Veteran Nollywood actor Francis Duru has expressed concern over what he described as the declining representation of Igbo culture and history in Nigeria’s film industry.
Duru made the remarks during an interview on Gbam, aired on the Yan Content Factory YouTube channel on Friday.
The actor argued that although people of Igbo extraction played a major role in the development of Nollywood through the home-video era of the 1990s and early 2000s, the Yoruba community has since surpassed them in promoting indigenous stories.
According to Duru, the difference is largely due to organisation, collective support and the willingness of the Yoruba people to invest in stories that reflect their heritage.
He noted that Yoruba filmmakers have created opportunities around their culture, while many Igbo professionals have failed to do the same because of what he described as an overly individualistic mindset.
Duru said, “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 lamented that Igbo heritage is poorly represented on major streaming platforms despite the large number of talented filmmakers and writers from the Southeast.
“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,” he said.
The veteran actor further called on Igbo filmmakers and investors to become more proactive in identifying and developing new opportunities within the entertainment industry.
He argued that many of the pioneers of Nollywood were traders who recognised the potential of the home-video market and invested collectively to build the industry.
Duru also urged Igbo people not to resent the Yoruba community for successfully promoting its culture through film.
“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 stated.
He questioned why more films had not been made about prominent Igbo figures and historical personalities, despite the abundance of writers and creative professionals from the region.
Duru also criticised what he described as attempts by some Yoruba filmmakers and writers to tell Igbo stories without sufficient understanding of Igbo culture.
He cited Ahamefuna as an example, alleging that some aspects of Igbo identity were poorly portrayed.
“You even see the Yorubas crossing over to write Igbo stories like ‘Ahamefuna’ and making a mess of who we are,” Duru said.
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