“We were all granted Yorobian citizenship to be part of the industry” Mary Njoku tackles Aisha Lawal
Nollywood actress Mary Remmy Njoku has engaged in a playful exchange with her fellow actress Aisha Lawal regarding the ownership of Nollywood.
As previously reported, Aisha Lawal ignited an online debate when she expressed her viewpoint on why the Yoruba industry can be considered the owners of Nollywood.
In an interview with Tribune, Aisha confidently asserted that the Yoruba movie industry has a claim to Nollywood’s ownership. According to her, filmmakers and actors from the Yoruba industry were instrumental in the inception of Nollywood.
Addressing critics who believe the Yoruba industry is lagging behind, Aisha stated, “We own the industry. Go back and research. The industry belongs to the Yoruba people. If you delve into research, you’ll find voices like Hubert Ogunde and Ade Love.”
She refrained from delving into specifics but emphasized that Yorubas played a foundational role in the industry’s establishment. She countered the notion that the Yoruba industry is catching up, asserting that they are already a significant presence.
Reacting to Aisha’s stance, Mary Njoku humorously supported her viewpoint.
She sarcastically stated that Aisha Lawal is right, hence why Nollywood is called Yollywood.
Further poking the bear, Mary faulted Nigerians for their wrong punctuation, while adding that Nigerian filmmaker was granted Yorobian citizenship to be part of the industry.
“I think she is right, that’s why it’s called Yollywood. Nigerians don’t know how to pronounce it. And every Nigerian filmmaker was granted Yorobian citizenship to be part of the Industry”.
