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"Nollywood Has More of Quantity Than Quality"

Veteran actress speaks on the growth of Nollywood, and why young girls bleach.

73-year-old veteran Nollywood actress paid a visit to Pulse Studio, where she had a brief but interesting chat with the Pulse movies team.

Taiwo Ajayi-Lycett who has been in the entertainment scene since the 60’s , spoke on Nollywood's growth, According to the actress, Nollywood has more of quantity than quality. She goes ahead to compare the Nollywood of the past, and the new Nollywood.

The actress commended those who produce good movies, tell stories close to home, and actors with great talent. She also identified Nollywood actress, Kate Henshaw as a talented actor.

Taiwo Ajayi-Lyceet who is also a part of Beverly Naya's inspiring 'Fifty Shades of Black' project, also spoke on why girls bleach.

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Read below:

How far Do You Think Nollywood Has Grown From Your Days to Date?

“We were doing great, we had good storylines before we started copying the things they are doing in Hollywood . It is not a question of sitting somebody down or people gathering around with cameras, and think you are doing a show.

These days they do movies without storylines just so they can show off fine houses, fine tables with cutleries that they can’t even use.

Everybody is thinking “I’m a star, I’m a super star” because they have done 200 films. How many people in Hollywood have you heard has done 200 films? And of course they will do 300 films because they make them every week. Then they will be called ‘the third largest film industry’ and they do not know that they are being patronized.  Nollywood has more of quantity and less of quality.

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Have you seen me in many Nollywood movies? Not many. When they start writing stories that are pertinent to our lives, then…. Didn’t you people see ‘Hear Word’? It was talking about women, infidelity, abuse, widowhood rites amongst other topics.

You guys should come see Tunde Kelani’s movie “Dazzling Mirage” It’s about sickle cell anemia, but it still has romance… It’s a love story of these two young people that the socialite mother said “You are not marrying somebody with Anemia”.  Such things happen and it’s something relating to us.

Not people that are talking about medicine man ‘babalawo’, insulting those people and bastardising our culture. In those days, these babalawos were our psychiatrist, they were our counselors and advisors

But now people go there and they say “my husband is seeing one woman” and they give her something to kill the other woman. That’s not what those people were doing. When I see a Nollywood movie with a native doctor jingling his bells (makes native doctor’s bell sound), I shake my head.  There are no cultural or even scientific sense in some of the things they do.

So, You are Saying That Nollywood of Those Days had More Depth Than the Present Nollywood?

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But of course, were you here when we were doing ‘ for better for worse’? Examining the nature of marriages and relationships.  If you didn’t watch it, then talk to older people who did, the streets of Lagos used to close down for it.

There are many stories to explore. How does a girl decide that she is not going to get married? Why do young girls give birth and these children are not having any fathers? These are issues that we should be dealing with, and we can do these in an entertaining way. You start with “there is a young girl there, and she gets pregnant and the guy gets cold feet, and then we start examining immorality, and then we start looking at how we fall in love with one another. Are we falling in love or lust? We start questioning the issue of responsibility. A young man gets someone pregnant and then you say you don’t want to marry her or take care of your child, that is complete lack of responsibility.  We have it all around us.

You have the record of being one of the first Nigerian exports to Hollywood, But Right Now, It Seems Like Home Grown Nigerians Are Not Making Any Headway into Hollywood, What do you Think is The Reason?

That goes back to what I have been saying, You cannot make headway except through professionalism. You ve’got to have substance and  depth.

Who is Your Favorite Actor?

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I don’t deal with favoritism; I deal with substance of what you do. When I watch you, you really have to rock my world.  No matter how young you are, you really have to move me so I can learn something. It’s not entirely a question of experience; it is a question of soul. You have to bring out something that will make people watch, not the shape of your breast and not your backside.

What Inspired You To Be A Part Of Beverly Naya's 'Fifty Shades Of Black' Project?

Because black is beautiful. Not many of us realize this, and we think that we have to be ‘yellow yellow’ before anybody can notice us. I indict our men, why are you putting up with it? I know it is their life, but why follow a girl who is extensively damaging her skin, and trying to be what she is not. I’m going to make a comment “I will drop her like a hot bread”.

I am not going to indict just the women, you men, what are the values you want in your women? To dress like tarts before you think they are beautiful?

What is your idea of beauty? All these Kim Kardashians that you see? Before Kim Kardashian, Africans didn’t have backsides? Africans have the most glorious behind. People are using silicones to have the things God blessed us with.

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