Savouring Film Stills from 50 year-old ‘Things Fall Apart’

Weeks after the grand opening of the outdoor exhibition of the film stills from the 1971 movie set of Things Fall Apart, Yinka Olatunbosun juxtaposed the works with the city’s temperament

Tinubu Square Marina, named after Madam Efunroye Tinubu, the slave trader and aristocrat is the exhibition area for the out-door, large-format film stills from the 1971 movie titled, “Things Fall Apart’’ produced by Francis Oladele.

The 73 photographs, taken in 1970 at the movie location and set of the movie by Stephen Goldblatt had attracted lots of passers-by including young ones-many of whom were not even born at the time of the film production. Walking past the monochrome images, the inner voice whispered, ’Watch your step’ as public spaces especially in market areas in Lagos had been notorious for open defecation.

Thankfully, the works were intact and the only unholy heap around was the accumulated waste that needed to be removed. A 34-year old trader named Ugochukwu Paul assumed the role of a tour guide even though he had mixed up the itinerary for the Festival of Forgotten Plays of which the exhibition is a part.

“They did very well. I don watch am. Very nice. The movie go drop on September 4,” he told this reporter in pidgin English, oblivious of the film screening at the Nigeria Film Corporation, Ikoyi which ended on August 8. Actually, the festival would end on September 4. But that little slip didn’t mean that he was completely ignorant of the message of the iconic work. He told this reporter what ‘Things Fall Apart’- the book by Chinua Achebe that inspired the film- meant to him.

“I read the book in school. ‘Things Fall Apart’ is a very strong story. Every child will learn something good about the story. We are black. We cannot compare ourselves with ‘Americans.’ Some girls dress provocatively. That’s not African tradition. We are Africans. We have our own culture,’’ he said with confidence. Clearly, he understood the context of the movie.

A few moments later, the trickling urine from two men forced the reporter to quickly move to the other side of the square. The photographs were periodic documentation of the art, fashion and style of the 70s. Call it history in reels, the pictures rebirth curiosity in early film production process in Nigeria. To understand the significance of this outdoor exhibition in celebrating five decades of ‘Things Fall Apart,’ the archivist and Founder, ASIRI Magazine, Oludamola Adebowale explained why it was necessary, describing the project as ‘laudable.’

“Things Fall Apart is like everybody’s initiation to Nigerian literature. The importance of archives on that project was what really got me. I was surprised to see images that people thought were forgotten or long gone. It is a fantastic initiative and we should have more of this. As an archivist and researcher, it was a good opportunity to interrogate the works. it is about putting history into public spaces. Most times, history and archives are kept in private spaces-locked up. There are archive centres that we can’t access. Some people don’t have money to pay for subscription or travel to UK or Germany to see some certain works, but if you have those works brought back into the country and you open it for people to see, it will create a system where we can continually interrogate, promote and showcase such body of works,’’ he said.

He also added that outdoor exhibition that can help to restore dignity to the use of public spaces. Indeed, exhibition areas, like performance spaces, should be rid of refuse dump, indiscriminate street trading and other forms of social menace.

The outdoor exhibition was curated by Berlin based Akinbode Akinbiyi and Gisela Kayser. The stills were obtained from the estate of Berlin filmmaker Jason Pohland, the director of the movie. The film itself was only screened in Nigeria fifty years after it was produced. Starring Elizabeth of Toro, John Sekka and the co-founder of Freedom Park, Iyabo Aboaba.

At the opening of the exhibition, the founder, Modern Art Film Archiv, Mareike Palmeira explained why the outdoor show was curated.

“There were basic conditions: it should be an open-air exhibition, because of the pandemic and we also wanted to reach the people you don’t meet in galleries,’’ he said. The outdoor exhibition ends on September 4 but the virtual one continues till December 2021.