, Duru acknowledged the contributions of Yoruba pioneers such as Herbert Ogunde to Nigerian theatre and performance arts in the 1950s.

However, he argued that the modern Nollywood home-video industry was largely driven by Igbo entrepreneurs during the 1990s and early 2000s.

According to the actor, Igbo traders played a major role in developing the home-video market that eventually evolved into the Nollywood industry known globally today.

Duru argued that the Yoruba community was more effective at pooling resources, creating opportunities for its members and protecting its cultural interests.

“The Yorubas epitomise the saying, ‘Charity begins at home.’ We need to learn from them. If you don’t protect and project your own, who will do it?” he said.

He also cited streaming platforms such as Netflix as evidence of what he described as the decline in the visibility of Igbo stories within Nollywood.

“We [Igbos] created Nollywood, but if you go to Netflix today, you hardly see one movie that speaks of Igbo heritage. But the Yorubas, on the other hand, created opportunities for themselves and utilised them,” Duru stated.

The actor blamed what he described as an individualistic mindset among some Igbos for the loss of influence.

“Igbos failed to learn because of their individualistic mentality. You think you are the big man, so you are self-centred. But you forget that a time will come when you need to be expansive,” he said.

Duru further expressed concern that Igbo history and culture are increasingly being portrayed by filmmakers from outside the community.

“We have great writers who are now writing for the Yorubas. You even see the Yorubas crossing over to write Igbo stories like Ahamefuna and making a mess of who we are,” he said.

Despite his criticism, Duru said his comments should not be interpreted as an attack on Yoruba filmmakers. Instead, he urged Igbos to learn from how the Yoruba community has promoted its own people and culture.

“Don’t get angry with them. These are people who saw their own and protected their own. What happened to you?” he asked.

He also questioned why more films had not been made about prominent Igbo figures and historical personalities.

“Igbos have many great men in Nigeria. When was the last time you saw the epic of one of these great men?” Duru asked.

His comments have since generated discussions around ethnicity, cultural ownership, collective investment and representation in Nigeria’s entertainment industry.


https://www.vanguardngr.com/2026/08/igbos-built-nollywood-but-yorubas-have-become-dominant-francis-duru/

ogwumgbe:
Which of your so called Netflix stars are known internationally in comparison with the likes of Osuofia and Mr Ibu?

Known internationally where?
Neighboring African countries that their combined population isn't up to Alimosho and Ifako Ijaiye LGAs.

Oyekashy, open another thread for Igbo actors and Yoruba actors on the international scene and mention me let me fumigate your ignorance.

Wickedfacts:
Known internationally where?
Neighboring African countries that their combined population isn't up to Alimosho and Ifako Ijaiye LGAs.

Oyekashy, open another thread for Igbo actors and Yoruba actors on the international scene and mention me let me fumigate your ignorance.

Haha, do you also want to argue about the most populated tribe in Nigeria? The days of your Ibadan press dishing out fake population figures is over, it's not about mischievous figures but about the reality on the ground, All Nigeria cities turn to ghost town during Christmas, that will educate you about the most populated tribe in Nigeria, you can only fool the gullible not me, even in abroad 4 out of 5 of every Nigerians are Igbos, we travel, we create and make impact without noise. Everything foreigners are crazy about Nigeria is because of Igbos, they have even started singling out Igbos saying they prefer Igbos and not Nigeria, keep wallowing in your usual snake biled jealousy while we keep promoting Igbo culture world wide

georgeakins:
Continue to wallow in delusion, I no send you.

The era of nzogbu nzogbu is gone forever.
All the actors you mentioned were popular when piracy , oloshoism and nzogbu nzogbu were reigning supreme in Nollywood.
Today, they no longer get roles
Alaba and Iweka piracy is dead forever.

God has used Funke Akindele, Kunle Afolayan and other great actors of Yoruba extraction to flush out those vices I mentioned above.

Today, Nollywood belongs to the Yoruba the way it used to be before those people introduced piracy and nzogbu nzogbu

"Alaba and Iweka Piracy"
Your post laced with tribalism not only defies logic it also insults great producers/Directors like Teco Benson,Tade ogidan and Chico and Ben Ejiro
Not to mention great yoruba actors like Ramsey Noah,Omotola and Segun Arinze who played major roles in Nollywood.
That's why I always laugh at tribalistic posts like this
And finally I will say this again Funke Akindele and Kunle Afonlayan will never be rated higher than the aforementioned Producers/Directors
Know this and know peace
Shalom

So many typical Upper Iweka lies in just one post. Bros, they did not tell you the truth .

1 - All Nigerian cities do not turn to ghost town during Christmas. Not even Lagos. Christmas is family oriented with schools, government offices and even many private businesses closed. The mellowed down activities is what you see simply because people are mostly indoors or in church. Go to churches at Christmas and you will see the crowd everywhere including Ilorin, Ogbomoso, Abuja and other places.
2 - It's another blatant illiterate lie that 4 out of every 5 Nigerians abroad are Igbos. Maybe in Yaounde or some places in Gabon but definitely not abroad in general. However, in terms of loudness you would think they are the vast majority - I won't argue with that.

ogwumgbe:
All Nigeria cities turn to ghost town during Christmas, that will educate you about the most populated tribe in Nigeria, you can only fool the gullible not me, even in abroad 4 out of 5 of every Nigerians are Igbos

lagonovo:
So many typical Upper Iweka lies in just one post. Bros, they did not tell you the truth .

1 - All Nigerian cities do not turn to ghost town during Christmas. Not even Lagos. Christmas is family oriented with schools, government offices and even many private businesses closed. The mellowed down activities is what you see simply because people are mostly indoors or in church. Go to churches at Christmas and you will see the crowd everywhere including Ilorin, Ogbomoso, Abuja and other places.
2 - It's another blatant illiterate lie that 4 out of every 5 Nigerians abroad are Igbos. Maybe in Yaounde or some places in Gabon but definitely not abroad in general. However, in terms of loudness you would think they are the vast majority - I won't argue with that.

The truth doesn't lie irrespective of how you try to cover it, you should go to Ooni of Ife to educate you about the Igbos, the only sincere Yoruba man on earth that speaks the truth as it is, stop competing with us, be creative just as we are and not to start competing from already created thing

Gerrard59:
Thank you for the detailed breakdown.

You welcome bro

You are not making any sense and your post is off track. Have you been drinking? Just curious.

ogwumgbe:
The truth doesn't lie irrespective of how you try to cover it, you should go to Ooni of Ife to educate you about the Igbos, the only sincere Yoruba man on earth that speaks the truth as it is, stop competing with us, be creative just as we are and not to start competing from already created thing

ogwumgbe:
Haha, do you also want to argue about the most populated tribe in Nigeria? The days of your Ibadan press dishing out fake population figures is over, it's not about mischievous figures but about the reality on the ground, All Nigeria cities turn to ghost town during Christmas, that will educate you about the most populated tribe in Nigeria, you can only fool the gullible not me, even in abroad 4 out of 5 of every Nigerians are Igbos, we travel, we create and make impact without noise. Everything foreigners are crazy about Nigeria is because of Igbos, they have even started singling out Igbos saying they prefer Igbos and not Nigeria, keep wallowing in your usual snake biled jealousy while we keep promoting Igbo culture world wide

Foreigners prefer Igbos and not Nigeria. Reminds me of this.

Wickedfacts:
Foreigners prefer Igbos and not Nigeria. Reminds me of this.

You can only gaslight the gullible and not me, I expected you to use your usual mischievous term that Ooni of Ife was massaging our egos, that we are emotional haha, I know you people very well and can always treat your Bleep up, despite the British using You people and the Fulanis to hold Igbos down, yet we keep thriving, non can cover the sun bro, stop competing with us, we're not mates by any standard

femoree2:
I think the yorubas should allow Francis duru enjoy his claim even though we know it's not true. Nemo dat quad non habet!

You cannot be a judge in your own case.

0Brien:
Not really about the setting. You can still shoot a good movie and tell great stories using any setting. And, no, most of their movies they make use modern settings now with HD cameras. They're just not made for Cinema or Netflix

Most of the movies produced for Cinemas and Netflix standards now require huge capital that many cannot afford, and the few who manage to do so take heavy loans to shoot them.

Only very few producers can afford that now and they're mostly concentrated in Lagos, inevitably giving the movies that yoruba effect and advantage. Many of the crew and cast of those movies still come from different parts of Nigeria

Are you saying Yorubas have many billionaires than expected than Igbo day to produce quality films?

You intend to know the cause of the tribal supremacy and division of the igbo's and the yoruba's but from what you equally wrote, it appears you are part of the cause directly or indirectly unknown to you. Instead of you calling a spade a spade, you are still asserting that Francis Duru is right. Nollyhood did not in anyway start with the production of living in bondage or rattle snake...go read history!

Kalulu44:
If someone don't hate something, most of you will you just want somebody to do so.
I'm still asking, when did this war between Igbo and Yoruba really started?
As a growing up boy born by both Igbo parents in Lagos.
Lagos of the late 80s and early 90s to 2000s was so sweet that the two tribe mingle together without rancour.
Igbos and Yorubas inter marry which are the product of mixed tribes of this days.
.
So who's the person or group that started splitting us between tribal lines.
I have lived 90% of my life in Lagos. I can speak Yoruba fluently than my own Igbo.
My major friends, colleagues, bosses are Yorubas and we all work together very well.
Then why is that any small thing we bring tribal insults into it.
Francis Duru has said his own and gave his reasons, while most of you the Yorubas also gave good reasoning.
The only mistake here is the name Nollywood.
.
Nobody is denying Yoruba started film making thru stage play by the likes of Herbert Ogunde back in the 40s, 50s, and 60s. But was it call Nollywood then?
The Hollywood we copied has been in existence since 1900s.
But the question here which I believe Francis Duru is trying to portray is that when did it metarphose into Nollywood.
What gave birth to Nollywood in Nigeria?
Alade Aromire and co were doing well with their movies thru tv programs that still has the likes of Behind The Cloud, Willie Willie, Supples, Village Headmasters, New Masquerades, Tales By Moonlight to mention a few.
But when was all these culminated into being called Nollywood?
.
If truth must be said here, Living In Bondage an Igbo Movie was the game changer. And Rattlesnake an Igbo movie also escalated it further, that made the world refer to our movies as Nollywood. Most of you didn't know, it wasn't Nigerians that nicknamed it Nollywood.
Those two movies was aclaimed worldwide unlike the others I mentioned earlier. Which made foreigners started calling Nigeria film industry as Nollywood after Hollywood and Bollywood.
Nigerian filmakers quickly accepted and adopted it.
Since 1993 Living In Bondage and 1994 when Rattlesnake was produce till the late 2000s.
No movie be it Igbo or Yoruba own grossed more money than those two films.
They were later translated into so many foreign languages.
They revolutionise our movies and made foreigners gave us that name Nollywood.
And Francis Duru been part of one of the movies is speaking from that angle which I understand.
And another fact, from that 1993 till same late 2000s that English movies were being produce. 60-70% of the actor/actress, Producers/Directors and crew members were dominated by the Igbos.
.
Like I said earlier, nobody or I is denying Yoruba started anything film making in Nigeria. But what makes it become Nollywood we call it today was started by the Igbos and that's were I think Francis Duru is taking his views from.
And to think he acknowledged Yorubas has taking over bcus they're more United than the Igbos, and still most Yorubas here has turned it to their usual Yoruba/Igbo tribes war of a thing that always got them engaged instead of thinking out of the box on how to make our beloved Nigeria great again.
.
I spit on the grave of whoever cause this division for us and also to some Nairalanders who continue to propagate it.
I am a detribalised Nigerian and I hate anybody who's tribalistic.
Just as some of you guys rightly discredit Tekno saying Highlife music and Afrobeat are same. So is same about Francis Duru differentiating former film making with Nollywood that he was part and parcel that started it.
I don't want to say much cus I have said much already, but the simple truth is that. Tribalism will kill most of you people here. Be it an Igbo or Yoruba person that's propagating it, cus it will take you and I no where. Abeg I am out of here jor!

Wickedfacts:
Yes na. Those that abandoned their properties in Port Harcourt are Fulanis from Igboland.
This one don deny him ancestors
Igbos sabi fear ehn 🤣

You don't have properties in PH. You bought land but it can be taken from you.
Have you forgotten about those Igbos who had properties in Oyigbo?


Go and ask them what their eyes saw.

They are strangers, Igbos cabt leave their land for no one..have you visited Rivers before..did you noticed that none look like your kins.

Oyigbo is called obigbo.. meaning heart of Igbo.. people like you will stay 800,km and be talking trash.. between me and you who do you think that will make noise more in pH..bloody stranger.

Your juniors and mates are preparing to dazzle your village girls at Christmas while you are still an apprentice at Ladipo Market after 12 years yet you are here doing fruitless dick measuring online. Monopoly game money is not real money o, please get serious for your own good.

ogwumgbe:
You can only gaslight the gullible and not me, I expected you to use your usual mischievous term that Ooni of Ife was massaging our egos, that we are emotional haha, I know you people very well and can always treat your Bleep up, despite the British using You people and the Fulanis to hold Igbos down, yet we keep thriving, non can cover the sun bro, stop competing with us, we're not mates by any standard

ezigr8:
You intend to know the cause of the tribal supremacy and division of the igbo's and the yoruba's but from what you equally wrote, it appears you are part of the cause directly or indirectly unknown to you. Instead of you calling a spade a spade, you are still asserting that Francis Duru is right. Nollyhood did not in anyway start with the production of living in bondage or rattle snake...go read history!

You're basking in pains that's all. You didn't read where I said Yoruba started film making thru stage plays by Ogunde.
The question here is, when did all the television plays, dramas, e.t.c became Nollywood?
Was it called Nollywood in 1960s that Ogunde started it? Answer that pls

lagonovo:
So many typical Upper Iweka lies in just one post. Bros, they did not tell you the truth .

1 - All Nigerian cities do not turn to ghost town during Christmas. Not even Lagos. Christmas is family oriented with schools, government offices and even many private businesses closed. The mellowed down activities is what you see simply because people are mostly indoors or in church. Go to churches at Christmas and you will see the crowd everywhere including Ilorin, Ogbomoso, Abuja and other places.
2 - It's another blatant illiterate lie that 4 out of every 5 Nigerians abroad are Igbos. Maybe in Yaounde or some places in Gabon but definitely not abroad in general. However, in terms of loudness you would think they are the vast majority - I won't argue with that.

definitely kwara is bubbling after so many ravage by the bandit,we all the truth maybe you visited there ,2019

Wickedfacts:
Yes na. Those that abandoned their properties in Port Harcourt are Fulanis from Igboland.
This one don deny him ancestors
Igbos sabi fear ehn 🤣

You don't have properties in PH. You bought land but it can be taken from you.
Have you forgotten about those Igbos who had properties in Oyigbo?

Go and ask them what their eyes saw.

Maybe one Kalabari minority making noise not Ikwere the Igbo clan.

announcement:
Are you saying Yorubas have many billionaires than expected than Igbo day to produce quality films?

Not at all. There are lots Igbo producers behind many of the blockbuster movies of recent times, like Charles Okpaleke, Chinaza Onuzo, Kenechukwu Egbue e.t.c. Because most of these movies are set in Lagos, it makes people assume they're all yoruba movies.

If you look through the credits of these movies, you'll see cast and crew members from different parts of Nigeria.

We also have lots of producers from other tribes making good movies largely set in Lagos. Like
Moses Inwang, Jade Osiberu, Eku Edewor, Desmond Ovbiagele, Izu Ojukwu, Adonijah Owiriwa, Timini Egbuson, Ayo Makun

Their movies aren NOT "yoruba movies" just because they were shot in Lagos to give the movies a more cosmopolitan appeal

Ritchiee:
Was wedding bell etc done in Yoruba language?
This is why Yoruba are way,way above you people.They project the two languages but deliberately give upper hand to their culture knowing that you can't beat Europeans in their thing.
Don't be ashamed of your culture,project it and your movies will come close in grossing to Yoruba movies. Can't you see that Asians,Indians and Yorubas are deliberate?
Do you know that Yorubas do not only lead Nigeria in movies and music,they lead Africa and they have been consistent and resilient.
It is all about Grace and talent.

Grossing in…with the English one I can count on my palm with fingers? Why aren’t KSM , Flavor and others that have chosen same path of singing to appeal to their audience not grossing globally and that is the reason they lost the Netflix license because most black American, Caribbean and African audience wouldn’t want to sit through a 90 minutes to 3 hours reading subtitles thereby missing the entire point of the movie. Let’s free ourselves of these delusions please, not leading anywhere

Victim Mentality always.

Nword22:
They are strangers, Igbos cabt leave their land for no one..have you visited Rivers before..did you noticed that none look like your kins.

Oyigbo is called obigbo.. meaning heart of Igbo.. people like you will stay 800,km and be talking trash.. between me and you who do you think that will make noise more in pH..bloody stranger.

Nword22:
Maybe one Kalabari minority making noise not Ikwere the Igbo clan.

They are strangers abi?
Why were your Ibo leaders begging Ikwerre leaders for their abandoned properties in PH?

This newspaper below was in 1956.
Ibo ancestors were arguing just like you are. When e sup 11 years later, Ibos no wait wear cloth before them run leave PH. 🤣

Kalulu44:
If someone don't hate something, most of you will you just want somebody to do so.
I'm still asking, when did this war between Igbo and Yoruba really started?
As a growing up boy born by both Igbo parents in Lagos.
Lagos of the late 80s and early 90s to 2000s was so sweet that the two tribe mingle together without rancour.
Igbos and Yorubas inter marry which are the product of mixed tribes of this days.
.
So who's the person or group that started splitting us between tribal lines.
I have lived 90% of my life in Lagos. I can speak Yoruba fluently than my own Igbo.
My major friends, colleagues, bosses are Yorubas and we all work together very well.
Then why is that any small thing we bring tribal insults into it.
Francis Duru has said his own and gave his reasons, while most of you the Yorubas also gave good reasoning.
The only mistake here is the name Nollywood.
.
Nobody is denying Yoruba started film making thru stage play by the likes of Herbert Ogunde back in the 40s, 50s, and 60s. But was it call Nollywood then?
The Hollywood we copied has been in existence since 1900s.
But the question here which I believe Francis Duru is trying to portray is that when did it metarphose into Nollywood.
What gave birth to Nollywood in Nigeria?
Alade Aromire and co were doing well with their movies thru tv programs that still has the likes of Behind The Cloud, Willie Willie, Supples, Village Headmasters, New Masquerades, Tales By Moonlight to mention a few.
But when was all these culminated into being called Nollywood?
.
If truth must be said here, Living In Bondage an Igbo Movie was the game changer. And Rattlesnake an Igbo movie also escalated it further, that made the world refer to our movies as Nollywood. Most of you didn't know, it wasn't Nigerians that nicknamed it Nollywood.
Those two movies was aclaimed worldwide unlike the others I mentioned earlier. Which made foreigners started calling Nigeria film industry as Nollywood after Hollywood and Bollywood.
Nigerian filmakers quickly accepted and adopted it.
Since 1993 Living In Bondage and 1994 when Rattlesnake was produce till the late 2000s.
No movie be it Igbo or Yoruba own grossed more money than those two films.
They were later translated into so many foreign languages.
They revolutionise our movies and made foreigners gave us that name Nollywood.
And Francis Duru been part of one of the movies is speaking from that angle which I understand.
And another fact, from that 1993 till same late 2000s that English movies were being produce. 60-70% of the actor/actress, Producers/Directors and crew members were dominated by the Igbos.
.
Like I said earlier, nobody or I is denying Yoruba started anything film making in Nigeria. But what makes it become Nollywood we call it today was started by the Igbos and that's were I think Francis Duru is taking his views from.
And to think he acknowledged Yorubas has taking over bcus they're more United than the Igbos, and still most Yorubas here has turned it to their usual Yoruba/Igbo tribes war of a thing that always got them engaged instead of thinking out of the box on how to make our beloved Nigeria great again.
.
I spit on the grave of whoever cause this division for us and also to some Nairalanders who continue to propagate it.
I am a detribalised Nigerian and I hate anybody who's tribalistic.
Just as some of you guys rightly discredit Tekno saying Highlife music and Afrobeat are same. So is same about Francis Duru differentiating former film making with Nollywood that he was part and parcel that started it.
I don't want to say much cus I have said much already, but the simple truth is that. Tribalism will kill most of you people here. Be it an Igbo or Yoruba person that's propagating it, cus it will take you and I no where. Abeg I am out of here jor!

You are correct that the name was probably given by foreigners around the same time India's became Bollywood and Ghana's became Ghollywood. Kano too is Kannywood a segment of Nollywood but to say the name was given because of Igbos isn't correct. Ghana has theirs. Are you going to say it was because of Igbos too? Prof Soyinka got a Nobel mainly because of his plays being aired on the BBC. He was not the most popular playwright in Yoruba land. He was only the one being aired on the BBC The most popular ones with the best plays were not in the academia. The whole industry was nicknamed Nollywood by the Americans. It is an industry that would have existed if Nigeria were not one and to say it was founded, built or created by Igbos would not be correct

The industry started early in the 20th century. Bollywood is said to have started in 1917. The first actor acted in 1917 and the word was coined in the 1970s.

Nollywood as a word was coined in the USA in 2002. The first actor will also be in the early 20th century. The first person on TV will be in the 1950s etc.