Director: Biyi Bandele
Writer: Biyi Bandele
Stars: Odunlade Adekola, Shaffy Bello, Olawale-Brymo Olofooro
Based on true events in 1943 Nigeria's Oyo, Elesin Oba: The King's Horseman is a story set against the backdrop of World War II. Inspired by Wole Soyinka's play Death and the King's Horseman, the film was adapted for the screen from a screenplay by Biyi Bandele starring Odunlade Adekola, Shaffy Bello, Deyemi Okanlawon, Omowunmi Dada and more.
With a duration of 96 minutes, the film focuses on the life of the King's horseman and chief, who must perform the ritual sacrifice and follow his King to the afterlife in order to preserve the harmony of his community. However, his initial procrastination to satiate his sexual appetite, and the subsequent intervention of the British force in understanding him as 'barbarian', upsets the balance maintained in the Yoruba community.
The beauty of the film begins with its script written in the native mother tongue of the Yoruba community. Soyinka himself was a Nigerian who wrote in English, but one's thought process is always governed by his mother tongue, which now finally finds his voice in the film adaptation. The very beginning takes us back to the Yoruba origins, telling their story in their voice, bringing to the fore the basis of a good and diverse representation.
Soyinka was interested in destabilizing the critical analysis of his work as a "clash of cultures" because that would essentially correspond to the idea that both cultures were on the same plane, which was not the case. The film brings together representatives of both cultures, while presenting a middle ground in the negotiation of terms between the two in the character of Olunde.
Constant emphasis is placed on the term "The White Man's Burden" coined by Rudyard Kipling, as its portrayal is nullified in the plot thus presented. The British-hosted savior complex is all about freeing the "savages" from the constraints of their "lesser" culture and customs. However, what this film and Soyinka's original work strive to achieve is a representation of a community that barely had a chance to express itself when their agency was usurped by colonial forces. The most important conclusion is that if something is far from one's understanding, it does not automatically become synonymous with being lesser than a counterpart considered superior.
The British officer and his wife dressed in what is usually the clothing of the dead according to Yoruba culture, but the colonial forces mistake his apparent shining face as an ornament or "costume". They lack the basic knowledge and context of Yoruba culture and do not even show any intention of learning about it, instead choosing to paint a picture of their own sense of calm and peace in the midst of a state of war holding a great dance that will be honored by the Prince, who, despite being the absolute symbol of Western power, must remain aloof from the reality of those his Empire supposedly "rules" over.
The clothing choices each community wears are symbolic of their distinct identities, but even there markers of progress or lack thereof are presumed, establishing a hierarchy between them. Western attire of suit and tie is accepted as sophisticated, but the clothing worn by the African community, while closer to its humble origins, is again seen as markedly different, thus inferior to the former.
Bandele's script returns victorious in another success both visually and aurally, as it retains Soyinka's vision and focuses on music that highlights the identity of the Yoruba mind. Bridging the gap between the “world of the living, the dead and the unborn”, the universality of his music lays the foundation for African identity. In addition, music also acts as a means of helping to tell stories in general and narrate various events throughout his life: weddings, death, birth and more.
As we watch the film, we as viewers must move away from reducing the dialectic of politics to a mere "clash", as mentioned above. Instead, we must consider how each of these cultures has taken root in its counterparts. None of them should be declared the winner or the victim because each of them has its own share of deficiencies, as well as aspects that must be respected.
The Yoruba community is predominantly conceived of as matriarchal with women taking the initiative and charging out against those who seek to attack their culture. Yet at the same time, despite its empowering stance, we cannot turn a blind eye to how young women in the same community become silent bearers of adult discretion, whether the decision is conscious or not.
Comments
Post a Comment