By Charles Pemu 
Veteran Nollywood actor Yemi Solade has stirred the hornet’s nest, accusing the Nigerian film industry of promoting a “deliberate distortion of history” by crediting Living in Bondage (1992) as its first home video. According to Solade, the industry’s so-called origin story is a “convenient myth” that erases the pioneering work of Ade Ajiboye, aka Big Abass, and other Yoruba filmmakers who were already producing video content years before the now-legendary Igbo-language film hit the market.
“Living in Bondage was not the beginning. It was just the point where the East commercialized what had already started elsewhere. If we’re being honest, Nollywood has been lying to itself,” Solade stated boldly.
His comments are reigniting long-simmering tensions over ethnic bias and selective recognition in the Nigerian film industry. Critics say the glorification of Living in Bondage and by extension, the dominance of Igbo narratives in Nollywood history has sidelined foundational Yoruba contributions that laid the groundwork for the home video revolution.
Many Yoruba film veterans argue that Living in Bondage merely capitalized on a format that had already gained traction in southwestern Nigeria through early VHS productions. Industry insiders now say the time has come to “decolonize” Nollywood’s history, and give overdue credit to regional trailblazers like Ajiboye and even earlier icons such as Ola Balogun and Hubert Ogunde.
“This is not just about film. It’s about historical justice. For too long, Yoruba contributions have been whitewashed in favor of a single narrative,” one film scholar, who requested anonymity, told our reporter.
The actor’s comments have sparked heated responses on social media, with some accusing Solade of “regional bias,” while others applauded him for “telling the hard truth” no one in Nollywood wants to admit.
“We love Living in Bondage, but stop calling it the beginning. That’s like saying hip-hop started with Drake,” tweeted @NaijaFilmNerd.
This growing controversy has once again exposed Nollywood’s failure to document its own evolution, leaving historical gaps that allow myths to flourish while pioneers remain buried in obscurity. As debates rage, some are calling for an independent, ethnically balanced commission to properly research and archive Nigeria’s film legacy.
“Nollywood can’t claim to be global if it can’t even tell its local truth,” said media analyst Temi Adedayo.
Until that truth is acknowledged, it seems Nigeria’s most successful cultural export may also be its most misunderstood.