‘Yoruba did not start Nollywood’ – Osuofia sets record straight on film history

Veteran Nigerian actor Nkem Owoh, better known by his stage name Osuofia, has clarified that Yoruba people did not initiate the inception of Nollywood, a popular statement that has been misunderstood by many. According to Osuofia, he was referring to the advent of home video production in Nigeria, rather than the establishment of the entire film industry itself.

The actor further explained that when his contemporaries began producing films back in the day, the term "Nollywood" was yet to be coined. It was only after considerable deliberation among the stakeholders that the name "Nollywood" was adopted to describe the burgeoning film industry. "When we began filmmaking, there was no Nollywood as a term," Osuofia affirmed.

He also paid tribute to Yoruba filmmakers, particularly Hubert Ogunde, a renowned figure in the industry, crediting them with the initial push for the home-video tradition and its subsequent popularization. "Yoruba did not start Nollywood; they started home video and the rest," Osuofia emphasized, making it clear that his comments were not about the genesis of Nollywood but rather its foundation in home video production.