Yemi Solade sparks debate: “I started acting before Pete Edochie”

DDM News

(DDM) – Veteran actor Yemi Solade has ignited fresh debate in the Nigerian film industry by claiming he began acting before the legendary Pete Edochie, widely regarded as one of Nollywood’s foundational figures.

Diaspora Digital Media (DDM) gathered that Solade made the statement during a recent appearance on Father’s Path with Tope, where he opened up about his early years in acting and offered a historical correction to popular narratives about the origins of Nollywood.

According to Solade, despite Pete Edochie’s seniority in age and global recognition, he himself began acting much earlier.

“I started acting before Pete Edochie, even though he’s older than me,” Solade declared.

“I was just 17 years old in 1977 when I represented Nigeria as the youngest actor.”

Solade said he has spent 48 years in the industry and continues to be active, contrary to the perception that his career peaked decades ago.

The actor emphasized that the Yoruba film industry laid the foundational structure for what is now known as Nollywood, though its influence has been largely downplayed.

He attributed this erasure to poor documentation and lack of media attention during its formative years.

“The Yoruba film industry created the groundwork. Our people were doing drama, theatre, and film before home video came,” Solade said.

He pointed out that Yoruba pioneers like Ade Ajiboye, Dr. Ola Balogun, Baba Sala, Hubert Ogunde, and Ade Afolayan had already introduced narrative storytelling through visual media before the rise of mainstream Nollywood.

Solade specifically credited Ade Ajiboye as the first Nigerian to produce a home video, a fact he believes has been overshadowed by the media’s focus on the Igbo-language film Living in Bondage, released in 1992.

“Living in Bondage was not the first Nigerian film,” Solade asserted.

“It only gained prominence because its creators understood the power of media publicity.”

Solade added that while the Yoruba filmmakers focused on the craft of storytelling and performance, they failed to engage the media or archive their contributions.

This gave space for others to claim ownership of the industry’s founding moment.

“When we speak the truth as veterans, it should correct the lies in circulation,” he said.

“The Yoruba filmmakers were pioneers, but because they didn’t document or promote their work, it was easy for others to rewrite history.”

He recalled how dramatisations existed long before camcorders made home video production accessible.

Once camcorders arrived, existing plays and stories were turned into cassette-based home videos sold by shop owners across Nigeria.

Solade’s comments have triggered conversation online, with many calling for a reexamination of Nigeria’s cinematic timeline and recognition of early contributors, especially from the Yoruba theatre tradition.

For decades, Pete Edochie has been celebrated as a Nollywood icon, especially after his iconic portrayal of Okonkwo in the 1987 adaptation of Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart.

While Edochie’s role undeniably elevated Nigerian cinema, Solade argues that the journey began much earlier, with unsung heroes whose contributions were never adequately recorded.

Solade’s bold assertion not only challenges the widely accepted history of Nollywood but also reignites long-standing cultural tensions between different linguistic blocs within the industry.

It also raises broader questions about historical documentation, media influence, and the criteria used to define “firsts” in creative industries.

As conversations around Nollywood’s roots intensify, many industry veterans and scholars are now urging a deeper exploration of pre-1990s film and theatre history in Nigeria.

Whether one agrees with Solade or not, his remarks serve as a powerful reminder that the Nigerian film industry didn’t begin with a single moment — it evolved through the quiet labor of many.

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