Popular Nollywood actor, Yemi Solade, has disclosed that he started acting before veteran actor, Pete Edochie.
Solade said this while sharing experience and history on his journey in the Yoruba section of the industry after his episode on a show called ‘Father’s Path with Tope’.
“I’m senior to Pete Edochie, I started acting before him, though he’s older than me. I was 17 in 1977 when I represented Nigeria as the Youngest Actor, and I’ve done 48 years in the industry and still standing,” he said.
The actor explained how other sections within Nollywood had been documenting their works in cassettes and advertising them for other people to purchase.
While refuting claims that a section of the industry other than Yoruba started Nollywood, Solade said that the Yoruba industry did not start documentation earlier does not mean others should take credit for starting Nollywood.
He said, “The first Nigerian, Ade Ajiboye ‘Big Abass’, the first home video in this country. We’ve been doing it, there was film, the celluloid and everything. We had the likes of Ogundes, we had Baba Salas, we had Ade Afolayans, Kunle’s father; we had Dr Ola Balogun, who is still around, and so many other big names, most of them are gone now.
