Aramotu... The Lift Of Womanhood
Sunday, 20 March 2011 00:00 By ’Lasunkanmi Bolarinwa Sunday Magazine - Arts
HISTORY is nothing if not a compilation of power structure narratives. This means that there is a conscious effort to preserve only that which favours the wielders of political, social and economic powers. This further implies that history is not just what happened. It is what is selectively preserved. This is why when some historical instances get dug up ‘accidentally’, they wear a cloak of shocking impossibility within the definitive knowledge of what we know as history. This is the perspective I always prefer to take when looking at, for instance, the history of gender relations as preserved by a dominant male hegemony, economic or political class. And what brings this perspective to my mind at this moment is the new film, Aramotu. It has the highest nominations in the Africa Movie Award Academy 2011 edition coming up later this month.
The film, directed by NIji Akanni, stars, in the lead, Idiat Sobande as Aramotu, the business woman with an ‘unusual’ interest in an ‘unlikely’ art form — the carving of gelede masks. Her husband, is Akanmu Elefon played by Kayode Odumosu. He is the much ridiculed husband who has to live with the taunt that his wife is the head of his household till he does something rash to assert his ‘authority’. There is Ireti Osayemi-Bakare as Iyalode, whose jealousy of Aramotu’s influence among women, playing out against her own poor leadership ability, provides a basis for conflict on the one hand; and on the other hand is Olookande, played by Ayo Olabiyi, the land grabbing chief whose greed is used as another basis of further exploring the conflict in the film.
There is Gabriel Afolayan as Gbegiro of the gelede cult whose support and connivance with Aramotu for years over the carving of his award winning gelede masks go a long way to support the validity of mutual gender relations in all issues of religious, social and political leanings. There is Tunbosun Odunsi as the ineffectual and greedy leader of the town. There is Peter Fatomilola, your natural babalawo, whose insight and consultations with Orunmila stand him out as the conscience of the town. There is alagba Adebayo Faleti, the carving master and instructor of Aramotu, whose presence in a film sometimes, is all you need to confer a status on it. There is the old woman, iranse Awo Alantakun, messenger of the spider cult, played almost naturally by Mistura Asunmo. There is Toyosi Arigbabuwo in the role of Bamooro, Akanmu Elefon’s Uncle, who clearly does not approve of the independence of mind and action that Aramotu has in her matrimonial home. And then there is Bisi Komolafe as Arike. She is the victimised widow from Ilasun, a neighbouring village with cruel widowhood tradition, who is helped by Aramotu but who turns around to be the one to find favour in her (Aramotu) husband’s bed. With all these, there is no reason not to want to see the film. But that is not all there is to it.
This indeed is an impressive array of cast. But for Bisi Komolafe in the role of Arike and the lead, Idiat Sobande as Aramotu, most, if not all others, have built or are building a pedigree that will stand the test of time in the industry. Outside of that background information however, it is important to now take a look at their performances within the film.
Naturally, this would be a reflection of what they come to the table with, what directions they were given and how they were able to manipulate the directions in view of their personal and artistic interpretations of their roles in agreement with inputs from other sectors of the production such as costume and make up among others.
Classic acts are those of Tubosun Odunsi, Adebayo Faleti, Ayo Olabiyi, Peter Fatomilola, Toyosi Arigbabuwo. They are just there in a class of their own. They are at home with the language. They are comfortable with the world of their play. They were good and almost exceptional in their roles. Thus, they become the yardstick against which one is tempted to measure all other actors.
Gabriel Afolayan as a Gbegiro did not disappoint. He is more seamless in his interpretation than some of the other actors. He conveniently steadies between his natural age and that of Gbegiro while convincingly interacting with Aramotu or any of the elders as the plot demands.
You don’t get this impression of settling into a role effortlessly with Iyalode (Ireti Osayemi-Bakare.) Everything about her, from carriage to language suggests that this is not her world. In a different role and in a different world, I do not doubt her capabilities, but for the weight of the character she bears in this flick, she is one of the weak links.
The character that really stunned me is Arike played by Bisi Komolafe. Her portrayal is quite strong and remarkable. She promises to be some kind of utility player in the industry in the nearest future. Her ability to depict emotions, handle language exceptionally even where Akanmu Elefon, Pa Kasumu retains a tinge of Lagos modernity in his language delivery is a testimony. And what is more? I guess the camera fell in love with her.
Idiat Sobande in the lead did not quite work for me. Again, I think the familiarity with the Yoruba mode that suits the temper of the flick is an issue here. Her overall acting is salvaged because the story line is a strong one and then her character powers the plot. But for her role playing, there is room for improvement. She just was not giving as much back to the camera as the camera gave her, which is one thing you don’t find in the interpretation of Arike.
My heart missed beats each time I have to see the Children of Aramotu in a scene and they have to talk. Against the background of an enduring standard that the production sets to achieve, this is another minus in my estimate. The children’s recitals should have been reviewed for better output. If special attention had been given to coach them, a lot of mileage might have been gained by the whole work.
But then, you cannot have it all can you? There is a whole lot that the film gets right. This you will find in the music as handled by Femi Ogunrounbi and then the overall sound mixing as done by Muslim Ibrahim especially provided you get to see the film in a big cinema environment.
Aramotu’s World
For setting in spatial and temporal terms, we are dealing with a script manifesting in Yorubaland Nigeria of 1909. We are, for most of the time, in the village of Agesi, just at a time when western influence of formal education of the Europeans was coming across and finding fertile soil in the minds of unlettered Africans like Aramotu. We are also dealing with a cultural climate that does not openly accommodate progressive feminine intervention in social engineering but which has a weakness that makes creative and clandestine subversion possible. It is a world of greed and manipulative leaders. It is a world where poor leadership hides itself under the cover of culture and tradition. It is a world in which no error will go unaddressed.
Naturally, there would be challenges in replicating this actual world for the Nigerian film where shortcuts are the operative ‘success’ formula. One could see in Aramotu an effort to move close to the historical period but in terms of architecture and costume, attention to details is sacrificed for convenience. As illustration, I still keep asking myself, how many houses in a 1909 Yoruba village, where education was yet to have firm roots, would be without thatch roofs? I cannot remember seeing many in the film.
However, one cannot but give special kudos to the make-up artiste whose handling of the facials of Olookande and iyalode shows a blend of functionality and aesthetics of the whole film.
Moral Order
Awo Alantakun plays a major role in the reclaiming of an order cruelly slanted to suit personal and selfish motives of human beings. The enthusiasm with which one meets this cult does not pay off when it comes to the need to defend its chosen one in the person of Aramotu. Why, for instance, is it possible for the Iranse Awo Alantakun to appear and disappear at will, breaking physical and spiritual barriers with ease while it is only after Aramotu has been made a victim that strange things happen to alert the people that they did wrong? I guess it is the same reason why Jesus had to submit to crucifixion to make his point about fulfilling the books.
The gelede cult comes out in this flick as another of our traditional institutions that help to restore order in a socially acceptable and peaceful manner. Its ability to use satire to the best public use is a remarkable lesson in social engineering for those who might be of the impression that pre colonial Africa is without its own refined process of administration more creatively worked into her religious and economic credo.
As Nigerians prepare for the 2011 polls, maybe, just maybe the Olookans and Iyalodes in our present political dispensation will allow the Aramotus in our midst air their views in accordance with public wishes or they deal with the whirlwind coming from the North.
Parting Shot
This is a very ambitious film in scope and projection. There is something very distinct about the frames of this film and I mean something that suggests to you that the director and camera crew made conscious effort to determine the texture, the feel of every single frame that goes into their composition. This is a film to fall in love with. If you are looking for a film that shows depth of concept without relying on extraneous editing gymnastics, then this is it.
• Bolarinwa, a popular culture researcher, wrote this piece under the title: Aramotu, One In A Million Flicks
Sunday, 20 March 2011 00:00 By ’Lasunkanmi Bolarinwa Sunday Magazine - Arts
HISTORY is nothing if not a compilation of power structure narratives. This means that there is a conscious effort to preserve only that which favours the wielders of political, social and economic powers. This further implies that history is not just what happened. It is what is selectively preserved. This is why when some historical instances get dug up ‘accidentally’, they wear a cloak of shocking impossibility within the definitive knowledge of what we know as history. This is the perspective I always prefer to take when looking at, for instance, the history of gender relations as preserved by a dominant male hegemony, economic or political class. And what brings this perspective to my mind at this moment is the new film, Aramotu. It has the highest nominations in the Africa Movie Award Academy 2011 edition coming up later this month.
The film, directed by NIji Akanni, stars, in the lead, Idiat Sobande as Aramotu, the business woman with an ‘unusual’ interest in an ‘unlikely’ art form — the carving of gelede masks. Her husband, is Akanmu Elefon played by Kayode Odumosu. He is the much ridiculed husband who has to live with the taunt that his wife is the head of his household till he does something rash to assert his ‘authority’. There is Ireti Osayemi-Bakare as Iyalode, whose jealousy of Aramotu’s influence among women, playing out against her own poor leadership ability, provides a basis for conflict on the one hand; and on the other hand is Olookande, played by Ayo Olabiyi, the land grabbing chief whose greed is used as another basis of further exploring the conflict in the film.
There is Gabriel Afolayan as Gbegiro of the gelede cult whose support and connivance with Aramotu for years over the carving of his award winning gelede masks go a long way to support the validity of mutual gender relations in all issues of religious, social and political leanings. There is Tunbosun Odunsi as the ineffectual and greedy leader of the town. There is Peter Fatomilola, your natural babalawo, whose insight and consultations with Orunmila stand him out as the conscience of the town. There is alagba Adebayo Faleti, the carving master and instructor of Aramotu, whose presence in a film sometimes, is all you need to confer a status on it. There is the old woman, iranse Awo Alantakun, messenger of the spider cult, played almost naturally by Mistura Asunmo. There is Toyosi Arigbabuwo in the role of Bamooro, Akanmu Elefon’s Uncle, who clearly does not approve of the independence of mind and action that Aramotu has in her matrimonial home. And then there is Bisi Komolafe as Arike. She is the victimised widow from Ilasun, a neighbouring village with cruel widowhood tradition, who is helped by Aramotu but who turns around to be the one to find favour in her (Aramotu) husband’s bed. With all these, there is no reason not to want to see the film. But that is not all there is to it.
This indeed is an impressive array of cast. But for Bisi Komolafe in the role of Arike and the lead, Idiat Sobande as Aramotu, most, if not all others, have built or are building a pedigree that will stand the test of time in the industry. Outside of that background information however, it is important to now take a look at their performances within the film.
Naturally, this would be a reflection of what they come to the table with, what directions they were given and how they were able to manipulate the directions in view of their personal and artistic interpretations of their roles in agreement with inputs from other sectors of the production such as costume and make up among others.
Classic acts are those of Tubosun Odunsi, Adebayo Faleti, Ayo Olabiyi, Peter Fatomilola, Toyosi Arigbabuwo. They are just there in a class of their own. They are at home with the language. They are comfortable with the world of their play. They were good and almost exceptional in their roles. Thus, they become the yardstick against which one is tempted to measure all other actors.
Gabriel Afolayan as a Gbegiro did not disappoint. He is more seamless in his interpretation than some of the other actors. He conveniently steadies between his natural age and that of Gbegiro while convincingly interacting with Aramotu or any of the elders as the plot demands.
You don’t get this impression of settling into a role effortlessly with Iyalode (Ireti Osayemi-Bakare.) Everything about her, from carriage to language suggests that this is not her world. In a different role and in a different world, I do not doubt her capabilities, but for the weight of the character she bears in this flick, she is one of the weak links.
The character that really stunned me is Arike played by Bisi Komolafe. Her portrayal is quite strong and remarkable. She promises to be some kind of utility player in the industry in the nearest future. Her ability to depict emotions, handle language exceptionally even where Akanmu Elefon, Pa Kasumu retains a tinge of Lagos modernity in his language delivery is a testimony. And what is more? I guess the camera fell in love with her.
Idiat Sobande in the lead did not quite work for me. Again, I think the familiarity with the Yoruba mode that suits the temper of the flick is an issue here. Her overall acting is salvaged because the story line is a strong one and then her character powers the plot. But for her role playing, there is room for improvement. She just was not giving as much back to the camera as the camera gave her, which is one thing you don’t find in the interpretation of Arike.
My heart missed beats each time I have to see the Children of Aramotu in a scene and they have to talk. Against the background of an enduring standard that the production sets to achieve, this is another minus in my estimate. The children’s recitals should have been reviewed for better output. If special attention had been given to coach them, a lot of mileage might have been gained by the whole work.
But then, you cannot have it all can you? There is a whole lot that the film gets right. This you will find in the music as handled by Femi Ogunrounbi and then the overall sound mixing as done by Muslim Ibrahim especially provided you get to see the film in a big cinema environment.
Aramotu’s World
For setting in spatial and temporal terms, we are dealing with a script manifesting in Yorubaland Nigeria of 1909. We are, for most of the time, in the village of Agesi, just at a time when western influence of formal education of the Europeans was coming across and finding fertile soil in the minds of unlettered Africans like Aramotu. We are also dealing with a cultural climate that does not openly accommodate progressive feminine intervention in social engineering but which has a weakness that makes creative and clandestine subversion possible. It is a world of greed and manipulative leaders. It is a world where poor leadership hides itself under the cover of culture and tradition. It is a world in which no error will go unaddressed.
Naturally, there would be challenges in replicating this actual world for the Nigerian film where shortcuts are the operative ‘success’ formula. One could see in Aramotu an effort to move close to the historical period but in terms of architecture and costume, attention to details is sacrificed for convenience. As illustration, I still keep asking myself, how many houses in a 1909 Yoruba village, where education was yet to have firm roots, would be without thatch roofs? I cannot remember seeing many in the film.
However, one cannot but give special kudos to the make-up artiste whose handling of the facials of Olookande and iyalode shows a blend of functionality and aesthetics of the whole film.
Moral Order
Awo Alantakun plays a major role in the reclaiming of an order cruelly slanted to suit personal and selfish motives of human beings. The enthusiasm with which one meets this cult does not pay off when it comes to the need to defend its chosen one in the person of Aramotu. Why, for instance, is it possible for the Iranse Awo Alantakun to appear and disappear at will, breaking physical and spiritual barriers with ease while it is only after Aramotu has been made a victim that strange things happen to alert the people that they did wrong? I guess it is the same reason why Jesus had to submit to crucifixion to make his point about fulfilling the books.
The gelede cult comes out in this flick as another of our traditional institutions that help to restore order in a socially acceptable and peaceful manner. Its ability to use satire to the best public use is a remarkable lesson in social engineering for those who might be of the impression that pre colonial Africa is without its own refined process of administration more creatively worked into her religious and economic credo.
As Nigerians prepare for the 2011 polls, maybe, just maybe the Olookans and Iyalodes in our present political dispensation will allow the Aramotus in our midst air their views in accordance with public wishes or they deal with the whirlwind coming from the North.
Parting Shot
This is a very ambitious film in scope and projection. There is something very distinct about the frames of this film and I mean something that suggests to you that the director and camera crew made conscious effort to determine the texture, the feel of every single frame that goes into their composition. This is a film to fall in love with. If you are looking for a film that shows depth of concept without relying on extraneous editing gymnastics, then this is it.
• Bolarinwa, a popular culture researcher, wrote this piece under the title: Aramotu, One In A Million Flicks
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