Ghanaian actor Majid Michel has criticised comparisons between Ghana’s film industry and Nollywood, describing them as unfair because of Nigeria’s significantly larger population.
Speaking in an interview with Y1079 FM in Accra, Michel described the comparisons as “stupid and unfair,” arguing that a country with a larger population would naturally have a greater number of filmmakers than a smaller one.
He maintained that Ghana’s movie industry should not be measured against Nigeria’s or other established film industries without taking into account the differences in population size.
“The comparison between us and Nigeria is such a stupid comparison to me. If you have 50 children and I have five children, the possibility that you will have more criminals, doctors, good children, and filmmakers than me is very high,” he said.
“We are less than 40 million in Ghana. Nigeria has over 200 million, almost 300 million. So how on earth would you compare? It doesn’t make any sense. Statistically, you should know why
“So if Nigeria has more filmmakers than us, it only makes sense because they are way more than us. It is also unfair for us to compare ourselves with any other established nation in the world.”
He also dismissed claims that Ghana’s film industry is declining, saying filmmakers are still actively producing movies, particularly for Africa Magic.
“People are saying the film industry in Ghana is going down. No, it’s not. There are productions going on every day, and filmmakers are producing for Africa Magic. They are busy, and people are constantly on set, but maybe the pay isn’t too good,” he added.