Bisi Alimi tackles Nigerian actors, calls Nollywood ‘food junk’ in IG rant

Bisi Alimi, the Nigerian gay rights activist, has described Nollywood as the “worst form of junk food” in an Instagram rant.

In a series of posts via his Instastory on Wednesday, Alimi claimed Nigerian actors struggle to bring their roles to life in movies.

He also argued that many Nigerian actors think they are good because of the limited roles they play in movies.

Alimi, however, commended Sola Sobowale, the ace actress, who he referred to as an “icon” in the country’s film industry.

“The only reason we think some Nigerian actors can act is simply because all their acting life, they played the same role over and over again. Try to give them a role that doesn’t come naturally; they start fighting with their character and find it hard to interpret,” he said.

“This is why the likes of Shola Shobowale will continue to be the icon of Nigeria film industry.

“Netflix is not interested in quality film production coming out of Nigeria; for them, it is about the money.

“The money junk Nigerian movies on Netflix, the more Nigerians will watch. They know most Nigerians lack taste when it comes to film consumption, and even the critics are after brown envelope.

“How can you explain the quality of recent Nollywood films on Netflix when you compare that with the quality of films Netflix produce globally if it is not just about consumption and sales rather than creativity and great job.

“If Nollywood is Mcdonald’s, it is the worse form of junk food. But I do acknowledge it makes some people happy, so all good.”

Alimi is the founder of Bisi Alimi Foundation, an organisation working to accelerate the social acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people in Nigeria.

He gained global attention in 2004 when he came out to openly reveal his sexuality.