American subscription-based streaming giant, Netflix, has announced its presence in Nigeria.
After acquiring Genevieve Nnaji’s ‘Lionheart’ in 2018, Netflix has been procuring a number of Nigerian contents throughout last year.
The streaming giant announced the arrival of ‘Netflix Naija’ with a new Twitter account accompanied by a photo of some of Nigeria’s notable actors and filmmakers like Kunle Afolayan, Kemi Adetiba, Banky W, Omoni Oboli as well as veteran actors, Ramsey Nouah and Richard Mofe Damijo, among others.
“N is for Naija. N is for Nollywood. N is the 14th alphabet. 14 is also how many great talents you’re looking at. N is for Netflix. But most importantly… hello, Nigeria!” read the account’s announcement tweet.
According to Business Insider, Netflix is currently developing two original series from Nigeria as well. Details about one of the series were shared at an event in Lagos where Netflix hosted a number of Nollywood stars on Monday. One of the shows will be a six-part series “set in modern-day Nigeria and shot in Lagos.”
A statement on the series’ reads: “This drama tells the story of Kemi, a goddess reincarnated as a human to avenge her sister’s death.”
The series is created by Nigerian filmmaker, Akin Omotosho, and is inspired by his childhood. The tv show boasts of a star-studded cast which includes Kate Henshaw and Ade Laoye, Ireti Doyle, Richard Mofe-Damijo, Joke Silva, and a host of others.
“Our continent has a wealth of diversity, multiplicity and beauty in stories that have yet to be told,” said Dorothy Ghettuba, Netflix’s head of African Originals. “And we want to be top of mind for creators in Nigeria, especially when it comes to stories they haven’t had a chance to tell yet.”
