A Filmmaker and Her Lagos Kasala
I am very happy that people get to watch this film and they loved and I’m able to get the real Nigerian reaction to the film. I feel much fulfilled that I proved that if you have a dream you go for it. I have seen that there are many Nollywood directors who are afraid to step out. If you dream it and fight for it, you will be fulfilled
actors. I wanted to work with young and new actors. There is something about the youths which Nollywood is yet to get; they can be very passionate, flexible and unafraid. These are the kind of people I wanted to work with and they came to me.”
Another highlight of the movie was the use of pidgin language throughout the film as Ema says, “I couldn’t imagine them speaking English language. Pidgin is one of the unifying tools we have in Nigeria.”
The pidgin spoken in the film was absolutely authentic. At the core of Kasala is a celebration of friendship which to Ema is part of the Nigerian identity. She said it was her own way of paying tribute to Lagos.
“I think the movie really depicts how Lagos is. There is one kasala and everybody moves on. It is a tribute to Lagos. In order to survive in Nigeria, you have to struggle. It is a constant struggle. Everything goes against you from electricity to many things. And again it shows the tenacity of Nigerians. It goes against the lazy young Nigerians narrative when you see young boys fighting to survive, to make an ends meet, even if society has in some ways failed them,” says Ema. “It is showing the inner lives of Lagos and people from the slums. Lagos is a diverse state but despite the tribal differences, we always find a common ground. In Ojo where I grew up, the Isoko were surrounded by the Igbo. Of course, there is the daily squabble but we always come back together to share a drink and chat and we move on like a family. That to me is the story of Lagos and Nigeria. With our diverse heritage, we still find a common ground.”
Shooting the film in the ghetto also came with its challenges. She admits: “When we got there, the ‘area boys’ will see us and me with the small camera and make comments like ‘who are these small children?’ They didn’t expect money from us so they let us be. One person opens up his home and the others followed. They took us in like children and they opened up their streets and neighbourhoods to us. I actually went back there and did a small premiere for them after production. It was beautiful seeing their reactions. I could see they haven’t seen themselves on the screen before. You will hear them say to one another ‘Ah! see Iya Bisi’. It was an amazing experience.”
To fully put her stamp on this project, Ema who stumbled on filmmaking after graduating from the university with a Computer Science degree had one of the popular music artiste IBK Spaceshipboi produce eight Afrobeat soundtracks for the movie.
“One of my fears was that the film wasn’t going to be shown to Nigerians even if it has been travelling round the world,” Ema admits, adding, “I am very happy that people get to watch this film and they loved and I’m able to get the real Nigerian reaction to the film. I feel much fulfilled that I proved that if you have a dream you go for it. I have seen that there are many Nollywood directors who are afraid to step out. If you dream it and fight for it, you will be fulfilled.”
However, like Kunle Afolayan who came out with the idea of New Nollywood, Ema and some of her colleagues are also pushing for a new narrative in the industry.
Pointing out her conviction, she states: “I strongly believe that there is a shift happening in Nollywood because there are filmmakers like us who are deciding to go against the norms to make stories that matter and affect Nigerians. The reception in Nigeria shows the hunger for this kind of stories and I am determined to make these kinds of stories. I am more connected to this people than the bourgeois and the fatty houses. I think one of the things that is missing in most Nollywood films today is that sense of pride, friendship and tenacity. Yes, we live in Lekki but most of the middle class people came from humble backgrounds and they want to reminisce. This is why I believe there is a shift coming to Nollywood.”