By Rita Okoye, Lagos
The Lagos State Government has expressed displeasure with the promoters of the “Gangs of Lagos” film/series over what it described as “cultural misrepresentation” as well as portraying the culture of the state in a derogatory manner.
A Gangs of Lagos is a crime thriller capturing the Isale Eko subculture. The movie features the likes of Tayo Faniran, Tobi Bakare, Pasuma, Zlatan, Iyabo Ojo, Yhemo Lee, Adesua Etomi-Wellington, Bimbo Ademoye, and Chike.
In a reaction by the state government, the Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs. Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf said the Ministry, being the regulatory body and custodian of the culture of Lagos State, viewed the film/series as a mockery of the Heritage of Lagos.
Earlier, Prince Uthman Shodipe-Dosunmu, the Apesinọla Ẹyọ Ọba Alakẹtẹ Pupa Ọkalaba Ẹkun, a cultural group, had condemned the film, calling for an immediate withdrawal.
Shodipe-Dosunmu described the film as “ethnic profiling, sacrilegious and outrageous trash.”
Meanwhile, the commissioner expressed her disappointment with the promoters of the film, Jade Osiberu and Kemi Akindoju, for portraying the Eyo Masquerade as a gun-wielding villain while adorning the full traditional regalia.
Akinbile-Yussuf, stressed that “the Eyo Masquerade is equally used as a symbol of honour for remarkable historical events.
“It signifies a sweeping renewal, a purification ritual to usher in a new beginning, a beckoning of new light, acknowledging the blessings of the ancestors of Lagosians.”