By Jimmy
Kanayo O. Kanayo made his on-screen ritualist debut 31 years ago in 1992’s Living in Bondage. He played the character of Chief Omego, a megarich motor spare parts dealer who sacrifices his mother for wealth.
Thanks to the film’s mainstream success as Nollywood’s first blockbuster, coupled with the actor’s magnetic performance, it launched a trend of ritualist films that populated the market in the 1990s and much of the 2000s.
Kanayo went on to play Gabriel, who unintentionally sacrifices his son for wealth, in Executive Billionaires. He also played Edward, who sacrifices two sons and blocks his wife’s womb, in The Diamond Secrets; Amobi, who, as a 30-year-old man, pledges to an occult group to die at the age of 42 in exchange for wealth, in Nothing for Nothing; and Nobert, who sacrifices his father, twin sister and wife to enjoy 10 maximum years of wealth, in Standing Order (Thou Shall Be Rich).
The actor was prolific with his ritualist roles and quickly became the face of Nollywood’s potent era of ritual films. And even though he wasn’t alone – actors like Clem Ohameze, Zach Orji and Alex Usifo, among others, also developed quite a reputation for ritualist roles – none of them have retained the shine like Kanayo has decades later.
He is now the Nigerian ritualist pop culture avatar. Nnayi Sacrifice, as Nigerians call him.
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Kanayo’s reputation was enhanced by the public’s fascination with the activities of real people exposed for supposed ritual crimes. Life imitating art made the most prominent fictional ritualist characters, played by actors like Kanayo O. Kanayo, larger than life. The Nigerian public’s obsession with wealth also made his characters somewhat attractive and desirable, no matter how terribly their stories ended.
And while the gradual mainstream death of ritual films in the 2010s tempered some of the attention, the internet gradually bloomed in the same period, and meme culture started to take root. And it all bloomed when Kanayo reprised his role as Chief Omego in the Living in Bondage sequel released in 2019.
The new generation of the internet saw him in action, and the rest of it has been history.
The actor regularly features in conversations about fictional and real-life ritual murder and, just like recently, even dominates trends as a source of comic relief. Some of these conversations happen in the comment sections of his social media accounts, where he isn’t allowed to say ritual buzzwords like “sacrifice” and “fraternise” in completely innocent contexts without getting assaulted with countless jokes about ritual murder.
However, since people are bound to go overboard with everything compulsively, Kanayo’s display of wealth has fuelled jokes that he must be a ritualist offscreen. This is a narrative the actor has pushed back against online.
While sharing a photo of himself at the 100th birthday party of Ezinne Anyanwu, a colleague’s mother, in 2021, a follower commented that he was surprised the actor had not sacrificed the celebrant for blood money.
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In response, Kanayo said:
“It is most unfortunate that even when one plays certain roles, some youths cannot distinguish between one and the character. Just because one acted as a criminal on TV, some people see the actor as a criminal. Meanwhile, an actor has to be flexible. Acting as a ‘ritualist’ does not mean one is a ritualist in real life.
“Anyway, I see those who think that way as uneducated, uninformed, and having complex problems. We need to redefine the word ‘youth’ in Nigeria. Being a youth does not mean one has to be irresponsible.”
He’s made similar statements of rebuke over the years and reinforced the point that he doesn’t sacrifice people for money when the camera goes off.
The 61-year-old would prefer he receives an equal acknowledgment for the non-ritualist roles he’s played in his successful career. These include as recently as in Lionheart, Professor Johnbull, and Up North.
But even if this acknowledgment remains elusive, he hasn’t allowed himself to become too bothered by the ritualist reputation. And because it’s impossible to beat the internet, Nnayi Sacrifice has also played into the joke on numerous occasions in good nature.
On the day my brother @KanayoOKanayo was called to the Bar, he was thanking all of us for coming to honour him. Then with a mischievously smile, he added: “Thank you for your sacrifice.” The whole hall erupted!!!😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/N5q76FGT8t
— Dr Joe Abah (@DrJoeAbah) March 13, 2023
SEE: Veteran Nollywood Actor, Kanayo O. Kanayo has been honoured with a chieftaincy title “Ihe Mbaise Ji Ka Mba in his home town in Mbaise, Imo state
It’s been 31 years since Kanayo O. Kanayo played his first ritual role, and the ripple effect of that role on his career has created an unshakeable reputation that left him typecast as a ruthless money maker. However, he is much more than that, as he is also a politician, a lawyer, and a recipient of the Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR) award.
