If Nigeria wants to control its narrative, it must own the rights

The recent announcement that American production company A24 has acquired the rights to Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart for a television adaptation has reignited an urgent question: Why is Nigeria still exporting its stories instead of producing them? The decision to cast British actor Idris Elba as Okonkwo, though headline-grabbing, is ultimately a distraction from the deeper issue at hand. The real concern lies not in casting but in control. So long as Nigeria lacks the capital and infrastructure to develop its own intellectual property, its narratives will continue to be interpreted, repackaged, and monetised by others.

Achebe’s novel is not just a literary masterpiece; it is a cornerstone of Nigerian cultural identity. That the rights to such a text reside in foreign hands should concern anyone interested in the long-term sustainability of Nigeria’s creative industries. Ownership of cultural assets, books, films, music, and archives, is not merely a matter of pride. It is a matter of economic strategy. Cultural production is a billion-dollar global industry, and nations that understand this are actively investing in their creative ecosystems.

The global appetite for African stories is growing. African aesthetics, music, and literature are in high demand. But too often, the infrastructure that enables production and distribution lies elsewhere. As a result, Africans are frequently relegated to the role of participants, not producers, in a global cultural economy that continues to extract value from the continent’s creativity without reinvesting meaningfully in its future.

This imbalance is not merely theoretical. Nigerian creatives routinely face financial barriers when attempting to access elements of their own culture. Consider the cost of licensing iconic Nigerian music for use in film and television. When British-Nigerian director Jeymes Samuel used Fela Kuti’s Let’s Start in The Harder They Fall, the licensing fees involved would have eclipsed the entire production budget of most Nollywood films. This is not due to lack of talent or intent on the part of Nigerian filmmakers, but the result of a global system where Nigerian content is often controlled from outside.

Moreover, as more Nigerian artists sign global publishing and distribution deals, the rights to their work increasingly lie beyond the country’s borders. Without local alternatives, future Nigerian filmmakers may find it prohibitively expensive to depict their own history, music, and literature.

There is a way forward but it demands strategic thinking and long-term investment. The Nigerian government, in collaboration with the private sector, must begin treating the creative sector as a key component of economic development. This starts with securing ownership of valuable cultural assets, both historic and contemporary. Acquiring the rights to novels, music catalogues, film archives, and folklore is not only a cultural imperative but also a sound commercial investment.

A second pillar of this strategy must be education. Art schools and creative departments at Nigerian universities are often underfunded and under-equipped. There is an urgent need for targeted grants, endowments, and scholarships that can help build a new generation of skilled creatives. Nigeria can learn from institutions such as Harvard, where alumni donations play a critical role in sustaining arts programmes and nurturing early-stage talent.

Equally important is the creation of structured pathways into the industry. Nigerian creative companies should emulate the internship and apprenticeship models used in other sectors such as law, finance, and technology. This would provide young people with the mentorship, experience, and networks required to build sustainable careers. Without such support, too many talented individuals are forced to abandon their ambitions in favour of more “conventional” paths, not because they lack skill or dedication, but because the creative sector remains fragmented and informal.

Afrobeats offers a compelling case study of what is possible when talent meets infrastructure. The genre’s international success is not accidental. It is the product of years of investment in publishing, touring, distribution, and marketing. Similar strategies can be applied to other creative fields, film, design, animation, fashion, and publishing, provided there is sufficient will and vision from both public and private actors.

It is not enough to decry the casting of a non-Nigerian in a Nigerian story. If Nigeria truly values its narratives, it must take responsibility for telling them. That means acquiring the rights. That means building the studios, training the talent, and backing projects over 10 to 20 years, not just for quick wins. It requires the kind of long-term thinking that has underpinned the global rise of industries from Hollywood to Bollywood to K-pop.

The solution is not complicated, but it is difficult. It demands belief—in our talent, in our stories, and in the possibility of building an industry that reflects who we are. Without that belief, we will continue to watch our stories adapted, reshaped, and sold back to us by others.

Nigeria has the talent. What it needs now is ownership, infrastructure, and vision. Until those are in place, the telling of our most important stories will remain in someone else’s hands.

Jordan Belonwu is a Creative director at Belonwus.