By Mava John Joshua
Anikulapo is a Yoruba word derived from the combination of the words; “Death” and “Pouch/Purse”. Anikulapo’s meaning in English translates to “He who has death in his pouch/purse”.
The name has been used as a nickname but it is also being used as people’s names. A vivid example is the late Afrobeats music legend, Fela ‘Anikulapo’ Kuti.
The movie, ‘Anikulapo’, begins with a folklore about a yoruba myth, a rich history and belief in Yorubaland that happened ages ago. It also brings to light the tale of Akala bird.
As the movie begins, we see Saro in a bloodied mess, left for dead. Here movie viewers are left in a limbo not knowing the situation that led to his state. He looked like someone who was mobbed by a crowd and perhaps killed, but we see a situation where he was raised back to life by the supposedly powerful Akala bird.
For the opening, one expected a more thorough exposition in the main plot but it turned out to be unbelievable that a bird reputed to hold the power of life and death would be frightened off by a mere mortal and lose its powerful gourd in the process.
After the initial scenes between Saro and the bird, the story begins in earnest to uncover what led to the state we found Saro in the beginning.
The film in a nutshell reveals various events—including an illicit affair with the king’s wife, Arolake (Bimbo Ademoye)—leading to Saro’s premature death, where he encountered Akala.
Adultery is a serious traditional crime even in the present day African society, and engaging in an adulterous affair with the wife of a very powerful king, like Saro did in Anikulapo, was a death wish no man should bring upon himself. It leaves one wondering why the Akala bird would see Saro worthy of resurrection from the dead. But then, in the bible, God still forgave and favoured King David despite his adulterous relationship with the wife of a man he deliberately caused his death because of the likeness he had for his wife.
Some knotty issues the movie did not resolve were: Why did the bird not come in search of its magical gourd? Did the bird have to suspend its duties in the interim? A lot of loopholes here.
Despite its very straightforward plot line (typical of Yoruba movies), and a surprising ensemble, mostly made up of the veterans of the Yoruba acting scene, Anikulapo is more than your typical Yoruba movie.
Directed by Kunle Afolayan, Anikulapo (2022) is a folklore drama that presents the story of Saro (Kunle Remi), a young, zealous man seeking for greener pastures in the great Oyo Kingdom, set in 17th century Oyo Empire.
A remarkably interesting aspect of Anikulapo is its setting. The movie is set in the 17th century Oyo empire days, and interestingly, filming for the movie took place at the recently launched KAP (Kunle Afolayan Productions) resort in a village in Oyo State. This might seem like an inconsequential detail, but one would imagine that it must have been easier and more natural for the cast and crew to bring these characters to life, being so close to the birthplace of the story.
The most interesting part of the movie is the effort put in by the actors to speak the Oyo dialect. One therefore wondered if the script was written in Oyo and thought how hard that would have been for the actors to work with.
Elevated by the good execution of the technical aspects, the sound design and music help to set the mood and tone of the film with scores that help to reinforce context and are sweet to the ears, while the cinematography ticks all the boxes, aiding the storytelling with great shots. The make-up team also did a good job although some of the tribal marks could have looked better. In filmmaking, every detail should have a reason for being there and one wonders what the point of the very revealing sex scene was, since it has no bearing on the plot of the film, it was completely unnecessary considering that it is a traditional film and the way sexual relations were regarded in that period. Nevertheless, Anikulapo is another evidence of improvement in Nollywood and a coming of age for traditional films.
Akinola Oyegoke, a budding film critic said the movie depicts the true nature of man. “A bad character is like a flat tyre, it will take you to nowhere in life. Saro is proud and ungrateful. I wish Rolake good luck. I put my final thoughts on this by quoting from Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe as a moral lesson from the movie, “he that a benevolent spirit broke his palm kernel for should learn to be humble”.
