One of Nollywood’s most anticipated movies of the year, Onikola, a film on genital mutilation, made its way to the theatre on Sunday, October 5 where it premiered to loud ovation as the cast and the storyline compares to none in recent time.
Ikeja City Mall, venue of the premiere, was thronged by movie buffs who came to register their presence and align themselves with the talented actress, media personality cum producer, Funmi Fibresima.
Written by Gbenga Adesanya, Steve Anu Adesemoye, Abosede Oshin and directed by Dotun Taylor, Onikola featured stars like Ronke Ojo ( Oshodi Oke), Ibrahim Chatta, Sunday Afolabi among others while it engaged veterans like Dejumo Lewis, Bunmi Olatilewa and Tola Oladokun who gave award-winning performances.
The best moment of the night came during the screening of the movie as the guests were entertained and tickled by the acting prowess of amazing fresh faces in the movie industry, the duo of Funmi Fibresima and Yinka Salau. The duo gave an unmatched performance and turned heads amid cheers.
Set in Iseyin in Oyo State, Onikola is a fiction film that has the feel and workings of real life situation. Many scenarios appear as if they have been lifted directly from traditional realities of Nigerian life and living. Movie pundits agree that Onikola has immediate relevance to Nigeria society because it brings to light the harmful side effects of female genital mutilation without flogging the viewers over the head with the message.
The producer of the movie, manage to fuse entertainment and romance while delivering a strong message against the social misnomer. The movie can be said to be complete with all the elements that bring it home as a unique and entertaining piece. It is the kind of movie that would make us proud in our heritage and provoke the minds of Africans to think about the evil of female circumcision.
A first time movie producer, Funmi Fiberesima, is poised make a difference in Nollywood and if her debut production, Onikola is a yardstick to judge her, she has definitely lived up to her statement.
The intrigue-filled, informative and educative film centres on Kumbi (Funmi Fiberesima) who is firm on her resolve to not to be circumcised. She sacrifices everything including her love for Okiki (Sunday Afolabi) and risks being rejected by her people, most of all her mother Abebi (Bunmi Olatilewa).
On the other side of the wall is Omosewa (Ronke Ojo), who is circumcised and as a result becomes emotionless and suffers ridicule in the hands of her husband. She however develops the courage to express her feelings about a tradition which challenges her sexuality and those of her friends.
Onikola is a movie that evokes emotion, love and regret. As Fiberesima puts it, it’s like using a tool that’s available to passage a message across.
“I thank God I had a very responsive crowd. Hearing their responses was like wow. I could have communicated it in any other language but Yoruba Language film seem to reach out to people more a whole lot of Yoruba people are still been subjected to circumcision.
“I have watched the clip of a live circumcision and I was tormented for days by the child’s scream. Anytime I hear the child’s scream what comes to my mind is the joy of the mother. So I see that the mother did this out of love for her child but we know better. There is information now and it is from the experiences of people that we know that this is not what you do to your child,” she said
The movie which is already out on DVD is distributed by Shola Fajobi’s E-force, a leading distribution and marketing company in Nigeria with several media equity use in promotion. See More Photos Below…