Why Yorubas Overtook Igbos In Nollywood — Francis Duru

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Veteran actor Francis Duru has weighed in on why Yoruba filmmakers now control much of Nollywood despite Igbo pioneers laying the industry's foundation.

Duru acknowledged that while Yoruba figures like Hubert Ogunde were early pioneers of Nigerian cinema dating back to the 1950s, it was Igbo entrepreneurs who truly launched what became known as Nollywood, introducing home videos into the Nigerian market during the 1990s and early 2000s.

According to him, the shift in dominance came down to organization and communal support, qualities he believes the Yoruba film community demonstrated far better than their Igbo counterparts.

"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.

The actor didn't hold back in critiquing his own ethnic group, arguing that Igbo filmmakers have largely abandoned their cultural narratives on major platforms.

"We 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.

He attributed this decline to what he described as a self-centered mindset among Igbo people in the industry, contrasting it with the collective approach he says defined Yoruba success.

"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 added.

Duru insisted that many of Nollywood's earliest backers were simply traders who recognized a business opportunity, and once they did, they mobilized their communities to invest.

"You need to be proactive and ask yourself, 'There is a new market space; why am I not there?' Most of the persons who pioneered Nollywood were mere traders. So, you created something, and some people saw the gold in it, got together, called their people who have the 'do,' and they invested in it. The Yorubas protected their own," he explained.

Rather than resent Yoruba success, Duru urged Igbos to reflect on their own shortcomings.

"Don't get angry with them. These are people who saw their own and protected their own. What happened to you? Igbos have many great men in Nigeria," he said.

He further lamented the absence of cinematic tributes to prominent Igbo figures, pointing out that talented Igbo writers now lend their skills to Yoruba productions instead.

"When was the last time you saw the epic of one of these great men? 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," Duru concluded.

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