Nigerians Laughing At Us - Yvonne Nelson

Popular actress Yvonne Nelson has said the never ending challenges confronting Ghana’s movie industry can be largely blamed on the lack of unity and jealousy among its stakeholders.

The actress said the industry, especially English-speaking movies, is currently limping on “one leg” and risks a total collapse.

According to her, stakeholders do not wish each other well but rather look out for negatives to discredit each other to the detriment of the entire industry.


“It looks like there is too much envy in the movie industry. Instead of focusing on building the industry, when something happens and it is negative, they want to capitalise on it. It is like everybody wants to suck your blood out. When something is negative then they are happy. It saddens me and that is why we are where we are now. The movie industry is like on one leg. A year will come that we will shoot only two English movies.

“It is because of jealousness. It is that attitude that when someone does something, they say that that person is being too known…We are not united,” she told Sunyani-based Suncity 97.1 Radio last week when she spoke about her ban by Film Producers Association of Ghana (FIPAG) in 2010.

Yvonne said it is about time the industry stakeholders united and supported each other while eschewing any form of jealousness. “Nigerians actually look at us and laugh at us and ask what are these people doing? And it’s because we are not united,” she added.

Yvonne’s concerns follow a recent claim that Ghana’s English movie industry is collapsing. A number of other stakeholders pointed at different reasons. Some persons actually believe the increase in the number of actors/actresses producing their own movies and playing lead roles is a reason the movie industry is collapsing. But others too believe the industry is not collapsing.