Reno Omokri has slammed the Nigerian movie industry called Nollywood with claims that it demarkets Nigeria.
In a series of tweets, Reno Omokri recounted how he and actor Kanayo O Kanayo met an American woman who became scared of them because of how Nollywood movies have stereotyped Nigeria.
He wrote: “I sometimes wonder if Nollywood is an appropriate name for the Nigerian movie industry. Perhaps Jujuwood would be a more fitting name. No other institution has been as responsible for the stereotyping of Nigerians as diabolical people as Nollywood!
Art imitates life. Movies are meant to reflect your culture. When you watch an American movie, like Fast and Furious, for example, it makes you want to go to America. When you watch a Nollywood movie, it makes you want to run far away from Nigeria!
In 2011, @KanayoOKanayo and I were walking in San Francisco. An American lady recognised him. I brought out my camera, thinking she wanted a photo. She screamed and said ‘you want to use my photo for juju’! That is what Nollywood has done to us!
Nollywood took off in 1992 with Living in Bondage. 28 years later and she’s still in infancy? It started with juju (Living in Bondage), and still focuses on Juju. If it used 30 years to learn madness, how will the real madness be?”.
