19th April, 2024
By Oluwapelumi Oluwayemi
Veteran Nollywood icon Kanayo O Kanayo has voiced his concerns regarding the growing trend of Nigerian actors venturing into content creation on YouTube.
In an Instagram post on Friday, the 62-year-old actor expressed disappointment at the shift in focus among some actors who have established their own YouTube channels, consequently reducing their involvement in acting for other producers.
Kanayo said it was “disappointing” that actors no longer prioritise the long-term success of Nollywood.
He also lamented the practice of his colleagues who demand exorbitant fees for one-day shoots, which often involve numerous scenes within a short period.
He expressed concerns that such a practice could take a toll on the health of actors.
“This is past midnight, I have sat back and watched the opportunities offered by the YouTube channel, a very good platform. But unfortunately, like anything that comes to Nigeria, our dear country, people jump in and try to mess it up,” he said.
“I watched with dismay and I make this out of no malice for anybody, it is being messed up by different things, especially the actors. Mark my words this day if I am a professional and I have been all these years, what I am going to say to you is going to come to pass.
“We built Nollywood brick by brick, block by block but the guys who have besieged YouTube, actors not the producers, do not have lessons, any sense of purpose to create a procedure for a lasting videography of creating content. Take, for instance, the whole irony of a one-day shoot, it is not sustainable.
“Some of them now make it difficult for producers and they will tell them that one day shoot is now N1 million or N1.5 million. It is not sustainable and it has adverse effects on your health in the long run. I hope you enjoy good health like us who started thirty-something years ago.
“I bear you no malice but the disservice you are doing to professionalism is not going to last long. By the way I see it, YouTube is not going to last long in Nigeria as a platform. And then most actors, have created their own channels and stopped acting for other producers.
“That is not the way to build the industry, you need to lend your service to other people. Yes we are creating content, but then we all need each other, that is the spirit by which Nollywood came about. So all these things I do not see its sustainability. I am advising you to travel to different locations such as Lagos, Enugu, Asaba, Ibadan and many more. But what I see presently, you do not know what you are doing to your health.”