''Elesin Oba, The King's Horseman'' is a 2022 Yoruba-language Nigerian

historical drama A historical drama (also period drama, period piece or just period) is a dramatic work set in the past, usually used in the context of film and television, which presents history, historical events and characters with varying degrees of fiction s ...

film directed by

Biyi Bandele Biyi Bandele (born Biyi Bandele-Thomas; 13 October 1967 – 7 August 2022) was a Nigerian novelist, playwright and filmmaker. He was the author of several novels, beginning with ''The Man Who Came in From the Back of Beyond'' (1991), as well as ...

and distributed by

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

, based on ''

Death and the King's Horseman ''Death and the King's Horseman'' is a play by Wole Soyinka based on a real incident that took place in Nigeria during the colonial era: the horseman of a Yoruba King was prevented from committing ritual suicide by the colonial authorities. In a ...

'', a stage play he wrote while in

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

, where he was a fellow student at

Churchill College Churchill College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. It has a primary focus on science, engineering and technology, but retains a strong interest in the arts ...

during his political exile from Nigeria, and it is based on a real incident that took place in

Yorubaland Yorubaland () is the homeland and cultural region of the Yoruba people in West Africa. It spans the modern-day countries of Nigeria, Togo and Benin, and covers a total land area of . Of this land area, 106,016 km2 (74.6%) lies within Niger ...

during

British Colonial rule The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts establish ...

. The film stars

Odunlade Adekola Odunlade Jonathan Adekola (; born 31 December 1976) is a Nigerian actor, film-maker, film producer and film director. He gained popularity and was widely known for his lead role in Ishola Durojaye's 2003 movie, ''Asiri Gomina Wa'', and has act ...

as the titular character, with

Shaffy Bello Shaffy Bello is a Nigerian film actress and singer. She first shot into the entertainment scene when she featured vocals in a 1997 hit song by Seyi Sodimu titled " Love Me Jeje". Career Shaffy grew up in the United States where she completed h ...

Brymo Ọlawale Ọlọfọrọ (born Olawale Ibrahim Ashimi; 9 May 1986), better known as Brymo, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, sound artist, sonic artist, actor and author who was born and raised in Okokomaiko. Brymo started recording music in ...

Deyemi Okanlawon Deyemi Okanlawon (born 19 April 1981 in Lagos, Nigeria) is a Nigerian film, television, theatre, and voice actor. He is widely recognized as one of the most dynamic talents in the Nigerian film industry, earning the distinction of being the hig ...

, Omowunmi Dada,

Jide Kosoko Jide Kosoko (born 12 January 1954) is a veteran Nigerian actor, director and producer. He was born into a royal family, hence his traditional title of prince or "omoba" in the Yoruba language. Early life Jide Kosoko was born in Lagos State, ...

Langley Kirkwood Langley Kirkwood (born 14 April 1973) is a South African actor. He has appeared in films such as '' Invictus'', ''Dredd'', and '' Mia and the White Lion'', as well as TV series, including '' Generation Kill'' in 2008 and the 2024 series '' White ...

Joke Silva Joke Silva () MFR is a veteran Nigerian actress, director, and businesswoman. In 1998, she had a major role, starring opposite Colin Firth and Nia Long in the British-Canadian film ''The Secret Laughter of Women''. In 2006, she won "Best Actre ...

amongst others in supporting roles.

Plot

The film is based on a true story, set in the 1940s Oyo Town, southwestern Nigeria. The king has just died, and as tradition demands, Elesin Oba must perform a

ritual suicide A suicide method is any means by which a person may choose to end their life. Suicide attempts do not always result in death, and a non-fatal suicide attempt can leave the person with serious physical injuries, long-term health problems, or ...

in order to join his dead king in the afterlife so that the king may gain free passage into the land of the gods, thus blocking disaster from befalling the community. Elesin Oba's sexual appetites cause him to shirk, which leads to a mortal confrontation with the British and with devastating consequences. When the horseman is unable to fulfill his final responsibility, it is believed that the King's ghost wanders the earth, spelling calamity for the land and its people. Also, due to his inability to fulfil his duty, his son, Olunde, takes his place in the ritual.

Cast

as Elesin *

as Iyaloja * Ọlawale Ọlọfọrọ (Brymo) as Praise Singer *

as Olunde * Omowunmi Dada as Bride *

as Sergeant Amusa * Kevin Ushi as Joseph * Jenny Stead as Jane * Mark Elderkin as Simon *

as Resident * Taiwo Ajai-Lycett as Madam Taiwo *

as Madam Bola *

Fares Boulos Fares Boulos, known professionally as Oyibo Rebel, is an American musician and actor based in Lagos, Nigeria. He has released music blending Afrobeats and rap with Yoruba influences. He is the brother of Michael Boulos. Early life Fares Boulo ...

as Aide De Camp * Drikus Volschenk: The Prince

Production

The film is co-produced by

Ebonylife TV Ebonylife TV is an entertainment TV channel owned by Mosunmola Abudu popularly called Mo Abudu, It was launched on DSTV in July 2013 after which the station was later added to DSTV in September 2014. After partnering and satisfying the executiv ...

Studio and

and is adapted for screen and directed by

. The screenplay was translated into Yorùbá, and the film subsequently subtitled into English, by Nigerian linguist

Kola Tubosun Kọ́lá Túbọ̀sún (; born 22 September 1981) is a Nigerian linguist, writer, translator, scholar, cultural activist and film-maker.

, a decision described as "one of

he film's He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...

more ticklish conceits" and “the only way to make the film immediately accessible to a global audience.” The movie premiered at the

2022 Toronto International Film Festival The 47th annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from September 8 to 18, 2022. The 2022 festival was staged primarily in-person; a small selection of films were offered on the Digital TIFF Bell Lightbox platform, but this represente ...

(TIFF) on 9 September 2022 and was released in Nigerian cinemas on 28 October 2022 followed by a Netflix release on 4 November. It is Soyinka's first work to be made into a motion picture since the 1970 film ''

Kongi's Harvest ''Kongi's Harvest'' is a 1965 play written by Wole Soyinka. It premiered in Dakar, Senegal, at the first Negro Arts Festival in April 1966.Berry, Poyd M. (1980). Kongi's Harvest (a review). Gibbs, James (ed.). In ''Critical Perspectives on Wole ...

'' by Ossie Davies and the first Yoruba-language film to premiere at TIFF. The director,

, passed away shortly before the movie's premiere, in August 2022.

Reception

There has been several feedback to the film since its release. The film has been described as colourful and enjoyable. The film was also lauded for highlighting the importance of tradition.

References

External links

"Elesin Oba (The King's Horseman)"

IMDb IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...

. 2022 films Nigerian drama films Films directed by Biyi Bandele Nigerian films based on actual events Films set in Western Nigeria Yoruba-language films 2020s English-language films {{Nigeria-film-stub