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, Duru acknowledged the contributions of Yoruba pioneers such as Herbert Ogunde to Nigerian theatre in the 1950s, but argued the modern Nollywood home-video industry was largely driven by Igbo entrepreneurs during the 1990s and early 2000s - Igbo traders played a major role in developing the home-video market that evolved into today's Nollywood.
Duru argued the Yoruba community was more effective at pooling resources and protecting its cultural interests: "The Yorubas epitomise 'Charity begins at home.' We need to learn from them. If you don't protect and project your own, who will do it?" He cited Netflix as evidence of declining visibility of Igbo stories: "We created Nollywood, but if you go to Netflix today, you hardly see one movie that speaks of Igbo heritage."
He blamed an individualistic mindset among some Igbos for the loss of influence, and complained that Yoruba writers were now writing Igbo stories "like Ahamefuna and making a mess of who we are." Despite his criticism, Duru urged Igbos not to be angry with Yoruba filmmakers but to learn from how the Yorubas promote their own. (Source: vanguardngr.com. One screenshot. 249 replies.)
