Afamefuna

Bayo Adeyinka

I have a thing for movies produced in their local languages. This is one of the reasons Blood Vessels, rendered in Ijaw language scored very high with me. And this one of the reasons I fell in love with Afamefuna. I find it odd presenting our culture in a language that is not native to us. The English spoken, most times, can never give full expression to the thoughts and words intended.

Afamefuna is one of the biggest movies out of Nollywood in recent times. I’m just surprised there has been very little noise about the movie.

The depiction of the Nwa-boi apprenticeship scheme was perfect. I am very fascinated with this because the Yorubas also have something similar to this which we call ‘Freedom’. I grew up within that heritage as my father had many apprentices while growing up. We lived together and even ate from the same pot. In the 80s, ‘Freedom’ was a big deal as parents and families of graduating apprentices turned out to celebrate. The closest depiction of the Yoruba system was produced by Kunle Afolayan’s movie Mokalik.

I think one of the major differences between both systems is that the Igbo businessman has an obligation to set up the Nwa-bois while the Yoruba system has no such obligation. I prefer the Igbo system because it provides continous mentorship and even partnership occasionally rather than leaving the new graduates to fend for themselves. I wish the Nwa-boi system can be formally adopted nationally as our home-grown system of grooming MSMEs.

I am not certain if I have watched any movie featuring Stan Nze and I had to ask my wife who he was. She informed me he was on Tinsel. He was so exceptional in that movie and I can only compare him with the brilliance exuded by Owobo Ogunde as Bashorun Ogunjimi in Anikulapo: The Rise of the Spectre. I think Stan Nze deserves an award for that act. The cast was carefully selected. For instance, I couldn’t think of a better act than Kanayo on that role.

The various themes explored including ‘apiriko’, love, betrayal and honesty and how the story was woven carefully while retaining the attention of the audience made the movie one in its own class. I have decided to do more research on ‘apiriko’. I’m torn between the legality and morality of the system. I would love to understand it a bit more.

The cinematography was excellent and the scenes were not too long. Going through the list of producers, script-writers and directors, I could see a good handshake across various tribes. All I could imagine was football or athletics where we all come together and play in unison towards a singular objective of winning. Our leaders have a thing to learn from the making of Afamefuna.

Afamefuna is a big win for me. That movie is exceptional in its output and making. I love movies that provide entertainment while also stimulating one mentally. We need to see more movies like this. I for one would love to see a movie with a theme on the ‘Osu’ system just as we have seen one on the Yoruba cultural belief on ‘akudaaya’.

We will work together better when we understand ourselves more.

*Bayo Adeyinka, banker, social entrepreneur and public affairs analyst, writes from Lagos