Many people came for the Nigerian premiere of Iara Lee's Cultures of Resistance at the 2nd Eko International Film Festival Tuesday morning at the Silverbird Galleria on Victoria Island, Lagos. The audience twitched and swore as bloody scenes of oppression were shown on the silver screen. They were moved by the gripping imagery of political tyranny and how the human spirit can overcome fear in a hostile world.
Many people said Lee's political documentary is the best film they have seen at any film festival in Nigeria. The impact of the scenes showing the legendary Pan African musician and protest artiste Fela Anikulapo Kuti and Niger Delta activist Ken Saro-Wiwa was felt by the audience who could not deny the testimonies of the victims of injustice in Africa's most populous country. They were enraptured by the flashbacks on the martyrs and heroes of political justice in Nigeria.
Lee is expected in Nigeria before Christmas.
~ By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima
