Nigerian filmmaker, Kenenna Obi, has explored the struggles of young Nigerians seeking better opportunities abroad through the Igbo cultural concept of ‘Ogbanje’ in his new short film.
The film, titled ‘Ogbanje,’ uses the recurring cycle associated with the traditional belief to depict how migration may not necessarily end the economic and personal challenges that drive young Nigerians out of the country.
Obi, a United Kingdom-based filmmaker, premiered the short film at the YSJ Auditorium in York, England, on September 25.
Speaking about the production, Obi said the film follows characters repeatedly attempting to escape obstacles represented by the Ogbanje concept while confronting the realities of starting life in the UK.
‘In Igbo cosmology, Ogbanje is a spirit that visits families in the form of a child, who begins and continues a cycle of life, dying and being reborn into the same family without attaining adolescence,’ he said.
The traditional belief was historically associated with repeated childhood deaths within families at a time when the medical causes of infant mortality were poorly understood.
The concept has also featured prominently in Nigerian literature, including works by celebrated novelist Chinua Achebe, as a representation of recurring death and grief.
Obi, however, adapted the mythology to examine a contemporary Nigerian experience, the increasing migration of young people abroad in search of better economic opportunities, popularly known as ‘japa.’
In the film, the characters attempt to leave behind the difficulties confronting them, only to encounter new challenges after relocating.
According to the filmmaker, the recurring struggles raise questions about whether changing countries necessarily provides an escape from the problems that prompted migration.
‘I wanted to explore what happens when you think you’ve escaped simply by moving to another country, only to discover that some things are not about geography,’ Obi said.
He explained that the film also examines the social and economic realities confronting young Nigerians abroad and the complexities associated with rebuilding their lives in unfamiliar environments.
The premiere attracted people from different cultural backgrounds, including audience members encountering the Ogbanje concept for the first time.