The production of the movie “The Gang of Lagos” has been criticised by the Lagos State Government in southwest Nigeria as being extremely amateurish and deceptive.
The government claims that the content paints a negative picture of the state’s culture.
According to a statement on April 12, the State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts, and Culture, Mrs. Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf, claimed that the ministry, as the governing body and guardian of Lagos State’s culture, saw it as a parody of the city’s history.
The commissioner claimed that despite wearing the entire traditional regalia, Jade Osiberu and Kemi Akindoju, the movie’s promoters, portrayed the Eyo Masquerade as a villain with a gun.
“We believe that the film “The Gang of Lagos” was produced in a highly amateurish and deceptive manner, and that its insulting content was intended to insult the cherished cultural legacy of the Lagosian people.
“It is unfair to portray a group of people and their culture as evil and barbarous. It shows a group of murderers terrorising the entire State.
The Adamu Orisha, also known as the Eyo Festival, is a traditional rite of passage for Obas, renowned Chiefs, and notable Lagosians but is seldom ever observed.
The Eyo Masquerade is also utilised as a sign of honour for noteworthy historical events, Akinbile-Yussuf continued.
It represents a thorough regeneration, a ceremony of purification to bring about a fresh start, a beckoning of new light, and an acknowledgement of the bounties of Lagosians’ ancestors.
The Jade Osiberu movie chronicles the lives of three friends who develop in the gang-infested Isale Eko neighbourhood of Lagos Island.
As the first African Original for Prime Video, Gangs of Lagos is a component of Osiberu’s three-year overall contract with the streaming service.
