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I really love this industry—Nollywood. It appears to me like one with so much more to give than its current output suggests. While I respect Hollywood (expectedly so), I always feel like, if there’s any movie industry in the world that could topple Hollywood, then, it has to be Nollywood. You can call it “optimism,” “patriotism,” or any other tag, but, that’s just my perception.
Nonetheless, whatever love I bare for Nollywood, there is one key practice of theirs that irritates the life out of me: I speak of the stereotype in the industry. If you dare become popular while playing the character of a driver, chances are that you will remain a Nollywood driver till the day you die. The worst is if you break out with humour, you’ll find yourself relegated to the comedy world perpetually. Who implemented this unwritten rule? Absurd. There’s no logic to this kind of shortsightedness and closed brain mentality.
Remember how popular Actors, Osita Iheme and Chinedu Ikedieze, the ones you know as “Aki and Pawpaw” replicated the same roles for what seemed like an eternity? Film after film and it was the same thing, just different titles. In facts, the Chieftains of Alaba market demanded it of moviemakers to perpetually include the duo in any comedy movie as they “sell market.” It got to a point where the comedy become boring as a result of their overuse. In fact, the duo began rejecting similar scripts in order to rescue themselves from the stereotype.
The same can be said of Mr Ibu, and other comic actors. Still, comedy isn’t the only sector affected. In the tragedy or crying sector of the industry, once you saw actresses like Hilda Tokumbo, Nkiru Sylvanus and others, without being told, you instantly knew that something was wrong. Either one wicked Uncle somewhere was making life a living hell for them, or one wayward lover had just broken their hearts. The stories revolving around their screen appearances were always the same. Truth be told, these women knew how to cry. Once they closed their eyes and opened it, River Niger will gush out and collaborate with Benue to invoke deep pity from the audience. Geez. Stereotype yet again.
For the ashewo (prostitute) industry, Shan George, Cossy Ojiaku and a few others held sway. Once you saw them, you instantly knew that the movie was going to be erotic. Cossy had (and still has) massive breasts and so, when Producers saw her, I’m sure the only thing that popped up in their myopic brains was how to use her for one erotic scene or the other. It was crazy. Rinse and repeat. The cycle never ended.
For the male ashewo or lover boy sector, our dear Ramsey Nouah was the poster boy. The half-cast, with his ‘oyibo’ complexion and charming looks, was the dream of every Nigerian lady in the early 2000s and thereabout. For his pretty boy looks, every film we saw of him was about love and romance. You always knew he was going to fall in love with someone or snatch someone’s girlfriend. The two outcomes were as sure as the moon setting each day. Another stereotype victim.
Now, it appears the latest victim of Nollywood’s stereotype is our very own Chidi Mokeme. Unlike many in the lists shown earlier, Chidi wasn’t always stereotyped. In fact, he used to be one of the most versatile actors in the industry. That was until he hung up his boots and retired. Then, a few years back, he came out from his unofficial retirement to star in the series, ‘Shanty Town.’ His role as ‘Scar’ was mind-blowing: A vicious underboss to a political godfather who killed and ruled over Shanty Town, overseeing a drugs and prostitution racket. It was a perfect comeback for Chidi Mokeme and fans absolutely loved it.
Yeah, yeah. It appears our myopic movie producers loved it even more and, being the freaks of stereotypes, Chidi Mokeme became another in a long list of actros and actresses who’ve been stereotyped in Nollywood. He soon appeared in the third installment of the movie, ‘Merry Men,’ and trust the predictability not to fail, Mokeme acted as a crime figure in it! Haha. These guys never change. After seeing his stellar performance in Shanty Town, I instantly knew his return will be immediately be smeared by stereotype.
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Then, when I saw him in the 2024 movie, ‘Tokumbo,’ produced by Ramsey Nouah, I knew the stereotype was sealed. In it, Mokeme played the role of ‘Gaza,’ a vicious gang boss overseeing an illegal vehicle smuggling network. They couldn’t resist using Mokeme, could they? There was no way this myopic lot would have deviated from tradition and do something new or fresh. Nah! Same old stereotype they love and one that is now the hallmark of Nollywood.
I do not have anything against Mokeme. If anything, I think he is an outstanding actor and one who has earned his flowers, but, this stereotype is going to make me start avoiding seeing any of his subsequent films if the trend continues. It irritates every fiber in my being and I would always wish this was not the case. Why must another figure fall victim to this stereotype nonsense yet again?
That question is one I, honestly, don’t think I’m going to get an answer to anytime soon. The moviemakers absolutely love the stereotype and there’s no reason they would think of for stopping this trend. They don’t care what the audience feel. They don’t care for the art either. All they are obsessed with is making money at the detriment of the art and stereotype helps them achieve that. I understand that, but then again, I am an artist and really care for the art. It makes me cry like Nkiru Sylvanus to see our actors and actresses perpetually being stereotyped.
While there are some actors that have managed to break off the shackles of stereotype and show their versatility, the bulk of them never really do and remain slaves to one identity their entire careers. I really hope Chidi Mokeme turns out like the former and not the latter. I, also, pray and hope for a Nollywood, someday, where stereotype is abolished and actors are not relegated to just one niche when there is so much more they can be. Is that too much to ask?
