If you’ve missed old Nollywood-style movies of witches and queens of the coast, a hankering for old-style pastor versus witches type films, this Niyi Akimolayan-directed and Bovi Ugboma-produced My Village People isn’t exactly that, but it’s close enough to satisfy.
My Village People follows Prince (Bovi Ugboma) who goes to the village for his sister Princess’ (Benita Akpofure) wedding and catches the eye of some witches, aka the proverbial Nigerian village people concept. When he returns, he finds himself chased relentlessly by Haggai (Theresa Edem) and the seemingly docile Ameh (Sophie Alakija) in a concerning love triangle and tussle for power he does not understand, he is forced to seek help from Professor Pium (Nkem Owoh). In searching for the truth about himself, he will get unlikely help from a trio of old witches (Rachel Oniga, Binta Ayo Mogaji, and Ada Ameh) in a quest for freedom as the shenanigans of the supernatural upend his life as he runs from place to place seeking solutions and a way out.
My Village People is a refreshing mix of comedy and horror. The plot itself isn’t entirely unique but gives an entirely different take on the subject of witchcraft in Africa. In Nollywood movies, there is usually an all-out battle where a pastor delivers the supposedly possessed person of witchcraft. That wasn’t the case here, which was a relief, especially when a “pastor” (Zubby Michael) showed up at first. It held more than a few surprises and melded comedy and horror beautifully.
My Village People movie trailer. Credit: YouTube
My Village People is genuinely funny. Humour in Nollywood is just now turning away from slapstick and maturing into developing humour out of multiple aspects of storytelling. This film embodies that beautifully. The dialogue is especially chuckle-worthy, with the chants.
Does the movie, in a bid to be funny, sometimes overdo it? Yes. But credit must be given where credit is due and it is due here. Bovi is a riot himself but that comedic ability meshes well with some of the more serious scenes. There’s sarcasm aplenty to chortle at. The badassery of Alakija’s Ameh and Eden’s Haggai might not have been intended to be funny but it does come across comically especially in the one fight scene they had at a bar.
Bovi as the main character wows with his performance. He might not be the most versatile actor in Nollywood but this movie really didn’t need him to be. Bovi could be as “Bovi” as he wanted because the role of a hapless lothario is one he embodies with such ease that one would be hard pressed not to believe he is that way in real life. Nkem Owoh was impressive as the intrepid professor with a knack for understanding witchcraft. Ada Ameh, who sadly passed away on the 17th of July, dazzles as a part of the trio of witches with her ribald Warri humour. It speaks to the power of film that she was brought back to life in colour, making audiences laugh once again and bringing some measure of comfort to those who still deeply mourn her loss.
While the dialogue was great for the most part, certain aspects of it came off as preachy and spoon-feeding the audience. Yes, there are questions in the plot that only dialogue could answer but there were some things that really didn’t need to be explained more than once.
For instance, the story of Prince’s heritage. Then it contradicts itself at the end by leaving the viewers with some pertinent questions still unanswered. It spent far too much time building momentum in the beginning and the ending felt far too rushed. Is it impossible to get a satisfactory ending in Nollywood?
Flaws aside, this is a genuinely enjoyable movie. While it isn’t necessarily groundbreaking, it is still a good watch and a great way to keep Ada Ameh’s memory alive. It’s just now out on Netflix so go watch it.
Didi Dan-Asisah is an art enthusiast and critic. She lives in Lagos.
Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.
