There are some symbolic representations that paint “terrible” pictures in ‘Gangs of Lagos’.
Cultural stereotype should be censored and avoided as much we love our tomorrow.
For example, Jade’s primary use of Eyo for assassination all through, casts aspersions on cultural and tourism offerings.
As story tellers, we equally need to protect the only sustainable element of communalistic and cosmological ethos that projects us to the world as people – culture.
Cultural knowledge, heritage and geography are creatively blended to create a nostalgic cultural memory in film, not to balkanize the only sustainable ‘relics’ of a people.
ALSO READ: Custodians kick as Jade Osiberu, Banky W, others desecrate Eyo masquerade for money
I think that story can fly effectively without the injection of that parts. Afterall, it is ‘Gangs of Lagos’, not Cultures of Lagos.
Chai, o dun mi.
Not even now that Lagos State is trynna revamp the funfair and tourism potentials synonyms with the Eyo festival that has been blotted with criminality and heinous killings over time.
Chai, Jade no try for that side at all.
She is a painter, yes.
She has creative licence, yes.
She allows her story to tell itself, yes.
Howbeit, we must also have creative restraints that put our cultural values first. If not for anything, at least for patriotism. We need to have a cultural face on the world culture table.
American crime is second to none, but their film culture covers the rots in ruts.
If we stand for nothing, we fall for everything.
Our film, nah our culture. Our culture nah who we be for the eyes of the world.
O dun mi mehn!
But in all, Government is to be blamed.
Where you don’t have a well articulated and updated Cultural Policy, you throw your future into the dustbin of yesterday.
When a country does not have a contemporary and well implemented Film Policy, anything goes.
The Nollywood is a film industry on paper, in reality, it is just an auto run experience that is organically feeding individuals and aimlessly penetrating boundaries.
A structureless ‘industry’
May we help ourselves.
Dr. Steven Adesemoye is a Senior Lecturer in Mass Communication at Lagos State University of Science and Technology (LASUSTECH) and a contributor to Freelanews.com, writing on media, communication, education, and public affairs.
