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So having carefully seen the movie ‘Citation‘, one thing I couldn’t help but discover especially considering the major themes of other films by Director Kunle Afolayan is that; “The genius has a problem with western education and civilization” [LOL! Yes. I know that sounds weird right]. Remember Femi from the movie ‘Figurine’, Prince Aderopo from ‘October 1st’, and Kola from ‘The CEO’? Maybe not directly, if examined closely, there’s some sort of connection amongst all these characters including the most recent; Prof N’Dyare. You see Individuals whom one could say have somewhat been corrupt in the course of their ‘pursuit of exposure’ to western education and training.
As one who understands the power of film and media as a tool to further agendas and communicate strong ideologies or debunk them as the case may be, I strongly perceive a deliberate and conscious effort by Kunle Afolayan to use his films as a medium to subtly but vividly expose the inadequacy of western education and civilization as being enough to produce good character and sound moral judgment in a man.
As a scholar in the humanities (I don’t like to blow my own horn, but I think I am a scholar in my own right), I have always held strongly that orthodox classroom education and professionalism shouldn’t be held as enough grounds when judging the quality of a person’s personality and this is what I believe Kunle Afolayan has tried to show us with his films, most especially; ‘Citation’. Just because a man is well learned and has a robust “citation” doesn’t mean he is not dysfunctional. It doesn’t mean he has acquired all is needed to be a “good human being“, a human fit enough for the society.
The Yoruba People of Nigeria have the concept of ‘OMOLUABI’ which represents the quality of an individual to be trained and retrained through proper weaving into the fabrics of the society, with in-depth understanding and strict honor for tradition, the divine, elders, humanity, and nature/community at large. This ideology hinges on the collective transfer of values and morality to the individual right from cradle, not only by a created closed system, but by the entirety of the community.
While the ‘Omoluabi‘ concept has recently become quite unpopular even amongst said ‘Yorubas’, I sense Kunle Afolayan subliminally revealing this huge gap and [perhaps] recommending urgent need to seek recourse with respect to our traditional system in addition to western education, to achieve an all-round, balanced individual.
It is no gainsaying that Kunle Afolayan has not only created a Nigerian masterpiece which will put the nation on the world map yet again. “Citation’ is a beautiful pan-African film celebrating the diverse beauty of African landscapes, fashion, language, culture and intellectual capacity. A film that will redefine the new standard of African filmmaking. From the art direction to dialogue, music and score, sound quality and cinematography, all was done with a deliberate exhibition of prowess. The use of nonlinear chronological sequence was highly impressive especially having to ensure all loops were perfectly reconciled. Pulling off such a highly cerebral and yet relatable script is a display of genius. Mr Afolayan does know how to put a great team together, the working relationship between Kunle and Tunde Babalola is one to emulate.
As a cinematographer I couldn’t but notice the seamless and creative cinematic movements establishing scenes, I could spot some genius gimbal moves that seemed new to Kunle Afolayan’s style [ But I guess growth is the end and that is something no one can fault]. The well-defined choice of camera angles and scene framing added a mind-blowing aesthetic to the work. The use of in-camera transitions to introduce flashbacks and flash-forwards made so much sense as we were practically taken into the mind of the characters through the camera.
Dialogue was very engaging, direct and well delivered. A great director sure knows how to bring the best out of his cast and every actor delivered, even the silent Yomi Fash Lanso delivered a new dimension to character relevance. This was a powerful entrance for lead actress Temi Otedola and now the stage is set for her to take Nollywood. Jimmy Jean-Louis is a veteran so nothing short was expected of him.
The introduction of Japanese Karate, most especially as a tool for self defence was a brilliant clarion call to the need for young people to gird themselves with self defence tactics to protect themselves from preys. A lot more can be said of this amazing work which only further consolidates Kunle Afolayan’s position as Nigeria’s most cerebral filmmaker. As for the outstanding showcase of the Obafemi Awolowo University, I believe it couldn’t have been done better but I would however have preferred if the institution was used as itself and duly mentioned during the course of the movie.
I’ve heard a few people express dissatisfaction over the movie’s ‘two-hour plus’ duration of the film, but from a professionalism stance, every scene was worth it and ‘Citation’ was engaging all through, with no minute wasted.
My Take;
Kunle Afolayan knows his way around a script and camera and his ability to transfer that vision through his team, unto the big screen makes him a deity in Nigerian Cinematography space and he has given us a lavish exhibition of his prowess unapologetically in Citation and for this I am grateful.
Thanks for setting a new benchmark Egbon Kunle.
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Aderemi Davies Is a Documentary Photographer/Filmmaker and 2-time AMVCA Nominee. He’s a contributor to the BOP Community and was an Exhibitor at the 2019 BOP Exhibition.
