“It Makes No Sense”: Majid Michel Explains Why Comparing Ghallywood to Nollywood Is Unfair

“It Makes No Sense”: Majid Michel Explains Why Comparing Ghallywood to Nollywood Is Unfair

  • Veteran Ghanaian actor Majid Michel called out the long-running debate between Ghallywood and Nollywood in a recent radio interview
  • Michel argued that Nigeria's massive population gives it a natural advantage over Ghana in producing more filmmakers and actors
  • The actor used a striking analogy involving children to make his case against what he called an unfair comparison

Veteran Ghanaian actor Majid Michel has weighed in on the long-standing debate between Ghana's film industry and Nigeria's Nollywood, calling the comparison fundamentally unfair and, in his words, "stupid."

Michel made the comments during an interview with Y107.9 FM Accra on October 28, where he argued that the two industries cannot be measured by the same standard given the vast difference in population between the two countries.

Majid Michel discusses the comparison between Ghana’s Ghallywood and Nigeria’s Nollywood movie industries
Ghanaian actor Majid Michel shares his views on the differences between Ghana’s film industry and Nigeria’s Nollywood. Photo: majidmichelmm
Source: Instagram

Majid Michel on why population makes all the difference

The actor broke down his argument using a straightforward analogy.

He said that if one person has 50 children and another has only five, the larger family will statistically produce more of everything, including criminals, doctors and talented filmmakers.

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"The comparison between us and Nigeria is such a stupid comparison to me," Michel said.
"If you have 50 children and I have 5 children, the possibility that you will have more criminals, doctors, good children and filmmakers than me is very high."

He pointed out that Ghana's population sits below 40 million, while Nigeria's exceeds 200 million and is approaching 300 million.

For Majid Michel, the numbers alone settle the argument.

"So how on earth would you compare? Why do they have more doctors than us? Mathematically, you should know why," he added.
Majid Michel addresses the debate over Ghanaian and Nigerian movie industries, citing population differences and filmmaking opportunities
Veteran actor Majid Michel explains the challenges of comparing Ghana’s movie industry with Nigeria’s larger Nollywood film industry. Photo: majidmichelmm
Source: Instagram

Ghallywood still a young industry

Michel extended his argument beyond just the Ghana-Nigeria debate, placing both countries within a broader global context.

He suggested that African nations, including Ghana, are still in the early stages of building the kind of systems that sustain mature industries.

"It is also unfair for us to compare ourselves with any other established nation in the world. When it comes to leadership, we are adolescent," he said.

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"There are countries that have been in leadership for over 300 years. They have built systems. We are way behind. So it is an unfair comparison."

The actor's comments touch on a conversation that has persisted for years among fans and industry insiders across West Africa, with many frequently measuring Ghallywood's output, star power and production quality against its larger neighbour.

Michel's position is that such comparisons ignore basic realities about scale, infrastructure and institutional history.

Watch Majid Michel speak on the Ghallywood vs Nollywood debate in the Instagram video below:

Lasisi Elenu jokes about Nigerian-Ghanaian rivalry

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that content creator Lasisi Elenu shared a video from a movie set featuring Nigerian actors Ini Edo, Chidi Mokeme and Real Warri Pikin alongside Ghanaian stars, including Majid Michel.

In a voice-over, Lasisi joked about Ghanaians’ competitive nature and said he struggled to understand their use of English while working with them.

He also shared a clip of the Ghanaian actors visiting his home, where he reacted humorously to their unusual food combinations, including boiled egg with Oha soup and fried plantain with soup.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Kola Ogunkanmi avatar

Kola Ogunkanmi (Entertainment Editor) Kola Ogunkanmi is an entertainment journalist and digital content writer with 5 years of experience in news reporting, content curation, and social media management. He has written entertainment, celebrity, and trending stories for Gistreel.com and was also a freelance contributor to FotNews. Kola currently works at Legit.ng as an Entertainment Editor, covering celebrity gossip, pop culture, and digital trends. He is also a self-published author with experience in fiction and nonfiction writing, and he’s involved in storytelling and transcription as well. Contact: kola.ogunkanmi@corp.legit.ng