Nollywood actor, Deyemi Okanlawon has come out to react to Genevieve Nnaji blasting him for making a joke of the Women Supporting Women Black and White Challenge.

Her words, “We seek solace in humour to distract us from pain or discomfort. Tell me what it is you feel exactly? You see, that feeling that triggered you to make a joke of a movement that can only be understood by those it was meant for; the feeling of being overlooked or disregarded is part of the point of the challenge. No one likes to feel invisible. You felt it for a second. Women feel it every day of their lives. Let us hold our own hands if we want to. Be ok with it. Not everything is about you or for laughs. Shalom.”

Reacting, he wrote, “Dear big sis @genevievennaji… I know your heart and I stan forever! And to anyone else female/male who may have misconstrued the intent and felt bad, do know that I see you and I’m truly sorry you feel that way. In these times we need all the love, support and smiles we can get! ”

What do you think?

Nollywood is a sobriquet that originally referred to the Nigerian film industry. The origin of the term dates back to the early 2000s, traced to an article in The New York Times. Due to the history of evolving meanings and contexts, there is no clear or agreed-upon definition for the term, which has made it a subject to several controversies.

The origin of the term “Nollywood” remains unclear; Jonathan Haynes traced the earliest usage of the word to a 2002 article by Matt Steinglass in the New York Times, where it was used to describe Nigerian cinema.

Charles Igwe noted that Norimitsu Onishi also used the name in a September 2002 article he wrote for the New York Times. The term continues to be used in the media to refer to the Nigerian film industry, with its definition later assumed to be a portmanteau of the words “Nigeria” and “Hollywood”, the American major film hub.

Film-making in Nigeria is divided largely along regional, and marginally ethnic and religious lines. Thus, there are distinct film industries – each seeking to portray the concern of the particular section and ethnicity it represents. However, there is the English-language film industry which is a melting pot for filmmaking and filmmakers from most of the regional industries.