Omanghana
Veteran Nigerian actor Nkem Owoh, popularly known as Osuofia, has clarified his comments on the origins of the country’s film industry, saying Yoruba filmmakers pioneered home-video productions before the name Nollywood became widely used.
The actor addressed the debate during an appearance on Curiosity Made Me Ask, hosted by comedian and content creator Adebayo Abidemi, popularly known as Bae U. The interview was published on November 7, 2026.
Owoh rejected suggestions that he had claimed Yoruba filmmakers founded Nollywood. He said his earlier remarks referred to their role in making home videos popular in Nigeria.
“When we started the thing, there was no Nollywood as a name,” he said.
He added: “The Yoruba did not start Nollywood. They started home video.”
Recognition for Early Filmmakers
Owoh credited Yoruba practitioners for their contributions to the early growth of Nigerian entertainment, mentioning theatre and film veteran Hubert Ogunde among the figures whose work he admired.
Yoruba travelling theatre groups helped establish an indigenous performance tradition that later influenced Nigerian filmmaking. Early video productions associated with Yoruba filmmakers include Ade Ajiboye’s Ṣósó Méjì and Alade Aromire’s Ekun.
The Rise of Nollywood
Nigeria’s commercial home-video boom is widely associated with the 1992 Igbo-language film Living in Bondage, produced by Kenneth Nnebue. Its success helped popularise a model of film production and distribution that expanded rapidly in the years that followed.
The term Nollywood emerged later and has since been used broadly for Nigerian filmmaking, including productions made before the name became popular.
Owoh’s remarks add to a long-running discussion about the different communities, filmmakers and entrepreneurs who contributed to Nigerian cinema’s development.
Source: Omanghana
