Veteran Nigerian actor, Francis Duru, has sparked debate after saying that while Igbos played a major role in building the modern Nigerian film industry, Yoruba filmmakers have become more dominant.
Duru made the remarks during an interview on Gbam, where he said Igbo entrepreneurs were instrumental in the growth of the home-video industry.
He, however, argued that the Yoruba community had been more successful in supporting, promoting and projecting its people and culture through filmmaking.
“We [Igbos] created Nollywood, but if you go to Netflix today, you hardly see one movie that speaks of Igbo heritage,” Duru said.
The actor urged Igbos to learn from the Yoruba community’s ability to preserve and project its cultural identity.
He stressed that his comments were not intended as an attack on Yoruba filmmakers but as a call for greater support for Igbo stories, filmmakers and cultural representation in the industry.
Duru’s remarks have since generated debate over the contributions of Nigeria’s major ethnic groups to the development of Nollywood and the representation of indigenous cultures on global streaming platforms.
