Joshua Bamiloye, son of renowned gospel filmmaker Mike Bamiloye, has pushed back against claims that Mount Zion Film Productions portrays Yoruba culture and spirituality in a negative light.
The debate resurfaced after the ministry announced that Agbara Nla, one of its most popular productions, would be returning to cinemas more than 30 years after its original release.
Reacting to the announcement on X, a user identified as Ìfẹ́ṣọlá accused Mount Zion of building its brand on stories that depict Yoruba spirituality as evil while promoting Christianity.
The critic also alleged that the ministry had repeatedly used the same narrative over the years and was now facing increased scrutiny from people questioning those portrayals.
In response, Joshua Bamiloye dismissed the criticism, arguing that it was based on a misunderstanding of what Mount Zion represents.
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Joshua wrote: “Here we go again, and yet you couldn’t get through one paragraph without misrepresenting what Mount Zion actually does.”
Joshua insisted that the ministry has never been against Yoruba culture. According to him, Mount Zion’s productions often celebrate Yoruba heritage through its language, traditions and values.
He continued:“MZ doesn’t demonise Yoruba culture. It celebrates it; the colours, the language, the proverbs, the royalty”.
Using the popular character Abejoye as an example, he explained that embracing Christianity does not mean abandoning one’s cultural identity.
He added: “Abejoye became a born-again Christian while still speaking deep Yoruba, bowing before his king, and dropping proverbs that’ll make your grandfather nod. Nobody took his culture. The Gospel just took the throne in his heart.”
Joshua also rejected the argument that Mount Zion presents Yoruba spirituality as inferior to foreign religions.
He maintained that the ministry’s message has always centred on the battle between good and evil rather than a conflict between cultures.
He concluded: “You framed this as ‘Yoruba spirituality vs foreign religion.’ We never did. We frame it as Light vs Darkness and Darkness has no nationality. We’ve called it out in boardrooms, cities, and yes, in the villages. Location doesn’t exempt it.”