Erelu Kuti of Lagos Blows Hot At Negative Depiction in 'Gangs of Lagos'

The latest Nollywood blockbuster causing conversation and discourse online is the recently released Amazon Prime movie, Gangs of Lagos. The movie is under fire now because of negative and violent depictions of the Eyo in the film. In fact, the Isale Eko Defendant Union and the Lagos State Government have called for the cancellation of the movie and have expressed their complete disapproval at the movie.

Speaking about her thoughts on it, the Erelu Kuti of Lagos, HRH Dr. Abiola Dosumu sat downw with TVC's Your View and expressed her feelings about the depiction of the Eyo in the movie, Gangs of Lagos. Here is what the Erelu Kuti of Lagos had to say.

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During the interview, the Erelu Kuti of Lagos was asked "Gangs of Lagos has been generating reactions across not just from the state government, but from indigenes of that part of Lagos. The movie showed how Eyo masquerade was used to address gang issues and some people were killed in the process. From your perspective ma, how would you react to this depiction of the use of Eyo?" She said:

ERELU KUTI OF LAGOS: Well, using Eyo in a movie or any setting if it is used in its original understanding, I do not see anything wrong with that at all. But when it's depicted, it's like you criminalize the group of clerics as killers or gun spinners, then of course it's wrong. Because Eyo is a heritage of a group of people. It's not just something you can pick up and manipulate to appear negative. You are telling me that my origin, my inheritance, my culture, my tradition, is wrong, is murderous, is everything that is negative. I think it is very wrong. We have to be very careful. If you say when you're performing an Eyo Festival, a couple of them - one or two people - took advantage and misbehaved under the cloak [that's okay], but if you actually portray a festival, a culture, a cultural tradition as something that is being used for violence or for getting even with one another, that is totally wrong. In any setting, in any event, you will still find one or two miscreants who will take advantage of it and under that, misbehave. But if you now portray the whole of Eyo festival as something negative, then that is too far-fetched.

If [Isale Eko Defendant Union and the Lagos State Government] have gone that far to make such demands [of cancelling the movie], then there must be something very wrong about that movie. Because when you tell a story, it will be quite explicit why that fellow brought out a gun. You would have prepared the minds of those people watching that this one is not an authentic Eyo, this is a miscreant. Then the people watching will know that this has nothing to do with the Eyo. So then nobody will be left under any conclusion that it has anything to do with the Eyo group.

What do you think about what the Erelu Kuti of Lagos had to say, and if you have seen the film, what did you think about the depiction of the Eyo in that movie? Let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment either below or on my Jide Okonjo Facebook post.

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