Nollywood Blues and Multinational Corruption in Nigeria

Nollywood Blues and Multinational Corruption in Nigeria 

There is more opportunism than professionalism in Nollywood and the Nigerian film industry.

They should know that you can't have a film commission without at least one qualified film commissioner.

Having a film corporation is different from having a film commission.

In Nollywood, you will see someone posing and posturing as an expert on the international sales of Nigerian movies, but has not secured any international acquisition and distribution of any Nigerian movies and documentaries.

Nollywood can compete with Joziwood.

But Nollywood cannot compete with Hollywood 

You see the professional misconduct of celebrated stakeholders whose professional body misappropriated the foreign funds from the French government meant for film productions and they are still going about business as usual.

Yes. It is a good development to start a film market, because you can't have a functional film industry without an international film market. But you must know how to market the film market beyond the mere announcement of launching a film market.

In Nollywood, the box office can be fixed to favour a Nigerian movie more than other Nigerian movies.

I have written on corruption in Nollywood and the Nigerian film industry, but both the local and foreign companies and other organizations have been partners in crime in the institutionalization of corruption in Nigeria.

The major sponsor of the leading musical society in Nigeria did not like my political poem, "Empty Shells in Our Oil Wells" shortlisted for the 2001 annual poetry prize. In 2004, the multinational oil company later invited me to the head office in Lagos on supporting my proposed documentary film, "Winds of Fire, Winds of Change" on the hazards of gas flares, oil pollution and terrorism in the Niger Delta region. But later rescinded and I abandoned the production of the political documentary film and rescripted it into the screenplay of "Naked Beauty" co-authored with Dr. Christian Chika Onu, the multiple award winning Nollywood filmmaker and author of "The Unusual Story of the Early Years of Nollywood", the first book by one of pioneers of the phenomenon of the first indie film industry in Africa.

"Naked Beauty" is exclusively published by Lulu Books in hardcover version, paperback and ebook versions.

The MacArthur Foundation told me about the support for investigative journalism against corruption in Nigeria, but ironically the selected news media receiving the funds, included newspapers that refused to publish my reports on millions of dollars in tax evasions by a major American multinational oil company in 2006, because they don't want to lose their adverts. The company invited me for discussion, but I declined to honour the suspicious parley.

- by Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima,

Publisher/Editor,

NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Series,

The first book series on Nollywood and the Nigerian film industry.

https://www.amazon.com/author/ekenyerengozimichaelchima

#nollywood

#joziwood

#hollywood

#professionalism

#journalism

#corruption

#filmmakers

#movies

#boxoffice

#french

#funds

#sponsor

#music

#poetry

#filmmarket

#commission

#filmindustry

#oilcompany

#america

#multinational

#gas

#pollution

#terrorism

#macarthurfoundation

#nigerdelta

#nigeria

#nakedbeauty

#chima

#chika

#books

The Road To Mountain of Fire and Miracles Church in Onike in Lagos

The Road To Mountain of Fire and Miracles Church in Onike in Lagos

A scene from the first phase of the principal photography of my on going documentary film, "Lagos in Motion" in 2016.

The camera is the narrator of the documentary on the sights and sounds of the largest megacity in Africa.

I have shot more than 40 hours so far and now on the final phase to complete the production.

I have not borrowed and have not applied for any funds for the production since 2016 to date.

I have spent my personal incomes and I have paid my crew and all the young tourists featured in the documentary film, including Nollywood actresses, Nunnsi Ojong, Celina Ideh and campus beauty queen, Franca Aide who  are graduates of the University of Calabar in Cross River State; fast rising actress, Magdalena Masha and model Cynthia Agu who is now in Poland. My black and beautiful production assistant, Chibuzor Okoro, my younger brother, Franklin UcheChukwu Eke, my friend, Tony Godson Uche Okeke and my production manager, Felix Omokagbo Jegede featured in the documentary film.

The principal cameraman Adesina Mutiu-Okediran used Sony FS 100 and I also used my own Sony digital camera for some of the shots. I shot this scene alone.

- Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima

#lagos

#nollywood

#documentaryfilm

#documentary

#megacity

#nigeria

#africa

#storytelling

#filmmaking

#narrator

#camera

#sony

#photography

#miracles

#church

Who is Michael Chima Ekenyerengozi? Ask AI

Who is Michael Chima Ekenyerengozi?

Ask AI.

But there are certain important facts about me most people are ignorant of, because I did not mention them personally and not included in my public profile. And AI did not mention during inquiry.

Yes, I am recognized as a public personality. I have been a public personality since I was 13 when I won the first prize in a national essay competition for my essay on "What I Like Best About Nigeria" when I was a student of the famous St. Gregory's College in Lagos. Later in 1987,  I won another first prize for my poem, "Song of Patriotism" in a national poetry competition on the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) Channel 10. 

At 17, I produced and directed my first play, "The Prodigal" for the Education Unit of the National Museum in Lagos, Nigeria.

At 18, I was the youngest and among the highest paid independent professional script writers for television in Africa, writing for the NTA Channel 10.

NTA is the largest TV Network in Africa.

The publication of my first book, "Children of Heaven" in 1987 had good reviews in The Guardian newspaper, The Punch and the news of the public presentation at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) on Victoria Island in Lagos in 1988 was on the Radio Nigeria and on prime time 7pm news on the NTA.

At 25, I was a national Program Consultant for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Nigeria.

I am counselor in HIV/AIDS trained by the World Health Organization (WHO) since 1993.

I am a member of the International Law Office and invited to nominate outstanding legal practitioners for the annual Global Counsel Awards. 

International Law Office (ILO) Global Counsel Awards: A major international award that recognizes in-house counsel who have excelled in various practice areas, with winners selected through nominations and an in-depth analysis of legal departments worldwide.

I participated in the Digital Media Law Project (DMLP) that was established in 2007 and operated by the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University until 2014.

See more on 

International Digital Post Network Limited

RC 807913                             

https://nigeriansreportng.blogspot.com/p/international-digital-post-network.html

Nollywood Diva Stephanie Linus Uses "DRY" for #JusticeForOchanya Campaign

Nollywood Diva Stephanie Linus Uses "DRY" for #JusticeForOchanya Campaign

Nollywood Diva Stephanie Linus is using her multiple award winning 2014  film "DRY" for the #JusticeForOchanya campaign and for the 2025 annual 16 Days of Activism To End Violence Against Women and Girls.

"DRY" is now free to watch on YouTube on her Next Page TV Channel.

https://youtu.be/yctwblYQl4g?si=YyA2UZgaC18Vi2w

#JusticeForOchanya campaign resonates with the purpose of "DRY"and the Call To  Action theme of the 2025 16 days of activism UNiTE to End Digital Violence against All Women and Girls from November 25 to December 10.

That's why I have put "DRY" on YouTube for all to watch it and join the campaign so that the horrifying rape that caused the death of Elizabeth Ochanya Ogbanje will not happen again."

The theme of "DRY,' focused on Vesicovaginal Fistula condition and underaged marriage among young women, narrating the traumatic ordeal of a thirteen-year-old girl named Halima. 

Ochanya died from the complications of Vesicovaginal Fistula.

The public demand for #JusticeForOchanya has recently intensified, leading to a significant new development: the reopening of the case by the Benue State High Court in late October 2025. This follows the controversial 2022 acquittal of one of the main suspects, Andrew Ogbuja. 

Elizabeth Ochanya Ogbanje died in October 2018 at the age of 13 due to complications, including vesicovaginal fistula (VVF), resulting from years of alleged serial sexual abuse. She had been living with her aunt and uncle in Benue State. Before her death, she provided a video testimony identifying her alleged abusers as her uncle, Andrew Ogbuja, and his son, Victor Ogbuja.

Mrs. Stephanie Linus is the First Black Recipient of Lennox K. Black Prize for Excellence for her outstanding achievements to empower and heal women. Inspired by a true story, her film “Dry” sheds light on Vesicovaginal fistula (VVF), a devastating childbirth injury impacting girls and women in northern regions of Nigeria. Through her foundation, Extended Hands, Stephanie provides medical care to women suffering from VVF and advocates for change. Her dedication has been recognised with prestigious awards like the Miriam Makeba Award for Excellence in 2017 and the Beyond the Tears Humanitarian Award for her work against rape and VVF.

LINDA IKEJI: 50 Most Outstanding Women in Nollywood and the Nigerian Film Industry

LINDA IKEJI: 50 Most Outstanding Women in Nollywood and the Nigerian Film Industry.

Linda Ikeji is a prominent Nigerian blogger, writer, and entrepreneur, widely recognized as a pioneer of the digital media landscape in Nigeria. She is best known for her highly influential and popular platform, Linda Ikeji's Blog, which focuses on Nigerian news, entertainment, lifestyle, and gossip. 

Career Overview

Early Career: 

Ikeji started writing at the age of 10 and began her career as a model and waitress to support herself through the University of Lagos, where she earned a degree in English language.
Blogging Pioneer: She started blogging as a hobby in 2006, using cybercafés due to limited internet access in Nigeria at the time. Her blog gained significant popularity around 2011 and became one of the most visited sites in Nigeria, reshaping how the country consumes entertainment news.

Media Mogul: 

Ikeji expanded her brand into a media empire, launching ventures such as Linda Ikeji TV (LITV), an online radio station (Linda Ikeji Radio), and a social networking site (Linda Ikeji Social).

Filmmaking: 

She has also ventured into film production, with recent projects including the movie Dark October (2023) and Reverse (2025), with the latter inspired by her personal experience of being denied hospital treatment. 

Influence and Recognition
Impact: 

Her success has been cited as a case study for the business of blogging in Africa by Forbes Africa. She is recognized for demonstrating the potential of new media as a viable business.

Philanthropy: 

Through her project "I'd rather be self-made; No thanks," she supports young women aged 16-25 with entrepreneurial aspirations, having disbursed millions of naira to help them start their businesses. 

Linda Ikeji is considered an integral part of the Nigerian digital age, a figure who evokes both praise as a hardworking pioneer and criticism for her controversial publications. 

PS;

The 50 Most Outstanding Women in Nollywood and the Nigerian Film Industry is a special feature in the third edition is the NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Series to be printed in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA and will be distributed by Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other booksellers.

The "NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Series" is a book series by Michael Chima Ekenyerengozi that provides a comprehensive overview of Nollywood, Nigeria's film industry. Published in both print and digital formats, the series aims to capture the "big picture" of the industry and is targeted at a global audience interested in Nigerian cinema.  

Focus: The series is a celebration and documentation of the Nigerian film industry, covering current affairs and notable aspects of Nollywood. 

Formats: It is available in multiple formats, including paperback, hard-cover, and e-copy versions. 

Distribution: The books are distributed in Nigeria, the U.S., the UK, Canada, the Caribbean, and other parts of the world to reach its target audience.

 

Author: Michael Chima Ekenyerengozi is credited as the author of the series.

#nollywood 

#chima

#books 

#series 

#mirror 

#movies 

#filmmarket 

#filmstudies 

#filmmaking

#education

#information

#nigeria

#canada

#uk

#unitedstates

#america

#caribbean

Photos from the World Premiere of "Infant at Heart" in London

 

Photos from the World Premiere of "Infant at Heart", the First Nollywood Igbo Psychological Thriller in London

The director and writer, Aguyi IKEOBI Silence.

The world premiere of "Infant at Heart", the first Nollywood Igbo psychological thriller held on Saturday, October 18, 2025 at the Odeon Greenwich in London, UK. The event attracted many people, including important dignitaries and friends of the director, Aguiyi IKEOBI Silence who also wrote the gripping screenplay. This is his first feature film.

IKEOBI Silence said he made "Infant at Heart" in his mother tongue of Igbo language to make it an original and believable story.

"It is from stories about some Catholic Priests in Eastern Nigeria."

"The movie is an emotional journey that resonates deeply with everyone that has faced loss or confronted the truth by themselves, " said Vera Kanu, the producer.

Starring top Nollywood.stars, Monalisa Chinda Coker, Nkem Owoh and Williams Uchemba, the drama centers on a grieving Justice Ngozi Chimerije dealing with loss, trauma and bipolar disorder when her brother-in-law moves in and a new murder case appears. 

The film deals existential realities of loss, truth, resilience, self-confrontation and the consequences of the trauma of adolescent rape.

SYNOPSIS

After the tragic loss of her only child, Justice Ngozi Chimerije is forced to confront buried trauma. But when her brother-in-law moves in to pursue his studies, and a chilling murder case lands on her desk, her grip on reality begins to slip — and her life hangs in the balance.

View the official trailer on 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-AjTU5A4BYW-slLZJV5wa7b3lB1I47iN/view?usp=share_link

A production of Afrigold TV Ltd and the Executive Producers are Aguiyi IKEOBI Silence and Dr. Olebara Uzoukwu popularly known for "Dr. Mekam" (2018) and "Black Day" (2018). An award winning actress and filmmaker. She also played the role of Mrs. Gbemisola in the movie.

Oby Olebara Uzoukwu 
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm13364798/

CAST

Monalisa Chinda Coker, Nkem Owoh Osuofia, Williams Uchemba, Emeka Darlington, Mike Durueke, Emeka Enyiocha, Bryan Emmanuel

Director

Aguiyi IKEOBI silence 

Producer

Vera Kanu

Writer

Aguiyi IKEOBI Silence 

Infant at Heart (2024) - Full cast & crew - IMDb
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt37342133/fullcredits/

Duration

132 mins

Genre

Drama, Psychological Thriller

Country

Nigeria

Language(s)

English, Igbo

The Omalicha of NOLLYWOOD

The Omalicha of NOLLYWOOD

There are Omalichas of Nollywood. And she is The Omalicha of the Omalichas of Nollywood and the most beautiful so far in the history of the Nigerian film industry since 1960 to date.

Who is she?

As I showed her gazing at the mirror in "Mirror, Mirror, Who is the Fairest of them All?".

I wrote about her beauty in the popular article published by Nigeria Film, Modern Ghana and my own TALK OF THE TOWN By Orikinla. And of course I included her among the 34 Beauty Queens of Nollywood and Kannywood in the second edition of the NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Series published in 2014.

The Beauty Queens of Nollywood and Kannywood should be a reality TV series on Netflix or Showmax and the series will attract millions of their fans and followers online and offline. I have identified more than 34 with the new beauty queens like Adesua Etomi- Wellington and sultry Sophie Alakija.

She has been the most beautiful since I have known her at the different locations for casting calls for auditions for new movies.

Year: 1996

Location: Idi Iroko bus stop

Ikorodu Road, Lagos, Nigeria .

Title of Movie: Cover Up

Ejike Asiegbu, Emeka Ike, Emeka Enyiocha, Segun Arinze, Adim Williams, Chyke Brian and Regina Askia later joined us for her role of the leading lady during the rehearsals.

Enebeli Elebuwa of blessed memory came around with Charly Boy on his power bike.

Then, the Omalicha was between 16 and 19. Emeka Enyiocha was often with her at the locations. And he was sitting beside her on this occasion.

She stood up and sashayed to me holding an orange in her right hand. 

Without saying any word, she gave me the orange with glints in her beautiful brown eyes.

I accepted it with thanks and she returned to her seat as I admired her.

She was guided by her inner spirit.

She went on to become one the most famous actresses in Nollywood and she became the first Nigerian actor and actress to be named among The TIME 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2013 and named her "Queen of Nollywood" which I celebrated in the first edition of the NOLLYWOOD MIRRORS® Series published in the same year and now a collector's edition.

If you are still wondering who?

Then you are a JJC in Nollywood.

She is The OMALICHA of NOLLYWOOD of the 50 Most Outstanding Women in Nollywood and the Nigerian Film Industry, including The ADAEZE of NOLLYWOOD, ADAORA of NOLLYWOOD, ADAUGO of NOLLYWOOD, ADAURE of NOLLYWOOD and ADABEKE of NOLLYWOOD to be profiled in the third edition of the NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Series.

It is a collector's edition in full colour on glossy paper printed in Raleigh, North Carolina,USA.

You can pre-order the hardcover version for only $50 (fifty dollars) including delivery by DHL or UPS.

The Omalicha inspired me to compose the following lyrics of my new song for one of prospective new Afrobeats singers I have discovered in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

Yes. I I am a very good lyricist as well as a first prize winning poet.

My song "Hardway To Broadway" was recorded in California was I was 18 and copyrighted with a copy in the Library of Congress, Washington DC, USA in 1984.

My second recording, "She Comes on Sundays": was produced in Lagos in 2003 and I had one hour interview with the broadcast of the song on the BBC Radio in April, 2003 heard by millions of listeners worldwide.

I am currently recording three new songs: "Your Majesty, Lord Almighty", "Omalicha" and the title of the third song is CLASSIFIED.

As Rema will say,. "Another Banger!" 

My last stage performance was a live concert for the graduation ceremony of the Alliance Française in 2002 in Lagos. I sang my song, "Darego!" I composed to celebrate Darego for winning the Miss World beauty pageant in 2001. I was backed by one of the best rock guitarists in the world, "Son of Rock" Dabyna Abraham-Poll and his band. The girls were screaming with excitement in the mini theatre of the French Cultural Centre in Ikoyi, Lagos.

It was a romantic night to remember.

My live life is scripted by Almighty God And He said He wired me differently from others.

OMALICHA

Omalicha

You are beautiful.

Omalicha

You are wonderful

Omalicha

You are very pretty

Omalicha

No one can deny your beauty

Omalicha

You are catwalking up and down

Omalicha

You are the talk of the Town

Omalicha

You make heads to turn on the street

From the street to the internet

Omalicha

Your beauty is the talk of the social network

From Facebook to TikTok

From Instagram to Telegram

From Snapchat to WeChat

Omalicha

Obiago! Obiago! Obiago!

Omalicha

Nwayi Oma Achalaugo

Nwa nma oyoyo.

You are what my mother called Ogbashi motto.

Traffic stopper.

You make the heartbeats faster.

Omalicha

Onye nkem

Onye bu lo obi.

Omalicha

- By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima,.

01:21am.

Wednesday, October 22, 2025.

Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.

The Lack of Visionary Leadership in Africa and the Solution

The Lack of Visionary Leadership in Africa and the Solution

I have heard, listened and watched outstanding motivational speakers in Africa blaming European colonial Government in Africa for the political failures of majority of African leaders. In most cases, I don't agree with them, because I always say that the suit does not make the man, but the man makes the suit.
What makes a monk holy is his character and not the hood and cassock of his monastery.

Africa would have been worse today without Western education and there would not have been Western education without colonialism and there would not have been colonialism without Christianity. 
The White man gave us the Holy Bible first before his colonial rule.
Colonialism and neocolonialism are not the cause of the bad political leadership in Africa.
The carrot and stick or the divide and rule political tactics of the colonial rulers ended with the political Independence of African countries.

We don't lack leaders in Africa.
There is only lack of visionary leadership for democracy and good governance.
Majority of those who became the founding fathers of Independence and the end of colonial rule in Africa were political title chasers without the principles of transformational visionary leadership.
They didn't prepare their people for the nation building of their respective countries.
They just wanted to step into the big shoes of their colonial masters who were rulers and not leaders.
The colonial masters didn't come to lead Africans for an African Renaissance to compete with their Western Civilization. They came to rule and exploit Africa to expand their Western Civilization by imperialism.
They came for the human and mineral resources in Africa.

There are four pillars of the credibility of a great human personality for visionary leadership; they are Dignity, Humility, Integrity and Nobility.
Without which you cannot be a good leader before you can even talk of becoming a great visionary leader.

Majority of Africans are selfish by nature and that is why they have corrupt leaders with greed for power and wealth without conscience and without shame.

As I always say that Nigeria is what Nigerians are from the street to the Office of the President.
We reap the harvest of the seeds we have sown.
You cannot sow weed and reap the harvest of wheat.
We reap what we sow.

Selfish interests from ethnic differences of tribalism overtook national interests after the exit of the colonial rulers.
Regionalism and religional sectarianism of Christianity and Islam became the order of the day and the sociopolitical consequences have done collateral damage to political leadership in Africa.
Africa is what Africans are.
From tribalism to neopatrimonialism.

Africa has been blessed with great visionary leaders from the late Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah
of Ghana, Léopold Sédar Senghor of Senegal, António Agostinho Neto of Angola,Samora Moisés Machel of Mozambique, Jomo Kenyatta of Kenya, Patrice Émery Lumumba of the Democratic Republic of the  Congo,
Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe,
Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa of Nigeria to Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia and the great Madiba Nelson Mandela of South Africa who were nation builders. But they passed on to eternal glory without credible successors.
Were they political mentors without credible successors?
Yes.

We cannot have great leadership without any successorship plan.

You must have the foresight and insight into the future for visionary leadership.
Study the life and legacy of the great Lee Kuan Yew, the Father of Modern Singapore. And I recommend him as a role model for visionary leadership in Africa. 

The world is still waiting for the rise of the roaring African lions to rise up like the Asian Tigers.

The Big Picture of the Future of Africa will be defined by a new generation of visionaries in every sphere of human development and they must be ready to be nation builders and not title chasers.

- - By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima,
The Author of "The Victory of Muhammadu Buhari and the Nigerian Dream", "The Prophet Lied", "In the House of Dogs" and other books distributed by Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other booksellers.
https://www.amazon.com/author/ekenyerengozimichaelchima

#africa
#nigeria
#ghana
#southafrica
#america
#europe
#singapore
#asia
#leadership
#leaders
#politics
#democracy
#colonialism
#neopatrimonialism
#government
#corruption
#econony
#future
#mandela
#yew
#visionary

WeREAD: Kaine Agary's Yellow-Yellow' Highly Recommended for Film Adaptation

Holding the novel "Yellow-Yellow" by Kaine Agary on Monday, September 1, 2025 while visiting my younger sister in her residence in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.

WeREAD:  Kaine Agary's Yellow-Yellow' Highly Recommended for Film Adaptation 

https://amzn.to/4nvC5H5

Our book club, WeREAD prefers  reading more books by Nigerian authors than foreign authors. 

My younger sister, Mrs. Stella Unah is the Numero Uno of reading with over 100 books read so far. She reads novels like she is watching movies, relating with the characters in the stories. She is the Chief Librarian of WeREAD Book Club.

Unlike many of the women in Nigeria, she prefers reading to gossiping.
She can read four books within 30 days.

If everyone in Nigeria can read like her, majority of Nigerian authors will be giving thanks to Almighty God for our books will be selling like books in America, Britain, Japan and other countries with highly literate people who love 💕 to read.

I started WeREAD in 2022 as an affiliate of Bookshop.org to support local bookstores in America and I am happy to say that over US$40 million have been raised so far.

Forwarded message ----------

From: "Bookshop.org" <newsletters@bookshop.org>

To: "WeREAD" <ekenyerengozimichaelchima@gmail.com>

$40,751,866.50

Raised For Local Bookstores

Last month of August, the novels we chose to read included "Influence of A King" by Titi Horsfall; multiple award winning novel, "Purple Hibiscus" by the famous Chimamanda Ngozi-Adichie and "Yellow-Yellow" by Kaine Agary that won the Nigeria Prize for Literature in 2008. The first debut novel to do so in the history of the biggest prize for literature in Africa.

https://www.thenigeriaprizes.org/profile/kaine-agary

The exciting romantic novel about the impressionable and vulnerable biracial teenage girl,  Zilayefa, aka "Yellow-Yellow", daughter of a young Ijaw woman Ina Binaebi and a Greek sailor, Plato Papadopoulos in the Niger Delta of Nigeria during the dictatorship of a sadistic military Head of State is highly entertaining. It is one the best coming-of-age novels I have read so far. 

It is a romantic drama in prose waiting for a good film adaptation that will be a box office success and it is the kind of movie Netflix should commission.

Wale Ojo

I see the accomplished multiple award winning actor Wale Ojo playing the romantic role of the retired Naval Admiral Kenneth Alaowei Amalayefa, the sugar daddy of Zilayefa; excellent beautiful Nollywood diva, Iretiola Doyle as Sisi and the fast rising young pretty Uche Montana as Lolo.

Iretiola Doyle

Uche Montana

I don't know any biracial Nigerian actress under 20 that can play the leading role of Yellow-Yellow. We have to do international casting call for her. 

WeREAD powered by Bookshop, https://bookshop.org/shop/Weread. 

WeREAD is for the revival of the reading culture in Nigeria and the rest of Africa for the appreciation of literature with special focus on books by African authors.

The next level is to produce the WeREAD app for all users of GSM phones to access the platform. The app will include an interactive social networking feature for users to talk about books, booklists, book awards, rate books and trade books in book auctions where collector's editions of rare books can be sold to the highest bidders. We will also produce various branded products for WeREAD, such as WeREAD school, shopping and travel bags; facecaps; T-shirts and WeREAD Cafés strategically located on campuses of selected tertiary institutions and shopping malls. 

Yellow-Yellow, Kaine Agary, novel, books,Nigerian writers,Nigeria Prize for Literature,Niger Delta, romance, love, sex, politics, adventure, relationship, career, education

Not Every Indian Film is Bollywood and Not Every Nigerian Movie is Nollywood

  

Not Every Indian Film is Bollywood and Not Every Nigerian Movie is Nollywood

Bollywood and Nollywood have been called the first and second largest film industries in the world for the production of the largest quantities of movies.

Bollywood is generally labelled as the Indian film industry. But it is not the overall representative of the film industry of India, because there is Tollywood, the popular Telugu film industry of Telugu language based in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in southeast India. Bollywood, the Hindi language Cinema is based in the city of Mumbai (formerly Bombay).

Tollywood was first coined before Bollywood and has a filmmaking history of over 100 years since 1909 when the Father of Telugu Cinema, Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu produced short films and showed them in different regions of South Asia and he built the first Indian-owned cinema halls in South India in 1921.

Tollywood is the second largest film industry in India by box-office revenue after Bollywood. And Tollywood films sold 233 million tickets in 2022, the highest among all Indian film industries. As of 2023, Andhra Pradesh has the highest number of movie screens in India.

The boisterous Telugu film industry has several Guinness World Records such as the Ramoji Film City, which holds the Guinness World Record as the largest film studio complex in the world.

The second highest grossing Indian film so far, is "Baahubali 2: The Conclusion", a 2017 Tollywood epic action film directed by S. S. Rajamouli following the current highest grossing Indian film "Dangal"  a 2016 Bollywood biographical sports drama film directed by Nitesh Tiwari and produced by Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao.

I have written on the significance of the difference between Bollywood and Tollywood before on my Nigerians Report Online on Blogger.

Like Bollywood, Nollywood has been termed as the sobriquet of the Nigerian film industry since the name was coined by The New York Times in 2002. But the name Kannywood for the Hausa language film industry based in Kano was coined in 1999 before the The New York Times discovered Nollywood and said "it is like Hollywood" with starry-eyed guerilla filmmakers making dozens of movies daily from bootstraps budgets. All the movies were shot straight to video from handheld VHS cameras and sold in VHS tapes on the streets and stalls of Lagos and Onitsha before distribution to other countries across the borders to start the first indie film industry in Africa. 

While Nollywood is largely based in the predominantly Christian

southern region of Nigeria, Kannywood is based in the predominantly Islamic northern region of Nigeria.

Adamu Halilu, the Father of Hausa language Cinema was the first Nigerian indigenous filmmaker with the documentaries, "It Pays to Care" (1955) and "Hausa Village" (1958) and later made the classic film, Shaihu Umar (1976), a story of African slavery based on the novel of the same name by Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, first Prime Minister of Nigeria.

The first Hausa language home video, "Tirmin Danya " was produced in 1990 in Kano.

 The National Film and Video Censorship Board, (NFVCB) Abuja, started recording and censoring video films in Nigeria from 1995, and a total of 1600 Hausa video films were officially documented between 1995 and 2005.

Majority of the foreign film critics, journalists and scholars who claimed to be experts ignored Kannywood in their reports, features and books on the Nigerian film industry.  Both Nigerian and foreign scholars have done comprehensive researches and published books on Kannywood. The most popular are Dr. Idi Adam; Dr. Abdulkareem Abdulrahman; Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Ibrahim;

Dr. Carmen McCain; Prof. Brian Larkin and Dr. Mahmoud Nourah Bamalli.

Queen of Nollywood, Genevieve Nnaji.

Joint Queen of Nollywood, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde 

Queen of Kannywood, Rahama Sadau.

Alpha Male Nollywood actor, Enyinna Nwigwe.

My NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Series is the first publication that has celebrated the beautiful queens of Kannywood on the same pedestal as the beautiful queens of Nollywood in the second edition published in 2014 and distributed by Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other booksellers in hardcover version, paperback version and Amazon Kindle version.

Ike Ude's photo book, "Nollywood: Radical Beauty" ignored the stars of Kannywood. 

The big problem of Kannywood is being under the dictatorship of the Islamic religion with majority of the actors, actresses and filmmakers being Muslims.

They are monitored by the Islamic police of Kano State and the other Sharia states in northern Nigeria with several cases of the violations of their fundamental human rights even in their private lives. 

Nollywood Alpha Male actor Enyinna Nwigwe can hug and kiss the Queens of Nollywood, Genevieve Nnaji and Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde in a romantic movie, but he cannot even dare to hug and kiss Rahama Sadau, the Queen of Kannywood on screen without incurring the wrath of the Islamic watchdogs of Kannywood.

-By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima,
International Digital Post Network Limited,
King of Kings Books International,
Screen Outdoor Open Air Cinema (SOOAC)

Publisher/Editor,

NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Series,

The first book series on Nollywood and the Nigerian film industry

https://www.amazon.com/author/ekenyerengozimichaelchima
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelchimaeyerengozi
New Nigeria
www.pinterest.com/nigeriansreport

COMING SOON

The First Annual Bollywood To Nollywood Filmmaking Workshops

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