OPEN LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF TIME MAGAZINE FALSE DEPICTION OF NOLLYWOOD IN TIME MAGAZINE

Dear Editor
I have just seen your so-called pictures from Nollywood the 3rd
largest film industry in the world and I must say I am aghast that a
magazine as prestigious as yourself would buy into what is obviously a
staged, wicked and malicious attempt to paint the people of Nigeria in
a negative light. Who in their correct minds would buy movies with
those evil, nightmarish creatures in them? The photographer and his
accomplies obviously have axes to grind. But whatever it is, people
are not buying that! You are merely running the danger of allowing
your esteemed newsmagazine which I USED TO have esteem for be dragged
in the mud. My country Nigeria is not perfect. Whose is? We are a
third world country, trying to get beyond the shackles of
neo-colonialism, corruption, poverty and other vices plaguing our
nascent nation. In the midst of this, the youth have been able to
create an industry (without Government assistance and foreign aid)
that creating stories for us, by us. These stories border on romance,
religion, family squabbles and yes voodoo but that can be akin to your
horror stories. For a misinformed western photographer to come here,
stage-manage these pictures and say they represent Nollywood is
downright sad and an insult to our intelligence. A Canadian
documentary film crew led by producer Ben Adellman came and shot a
documentary about the same industry, and premiered it to rave reviews
at the Sundance Film Festival and Cannes Film Festival
http://films.nfb.ca/nollywood-babylon/
http://festival.sundance.org/2009/film_events/films/nollywood_babylon
They plan to do a screening in Nigeria very soon.
A Nollywood actress Stephanie Okereke who studied at the New York Film
Academy wrote, directed and shot a film 'Through the Glass' and held a
premiere in Los Angeles, Califonia and in Lagos to the admiration of
many who came all the way from America for the premiere.
http://www.nyfa.com/film-school-blog/film-school-graduate-stephanie-okereke-premiers-new-film/
http://www.bellanaija.com/2009/09/24/silverbird-galleria-sets-the-scene-for-stephanie-okerekes-through-the-glass-lagos-premiere/
Legendary talk show host Oprah Winfrey recently included our Nollywood
actress, Genevieve Nnaji in her show about '20 most famous people in
the world'.
If you really want to know the truth about Nollywood and who the
actors are, all you have to do is to google it and it is there for all
to see. Not the crap that was featured in your magazine as
photography. We are tired of the lies westerners propagate about
Africa and Nigerians! Enough is enough! I think the industry and the
people of Nigeria deserve an apology!