Niyi Akinmolayan’s ‘Rainmakers’ Documentary Coming to Amazon Prime Video in March
The documentary hopes to shine a light on the belief that there are people with the ability or gift to command or cease rain through prayers
Niyi Akinmolayan and Anthill Studios are set to release their documentary, Rainmakers, which explores the phenomenon of holding rain or controlling the weather on Amazon Prime Video on March 1, 2024.
The documentary hopes to shine a light on the belief that there are people with the ability or gift to command or cease rain through prayers and other spiritual methods, especially during a party or important celebrations.
In a special report, a native doctor told Vanguard Nigeria that causing rain or holding it can be done using leaves and herbs. “We can use leaves and roots with some incantations to drive away the rain,” they said. “If it is cloudy, once we match some leaves together and put it in a basin facing the direction where we want it to go, in a few minutes, you will see the result and it will not rain.”
The native doctor didn’t reveal the herbs they concoct for clearing the weather but mentioned they don’t receive money for the service; instead, it is a kind gesture to benefit friends and relatives having social functions or celebrations threatened by the weather.
In 2022, Akinmolayan travelled to three states in Nigeria and met with twenty rainmakers seeking answers and knowledge, and hoping to catch this phenomenon on camera. “I did all the necessary rituals and learned a lot about rainmaking and the all-powerful Sango deity,” he writes. On one of such trips, the filmmaker covered a festivity in the Oyo Kingdom and was assured by rainmakers that rain wouldn’t disrupt their celebration.
“Today, we are at the Alaafin’s place following the festivities as part of the Rainmakers documentary,” he tweeted two years ago. “Will it rain today? We will find out but our rainmakers have sworn by Sango that it won’t.”
“My Rainmakers documentary has led me to Benin City,” he posted during another trip. “Apparently, they are a lot more structured here. We are running the experiment for the next three days. Science vs tradition. Will we be able to control the weather as we want?”
The documentary will be another Anthill Studios release on the American streamer as part of the multi-year licensing deal struck by both companies in 2022. It is also another project that shows Akinmolayan’s fascination with myth and legend, as seen in Mikolo, League of Orishas, and his studio’s blockbuster collaboration with Femi Adebayo’s Euphoria 360, King of Thieves.
Rainmakers starts streaming on Amazon Prime on March 1, 2024. Will you be watching?
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