Ghanaians to Take Over Nollywood

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go, but to some Nigerians, the rate at which Ghanaian actors and actresses are trooping to Nigeria is jaw breaking.

With no element of discrimination, these Ghanaian invaders feature in all Nigerian movies, including the Yoruba ones. Noted for its quantity but the not quality of movies produced, Nollywood has gained much popularity in Africa and some other parts of the world.


While Ghanaian actor, John Domelo is being bombarded with Nollywood scripts, some famous names like Nadia Buari, Yvonne Nelson, Majid, Jackie Appiah, Nana Ama McBrown and others seem to be ‘regularly becoming irregular’ in the Nigerian movie industry.As for Van Vicker he does not even feature in Ghanaian movies anymore.

People have attributed the invasion of Ghanaian stars into Nollywood to the fact that Ghanaians are good and as such, they are highly demanded by Nigerian producers. However, according to their Nollywood counterparts, it is not because they are ‘too good’ but simply put, they are very cheap and lack experiences.

The headache of some Nollywood actors and actresses with reference to the invasion of their Ghanaians counterparts has been that, Ghanaians will soon twist the game and take over Nollywood.

Since blunt truths are more mischievous than nice falsehoods, countless articles have been written about the so-called ‘invasion’ by Ghanaian acts.Ghanacelebries.com tracked down this article about how a popular Nollywood actress, Kate Henshaw Nuttal, expressed her views on the reason why Nigerian Producers rush for Ghanaians.

“If you want to know why Nigerian producers now rush for Ghanaian acts is just nothing than the fact that they are cheaper. Kate Henshaw Nuttal one of Nollywood’s acts unveiled this fact. “It is because they are cheaper. It is like going to Sokoto for what you have in your sokoto. It is not as if they are better than us, they are not! That is all I can say.”

‘Chie!’ I wonder if this would stand the test of time because Nigerians including those in diaspora love to see the faces of our actors, especially the good ones. So, there is no fear that they (Ghanaian acts) would invade Nollywood. Nuttal concurs: “They cannot take over. You cannot take over what does not belong to you; you can’t take what is not yours. Our producers are just going for cheap ones, which are not real. It’s like buying ‘tokunbo’ cars and say they are brand new cars.”

For those who think it is a collaboration between the two countries, you are hitting on the wrong side of the drum. The situation can be described as “each one for himself…” Most Nigerian producers prefer to use Ghanaians in their movies in order to get more sales. Others believe that they are too familiar with the old faces from Nollywood and the introduction of Ghanaians will make a difference.

When we took the pain to chat with some of those Ghanaian turned Nollywood actors and actresses, most simply said, there is nothing wrong with Ghanaians featuring in a Nigerian movie. To them, this will even strengthen up the friendly relations between the two countries.

However, rumours reaching Ghanacelebrities.com have it that, Ghanaians in Nollywood will not only be forced to pay dues and taxes but get a work permit as well. As to whether the cooperation between the two West African countries in terms of movies will continue to flourish or not, only the future can tell.

Be it an ambush or invasion, Ghanaian actors and actresses do not worry their heads about the fire on the mountain as they are still killing the game in Nollywood.

Source: Obour Amankwa/ Ghanacelebrities.com