“Nollywood Has Lost A Storyteller” – Chiwetalu Agu Mourns Alex Ekubo

Alex Ekubo

Veteran Nollywood actor Chiwetalu Agu has paid tribute to late actor Alex Ekubo. He recently had his say via a video shared on Instagram, and fans have been reacting.

Expressing sadness over the talented actor’s passing, Chiwetalu described his shocking death as a painful loss to the Nigerian film industry.

Stressing that Nollywood has lost a memorable actor, the moviestar offered condolences to the family and loved ones that Alex left behind.

His words, “Rest in peace, Alexx Ekubo. I am deeply saddened by your passing. As a fellow actor and someone who has walked this path for many years, I know how much passion, sacrifice, and heart you poured into your craft.

You were young, talented, and full of promise, and it hurts to see a life like yours go out so soon. The stage and screen have lost not just an actor, but a storyteller who still had so many roles left to bring to life.”

WOW.

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.