“Igbos Built Modern Nollywood But Yorubas Have Become More Dominant”— Francis Duru

Veteran Nollywood actor Francis Duru has stirred a fresh conversation about ethnic influence in Nigeria’s film industry, arguing that while Igbos played a major role in building modern Nollywood, Yoruba filmmakers have become more dominant by doing more to promote and preserve their culture.

Duru made the remarks during an interview on *Gbam*, aired on Yan Content Factory’s YouTube channel, where he reflected on the contributions of different ethnic groups to the growth of Nigerian cinema.

The actor acknowledged the contributions of Yoruba theatre pioneers such as Herbert Ogunde, who was prominent in Nigeria’s performance arts from the 1950s. However, he argued that Igbo entrepreneurs, particularly traders, played a significant role in driving the home video industry that emerged in the 1990s and early 2000s.

According to Duru, the difference today is that Yoruba filmmakers have been more successful in organising themselves, creating opportunities for their people and using the film industry to preserve their cultural identity.

“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.

Duru attributed what he described as the decline of Igbo influence in the industry partly to an individualistic mentality, arguing that some Igbo creatives have failed to collectively promote their history and culture.

He also expressed concern that Igbo stories are increasingly being written and portrayed by filmmakers from outside the community.

“We have great writers who are now writing for the Yorubas. You even see the Yorubas crossing over to write Igbo stories like *Ahamefuna* and making a mess of who we are,” he said.

Despite his criticism, Duru said Igbos should not blame Yoruba filmmakers for their growing influence, noting that they had simply taken advantage of opportunities to promote their own culture.

“These are people who saw their own and protected their own,” he said.

The actor further questioned why more films have not been made about prominent figures in Igbo history, asking when audiences would see major cinematic productions telling the stories of the region’s historical personalities.