Kunle Afolayon To Produce Movie Inspired By Kenyan Literary Icon

Nollywood filmmaker, Kunle Afolayan, has revealed that he is working on adapting ‘Matigari’, a novel by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, into a movie.

Thiong’o is a Kenyan literary icon who is renowned for books like ‘A Grain of Wheat’, ‘Petals of Blood’, and ‘Weep Not, Child’.

Afolayan made the revelation at the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) in Kigali, Rwanda.

He said: “Ngugi is like the Wole Soyinka of Nigeria in Kenya and one of his books is going to be adapted into a film and it’s going to be South Africa-Kenya-Nigeria co-production and I’m representing Nigeria.”

The filmmaker also revealed that he is planning a Nigerian-Rwandan co-production with Eric Kabera.

He said: “I had a meeting with one of the best filmmakers here, Eric Kabera and we’re already talking co-production.”

The actor urged Nollywood filmmakers to embrace partnership, noting that it is hard to achieve it in Nigeria.

He said: “Partnership is something that is difficult to do in Nigeria, very also because accountability, our structure does not give room for proper declaration of information.”

“AMAA is one of the most prestigious and credible platforms in Africa,” he said.

“A lot of us have benefitted from this platform. In 2007, it was through AMAA that I met someone who is a curator for London film festival, and that was how IRAPADA got into London film festival.”