October 1

Hello!!!! You may or may not know that I am a HUGE Yoruba Nolly and Kunle Afolayan fan (maybe because I'm currently outside of my home and country), I feel they're very comic, educational (my own opinion and contrary to popular belief, also doesn't apply to all of the movies) and makes me feel closer to Yoruba as my language (yes, I use Yoruba nolly to practice my Yoruba)...

Anyway, I'd been hyped about the movie October 1, directed by Mr Afolayan, since August of 2014 (when I saw the trailer on the way out of (ICM)Ikeja City Mall). It is set in pre- independent Nigeria, while the country is on the verge of independence from British colonial rule. "A northern Nigerian Police Detective, DAN WAZIRI, is urgently dispatched by the Colonial Government to the trading post town of Akote in the Western Region of Nigeria to solve a series of female murders that have struck horror in the hearts and minds of the local community. On getting to Akote, more murders are committed. With local tension rising, Waziri has a race on his hands to solve the case before even more local women are killed"...

The movie had themes of tribalism, Nigeria's unity, homosexuality and the church, pedophilia and child abuse, sexism and the representation of the female child, the importance of and power wielded by traditional rulers, western imperialism, every of  which both strongly and subtly are still very much part of living in present day Nigeria. Though the production, setting were on point to me, Mr Afolayan could still have done much better with the plot... I had solved the murders and figured out who the killer was within 15 minutes of the movie. I also couldn't understand the role of the character of late Mrs Funmilayo Randsome-Kuti (but then again maybe she was just there to show that she was a thorn in the side of the imperialists and enforce the time and setting of the movie). 

I find the movie rather satirical, it's sad and worrisome that after over 50 years of independence, we're still facing the same issues reflected in the movie as strongly as pre-independence (maybe even stronger). With tribalism, chauvinism  and hate crimes still very much on the rampage, I feel the Nigerian youth, regardless of background and ethnicity, should act in the spirit of our original 1960-78 anthem. 

"Nigeria, we hail thee,

Our own dear native land,

Though tribe and tongue may differ,

In brotherhood we stand,

Nigerians all are proud to serve

Our sovereign Motherland"

All in all, I'm happy that MY YORUBANOLLY/NOLLY may be enjoyed by any and everyone with or without links/ties to Nigeria (I have soo MUCH faith in Nollywood and her progress). October 1 is still a great watch and is available on Netflix (for everyone with access to Netflix) and might still be in cinemas or out for purchase in Nigeria... Xx