Ti Oluwa Nile is one of my favourite films to watch. Since I first saw it in the 90s at Ile-Ife on VHS, I continue to find new ways to reflect on this sprawling saga that extends through three parts, released in an untimely fashion through the early 90s. It follows the story of a high chief Asiyanbi, played to perfection by Baba Wande, who also wrote the screenplay. It was Tunde Kelani's first feature as a director (prior to this he was better known as a DOP and director of music videos) and arguably his best. Some say his best films are his treatment of modern middleclass families.I disagree, his earthier films, closer to indigenous Yoruba traditions are his best works. Of course, only after excluding the punishingly didactic sequel to his classic, Saworoide, Agogo Eewo. That Baba Wande continues to feel cheated in terms of royalties for this film is a sore thumb. Incidentally, before happening on this essay, I watched a video interview where Baba Wande spoke about his close friendship to Kelani prior to making the film. Kelani invited him to submit a script for his new production company. Baba Wande brought his gravitas as an thespian in recruiting actors alongside providing the script. Kelani bankrolled the production. For Baba Wande, they began with love, without which they may not have begun, even if it ended in disrepute. Baba Wande has not starred in any other Kelani films, if I remember correctly. But Ti Oluwanile remains a lifetime performance. It sits between the Travelling theatre Yoruba tradition and the possibilities of Home Video. Expansively elaborate in its ambition and story-telling, it attempts an odyssey with episodic distractions. The portal may be the trickery of fraudulent sale of ancestral land, but the story goes over and beyond this. It deals with land, love, sex, social status, tradition, religion. Even the handling of the dead is dealt with humorously. Once Asiyanbi deduces that the burial of his co-conspirator marks him as the next target for a mysterious death, he brings every weapon in his arsenal to fight for his life. At every instance of temporary reprieve, our anti-hero strikes again, revealing another layer to his weakness and vanities: the love of money, status and good life. Although the film weakens as the plot progressed and the handling of time could have been economical but such small sins can be forgiven. Thank you Seyi.
Ti Oluwa Nile is one of my favourite films to watch. Since I first saw it in the 90s at Ile-Ife on VHS, I continue to find new ways to reflect on this sprawling saga that extends through three parts, released in an untimely fashion through the early 90s. It follows the story of a high chief Asiyanbi, played to perfection by Baba Wande, who also wrote the screenplay. It was Tunde Kelani's first feature as a director (prior to this he was better known as a DOP and director of music videos) and arguably his best. Some say his best films are his treatment of modern middleclass families.I disagree, his earthier films, closer to indigenous Yoruba traditions are his best works. Of course, only after excluding the punishingly didactic sequel to his classic, Saworoide, Agogo Eewo. That Baba Wande continues to feel cheated in terms of royalties for this film is a sore thumb. Incidentally, before happening on this essay, I watched a video interview where Baba Wande spoke about his close friendship to Kelani prior to making the film. Kelani invited him to submit a script for his new production company. Baba Wande brought his gravitas as an thespian in recruiting actors alongside providing the script. Kelani bankrolled the production. For Baba Wande, they began with love, without which they may not have begun, even if it ended in disrepute. Baba Wande has not starred in any other Kelani films, if I remember correctly. But Ti Oluwanile remains a lifetime performance. It sits between the Travelling theatre Yoruba tradition and the possibilities of Home Video. Expansively elaborate in its ambition and story-telling, it attempts an odyssey with episodic distractions. The portal may be the trickery of fraudulent sale of ancestral land, but the story goes over and beyond this. It deals with land, love, sex, social status, tradition, religion. Even the handling of the dead is dealt with humorously. Once Asiyanbi deduces that the burial of his co-conspirator marks him as the next target for a mysterious death, he brings every weapon in his arsenal to fight for his life. At every instance of temporary reprieve, our anti-hero strikes again, revealing another layer to his weakness and vanities: the love of money, status and good life. Although the film weakens as the plot progressed and the handling of time could have been economical but such small sins can be forgiven. Thank you Seyi.