By: Asefon Abdulganiy Stephen
The long-awaited part 2 of Lisabi, which the first part was launched on the 27th of September, produced by Adebimpe Oyebade and Victoria Akujobi and directed by Niyi Akinmolayan, was released on the 10th of January 2025. The launching of the movie final saga has bestowed upon the audience happiness and relief of anticipation.
The movie, as its first part was initially released, has earned rains of encomium from the audience as it tends to revamp the history of a young promising man who perceives the suppression and exploitation of his tribe by the Alaafin as a taboo in particular and the conscious awakening and sustaining of Yoruba heritage culture. Equally, there has been a sincere acknowledgment and appreciation from all and sundry of the settings, costumes, and few autochthonous dialects of some characters, which helped in asserting its stance as a historical-portrayed movie.
Every character in the historical-narrative movie has received widespread praise from the audience, as each of them did not only act but also did so with alacrity and professional techniques.
The act of bravery depicted by Lateef Adedimeji, the on-screen Lisabi, has left audiences' mouths ajar, and his Egbe-Aaro movement spices the whole story up. The unapologetic action of authoritarian Alaafin displayed by Odunlade Adekola has been earmarked as an undoubted replicate of the original historical Alaafin, himself. As it is always said, “First impressions matter," the release of Lisabi, part one, has whetted people's appetite to request its conclusion.
Unfortunately, it is excruciatingly painful that the movie is not up to the standard of expectations imagined by Netizens and the audience. The movie is perceived to be replete with unimagined characters, inaccurate costumes, and strange or unrelated dialects, thus portraying the movie as historically inaccurate. Not only did the movie portray its producers and directors as incapable of depicting the authenticity of Yoruba history, but it also displayed the Nigerian movie industry as unworthy of people's honor and beliefs towards them.
The criticism of the movie, firstly, finds expression in its infiltration of Lycan-like characters into the movie. The introduction of the mythical figure, as a fierce fighter, in the movie belittles the fierce physical strength of the 18th-century warriors. As a matter of fact, such inaccurate depictions of 18th-century battlefields could inculcate false historical facts in the minds of the audience, especially the uninformed ones. As a matter of fact, and according to historical evidence, there was no place in Yoruba history where Lycans had been used to conquer or fight the neighboring towns. Though juju or voodoo are believed to be part of their warfare weapons.
Another part where the movie has betrayed the people's expectations was its mendacious and inaccurate portrayal of costumes. For instance, the fixing of nails by a popular actor, Bimbo Akintola, on-screen, Lisabi's mother is seen as a noticeable shortcoming of the movie in depicting the real image of the period presented. The wrapping of Lisabi while he was very much younger, with the 21st-century shawl, is seen as a misrepresentation of Yoruba cultures and heritages. 18th-century Yoruba people’s dresses were quite unrelated to what has been displayed by the movie; however, there should be appreciation and acknowledgment of their “Buba and Iro” and "Agbada, which are historically aligned with the epoch being projected.
Dialect is absolutely indispensable in the documentation or dramatization of Yoruba history; it is perceived to be a symbol of the identity of each tribe or consortium of people. While just a few of the actors, like Lateef Adedimeji, speak the dialect quite well, others are just uttering unrelated and “far-to-Egba” dialects. Actors like Kelvin Ikeduba and Jide Oworu are uprightly guilty of such action.
Another scene of the movie that precipitates my review is the over-exaggerated presentation of Alaafin of Oyo’s dictatorship. Incontrovertibly, the historic Alaafin of Oyo was a dictator; he committed several atrocities while on the throne, but the representation of his bathing in a pool of blood by Odunlade Adekola is not only a misrepresentation of history but a complete mendacity! though, at times in a bid to appease gods of the land or perform some rituals, blood could be sprinkled on Alaafin. The sight of the corpse, at the Alaafin’s palace, by the Alaafin himself, is a glaring error in the dramatization of Yoruba cultures. Kings are, traditionally, restricted from seeing corpses. It is a monstrosity!
These aforementioned points have stained the acknowledged efforts, dedication, and resilience of the movie directors and producers in the process of producing the movie. The unwavering efforts of every department in pushing the movie to the door of its successful production are acknowledged, and there should be more drums of appreciation beaten for the actors, as they are diving into Yoruba history for sustenance, cultural and origin consciousness, and edutainment. However, nothing is as good as remembrance of history, but nothing is as good as a realistic and accurate representation of those historical events. Thus, Nollywood is urged to present the past as realistically as it should, drenched with related costumes, original dialects, and the use of fit characters.
