Veteran Nigerian actor Kanayo O., says the strength of the script for Kwadwo Nkansah LilWin’s new film, A Journey to Africa, was what convinced him to travel from Nigeria to Ghana to join the production.
According to Kanayo, he is always willing to take a role when the script meets his standards. “I am an actor. If a script is worth my while, I will accept to work on it,” he said. He added that the screenplay for the film was strong enough to make him accept the part and relocate temporarily for the shoot.
He said he agreed to join after discussions with the director and a review of the terms of the project. Once the cast arrived, he explained, the production team shared the physical script and the work schedule with the actors.
He also disclosed that although the Nigerian cast travelled to Ghana together, each actor works under a different contract and schedule depending on the role. The production is being filmed simultaneously, with cast and crew handling different aspects of the movie at the same time.
A Journey to Africa, also referred to as Nzulezu, is produced by LilWin’s Wezzy Empire and centres on Nzulezu, the historic stilt village in Ghana’s Western Region. It is LilWin’s second international movie and the follow-up to A Country Called Ghana, released in 2024.
That earlier film featured Nigerian stars including Ramsey Nouah, Victor Osuagwu and Charles Awurum, and premiered at the National Theatre in Accra. LilWin had previously described the new project as a bigger production that would bring together actors from Nigeria, South Africa, the United States and Ghana.
Kanayo is not travelling alone. Nollywood names Patience Ozokwor, Mike Ezuruonye, Zubby Michael and Destiny Etiko arrived in Accra with him on Wednesday to join the Kumawood actor and filmmaker.
Kanayo brings considerable weight to the cast. Born in 1962, he began acting in 1982 and won the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 2006 for Family Battle. He later received a special recognition award from the same body in 2012.
Zubby Michael also spoke on arrival and described the project as bigger than Nollywood, saying it brings Ghana and Nigeria together to make an African film. He said Ghana is his second home and rejected the suggestion that this was his first Ghanaian production.
LilWin was at Terminal 3 of the airport to welcome the guests. In a video shared online, he claimed to be the only Ghanaian filmmaker to have invited renowned Nigerian actors into the country, adding that only business figures such as Osei Kwame Despite and Ibrahim Mahama could match the feat if they entered the film industry.
Movie Premiere
The filmmaker also outlined his plans for the release. The movie is set to premiere in Accra, with the first showing expected at the National Theatre before it moves to cinemas, and in Kumasi. LilWin said he would give UK organisers and regional promoters the right to screen it so that others can earn income from the film.
Beyond the set, the visiting actors have been making courtesy calls around the city. Kanayo, Ozokwor, Ezuruonye, Michael and Awurum joined LilWin in visiting church leader Stephen Adom Kyei Duah at his residence. LilWin is a known follower of Adom Kyei Duah’s Philadelphia Movement.
The wider story is one of growing cross-border collaboration. Ghana and Nigeria have long shared audiences, and projects like this one aim to turn that shared interest into joint productions that can be sold in both markets and across the diaspora. Whether the film delivers on that promise will depend on its reception, but Kanayo’s comments suggest the cast sees the material as a serious draw rather than a simple paid appearance.
For LilWin, the film is also a statement of ambition. His 2024 production drew a large crowd at the National Theatre, though it also drew mixed critical reviews. With a larger cast and a distinctive Ghanaian setting at the centre of the story, he is seeking to build on that attention and prove that Kumawood-rooted filmmaking can reach a wider African audience.
Filming is now under way in Ghana. No release date has been confirmed, and the production has not yet announced the full cast list or the roles each actor will play.
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