THE LOST OKOROSHI, EXPORTING NIGERIA’S MASQUERADE THROUGH FILM TOURISM

Joseph ADEBIYI

Synopsis/Summary

Following his 2016 debut, Green White Green,  Abba T. Makama returns to the festival lap with this expedition of heritage, culture and folk memory, mixed with endearing, offbeat humour and a touch of body horror. The Lost Okoroshi follows the travails of a carefree security operative Raymond (Seun Ajayi) as he awakes one morning to find himself transformed into a traditional masquerade. The film which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2019 and was available for streaming on Netflix that same year run time is 94 minutes.

Central Dramatic Problem (CDP)

Masquerades in modern day are seen as symbols of certain cultural festivals, but in the pre-colonial Igbo society, they were part of the sociopolitical makeup and had duties that included acting as law enforcement agents. The incursion of Christianity and Western civilization did not only demonize the masquerade tradition, but also denigrated it. One of these masquerades is the OWU-OKOROSHI masquerade society of the people of Oguta, in Nigeria’s Imo State, inside which Raymond is trapped. What does the urban city has for him in his strange metaphysical entrapment?

Plot

Who would have thought that a masquerade, an ancestral spirit, would be packaged for top quality entertainment? Well in the LOST OKOROCHI, a comical fusion movie of the olden days and the present day by Abba Makama has it all. The movie opens in the spirit realm, as an Okoroshi ( A masquerade) chases a man and as the masquerade closes on him, he wakes up and realises it is all a dream.

The man being chased is revealed – Raymond Obinwa (Seun Ajayi), a security operative who hates his job and is gradually getting frustrated with the city life.

One of his colleagues, who has had enough of his complaints, tells him – “every day you don tire, you don tire, leave job, you no gree.” Raymond on the other hand has always wanted to leave the city for the village to start farming, but he admits he needs to “hammer” first.

However, he has more disturbing problems – the repeated dreams in which an Okoroshi chases him. He narrates the latest dream to an older friend, Mazi (Chiwetalu Agwu), who claims that a wound on his leg won’t heal because the potency of his natural herb remedy is declining, he blames modern urban life for draining the power of the life spirits. He encourages him to embrace the masquerade and not run from it because it is an ancestral spirit seeking connection with its descendant – a piece of advice Raymond would come to regret after months of repeated surreal dreams where he finds himself being chased by masquerades.

Raymond finally submits to the Okoroshi, which happens to be the most highly regarded in his Igbo community.

We then get introduced to the metaphysical and supernatural aspects of this film. Like when his poor, terrified wife screams for her husband only to realise that the masquerade in front of her is Raymond. This was ironical, quite funny and disheartening.

The Okoroshi having appeared in Lagos, a secret Igbo society, IPSSHRR, created for the restoration of Igbo culture, claims ownership of it and soon gets into a heated argument over where it belongs. One member believes that the Okoroshi should be returned to its ancestral home in Igboland. Another says the masquerade has right to remain in Lagos, stating that its appearance in the city was divine and ordained by the ancestors, and insisting that “any land where a whole community of Igbo people have gathered, is Igboland.”

Screenplay

Through animated illustrations and narration by Okonkwo, the legend of the masquerade is retold. The Okoroshi is presented as an ancestral spirit of the Igbo people who bears fortune for the good and bad luck for the wicked.

In Makama’s exploration of this, Raymond transforms into the terrifying Okoroshi, and we see him perform the cultural duties of the masquerade, punishing a thief and being financially generous with a sex worker.

The performance sequences are well woven, good enough to amuse, but the editing allows funny bits and funny lines to just lie aloof, with no connection and significance to the plot.

Character and chacterisation

Starring Judith Audu, Tope Tedela, Ifu Ennada, and Chiwetalu Agu, the movie does not give plenty of screen time to any of his actors. It does not need to. With dialogue in Igbo, Pidgin English, and subtitled, it typecast an actor like Ifu Ennada who played the role of the prostitute but she nails the role.

Unlike other movies in Nollywood, this movie is not star studded and it gives room for balance on characters, so we get to see more talents on display.

Cinematography

The film’s 4:3 aspect ratio, cinematography and some of its production process took a book from the 90s’ Nollywood. Although, that Nollywood era painted our traditions as evil, Makama’s films show them in a different light, he made the Okoroshi a super hero which is something that needs to be applauded. The city of Lagos and its landscape is pictured almost perfect with the scenes mainly taking place in the city.

This choice of location and how it is visually depicted on screen added an interesting detail to the storytelling, soundtrack was composed by Shay.

Art Direction/Production Design

The film boasts of vibrant colours and costume designs for the masquerades, the simple costumes and African production design are not the best and they looked quite unfinished with the Okoroshi being a cloak of purple-dyed raffia amidst other masquerades with one of them resembling the Yoruba Eyo Masquerade.

Post Production

The Aesthetics in the movie is what makes it stand out compare to its counterparts, but the editing could be better if only Abba Makama did not try to multi task and do the job of four – co-writer, editor, producer and director, this might have been because he wasn’t heavily funded for the movie.

Directorial prowess- director’s style

Incongruous mash-up of cultural influence, his use of pop music, vibrant colours and cinematic visual effects underscore the director’s idea, making a serious point about the appropriation of cultural heritage by interest groups and the spiritual cost of collective folk-memory loss. If you are looking for a movie you can figure out immediately, then The Lost Okoroshi is not for you because right from the beginning, if you are not patient enough it would look rambling and confusing asides that, the alterity and surrealism in this movie needs to be applauded.

It’s nothing like the regular Nollywood movies we grew up with, even though it took cues from it.

Lesson learnt

While watching this movie, it dawned upon me how we are so influenced by Western culture and traditions and forget how we used to live before they came. Although, most of us might not have the slightest idea of how things were before westernization, so relating to this movie will leave you with more questions than answers. We have been detached from the old ways through Western influence and we should never demonize our culture and traditions because they are what we have.

Conclusion

The director needs to work on his editing. Asides that, I think we should be expecting more surreal movies from Abba Makama because this is beginning to become a niche for him.

VERDICT

The Lost Okoroshi deserves a 70/100 and Abba Makama should be applauded for repping quality!

This movie deserves a 70/100

Shoots NG’s Score Card:

71- 100%= you are the bomb, be ready for Oscars

51-70%= Thank you for repping quality

31- 50%= You can do better, up your game

11-30%= Return to film school

01- 10%= Filming is not for you, look for another job

 

Picture credits- Netflix and internet