Popular GH actors made it through Nigeria - Fatimah Adeoye
ALTHOUGH the Ghanaian and Nigerian movie industries have had successful collaborations, there is also a healthy rivalry but for Ghanaian-Nigerian actress, Fatimah Adeoye, the truth is only one and must be said.
According to her, all the Ghanaian actors who have become big and are winning awards got their breakthrough from the Nigerian movie industry.
“The truth is just one and it may be bitter but that is it, all Ghanaian celebrities in the acting industry who are big now made it from Nigeria. Let us be fair, Nigeria at a point became a country almost every upcoming actor wanted to go to because of how vibrant the industry is.
“And when they go, they get opportunities to star in movies and show the world what they are made of. They stay in Nigeria for some time, work there and when they make it, they come back to Ghana.
“Let us not even talk about what has happened in the past. Currently that is what is going on, we have some Ghanaian actors who are there in Nigeria and making it.
“I just want to set the records straight that if these actors hadn’t taken advantage of the Nigerian industry, there wouldn’t be anyone parading around as a known face in the acting industry,” she told Graphic Showbiz.
When asked what was special about the Nigerian movie industry that attracted Ghanaian actors, she said, “What is special about it is that you have opportunities to work with different producers.
“You meet the top guys and learn from them, you get to see that it is not the same as the Ghanaian industry and all together bring some kind of improvement and progress in your career.
“The Nigerian movie industry is bigger than ours and movie production in Nigeria is a very lucrative venture. Ghana, on the other hand, hasn’t accepted movie production as a good business venture,” she said.
Due to this, Fatimah has decided to go to Nigeria and explore since the movie industry in Ghana is not giving her opportunity to showcase what she is really made of.
“I used to act when I was in the university but it was mostly during vacations. So after my National Service, I decided to produce my first movie titled Aliyah in 2015. I premiered it at the National Theatre and it has been five years and nothing has really happened.
“Acting and producing is what I want to do full time but from the look of things, Ghana is not a place for that so I have decided to move back to my other home where the acting business is more vibrant and start all over again from there and maybe, someday I can come back to Ghana to resurrect our movie industry.
“Being an actor and a producer in Nigeria is a plus because while I am being featured in people’s movies, I’m also going to produce mine and once you are able to produce a couple of movies in Nigeria or feature in a few movies, you will start to make waves,” she said.
Fatimah Adeoye however reiterated that she wasn’t abandoning Ghana. “Ghana is my motherland, I can never give up on my own country. I’m Just going to work and make the name and come back to Ghana to help with the knowledge of what I have learnt.
“If we can get more people to invest in the industry financially, creatively etc, I think that would help and people like me will not want to go elsewhere to hone my skills,” she concluded.