An iconic figure in the Nigeria’s film industry, Francis Duru, is expected to arrive in Banjul on Saturday.

The airplane, which will be carrying Mr. Duru to the Smiling Coast, is later tomorrow expected to touch down at the Banjul International Airport in Yundum.

Mr. Duru will spend three days in Gambia and is, in the interim, expected to pay courtesy calls on the secretary of state for tourism and culture, the Nigerian High Commission officials as well as the Nigerian community in The Gambia. He is also expected to meet, associate and compare notes with Gambian dramatists as a way of finding ways for a collaborative and fruitful working relationship.Francis will also feature in an event at the Cotton Club in Fajara.

The arrival of Francis will, in the meantime, herald the coming into the country of the hottest Nollywood personalities-Aki & Pawpaw, Osufeson and Mama G. also known as Patience Uzuoku- and will hold seminar during his visit to The Gambia.

According to Dr. Wilcox, the CEO of Chartered House, the purpose of the visit of Francis is not only aimed at beefing up public confidence in the expected subsequent visits of the three other big names in Nollywood but is also intended to promote and nurture cultural exchanges.

Meanwhile, the appeal for Nigerian films goes well beyond the federal republic and like a raging bush-fire, their popularity is increasingly gaining toe-hole, leaving fans burning with a longing for more.The stories tend to be pretty simple but very dramatic and heavy on the emotions.

Nigeria began its film industry in the 1970s and owes much of its growth to the likes of renowned film maker Ola Balogun. The secret of Nollywood’s success lies not only in dramatic plot lines, but its video format.