Veteran Nigerian actor, Yemi Solade, has stirred conversation online after asserting that he began his acting career before renowned colleague, Pete Edochie.
In a now-viral video circulating on social media, Solade emphasized that despite Edochie being older in age, he is his senior in the Nigerian film industry by virtue of experience and years of active involvement.
“I’m a senior to Pete Edochie, though he is older than me, but I started acting before him,” Solade said. “I began my acting career in 1977 at the age of 17, making me Nigeria’s youngest actor at the time. It’s been 48 years in the industry and I’m still standing.”
He also challenged the widely held belief that Nollywood was birthed by a particular region, clarifying that the Yoruba film industry was already active before what is now regarded as the Nollywood movement, though it lacked proper documentation.
“They claimed to have started Nollywood because they romance the media. Meanwhile, the Yoruba section was acting without documentation,” Solade said, naming Ade Ajiboye, also known as ‘Big Abass,’ as the first Nigerian to produce a home video.
His comments have reignited debates around the origins of Nollywood and the contributions of various regional film sectors to the evolution of Nigeria’s movie industry.
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