THE SOUTHWEST OF NIGERIA MUST BE COMMENDED FOR THEIR CINEMATIC STORYTELLING PROWESS

THE SOUTHWEST OF NIGERIA MUST BE COMMENDED FOR THEIR CINEMATIC STORYTELLING PROWESS

Almost 100% of the top ten highest-grossing Nigerian movies have been delivered by directors of Southwest origin. Not only do they dominate in Nollywood, but they also are the cream of Nigeria’s music industry, having produced all of Nigeria’s Grammy Award winners, including:

Sade Adu (1986), Babatunde Olatunji (1991), Sikiru Adepoju (1991) and Seal (1996), Burna Boy (2021), Wizkid (2021), Temilade Openiyi AKA Tems (2023), and Burna Boy (2021).

The above are either wholly or partially Yoruba.

This vindicates my 2023 post where I said that if the rest of Black Africa can be as true to their indigenous culture as the Yorubas of Nigeria are, their culture will help them dominate the global creative industry.

Let me also congratulate Funke Akindele for smashing the record of not just the highest-grossing Nigerian movie but also establishing a new record as the first movie of Nigerian origin to achieve the two billion Naira box office mark. Well done, and may you achieve even more positive historical firsts!

I also call on ivory towers around the world to study Yoruba Omoluabi Lukumi culture to understand why it has such a dominance in the arts and provide lessons on how the cultural practices which led to such creative successes can be replicated in other cultures.

Top Nollywood Movie Directors By Domestic Gross Value

Funke Akindele: ₦2.55bn
Niyi Akinmolayan: ₦1.11b
Kayode Kasum: ₦763.34m
Kemi Adetiba: ₦697.06m
Robert Peters: ₦609.20m
Moses Inwang: ₦499.99m
Biodun Stephen: ₦436.17m
Tope Adebayo: ₦397.97m
Loukman Ali: ₦328.88m
Adebayo Tijjani: ₦278.50m
Omoni Oboli: ₦253.02m
Kunle Afolayan: ₦245.64m
Ramsey Nouah: ₦239.59m
Toka Mcbaror: ₦235.63m
Akay Mason: ₦222.61m

As of 3 Jan 2024. Source @StatiSense