Have you seen ‘Gang of Lagos’? Do you know you or your loved ones may never see that movie again?
This is because the Lagos State Government has condemned the newly released movie ‘Gangs of Lagos’ over what it describes as “cultural misrepresentation”.
According to the government, the movie also mocks the Heritage of Lagos.
The Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf, made this known in a statement on Wednesday.
The commissioner expressed disappointment for portraying the Eyo Masquerade as a gun-wielding villain while adorning the full traditional regalia.
Government Opinion
“We are of the opinion that the production of the film ‘The Gangs of Lagos’ is very unprofessional and misleading while its content is derogatory of our culture, with the intention to desecrate the revered heritage of the people of Lagos.
It is an unjust profiling of a people and culture as being barbaric and nefarious. It depicts a gang of murderers rampaging across the State,” the government official insists.
Uzamat maintains that the Adamu Orisha, popularly known as the Eyo Festival, is rarely observed and only comes up as a traditional rite of passage for Obas, revered Chiefs and eminent Lagosians.
To her, the Eyo Masquerade is equally used as a symbol of honour for remarkable historical events.
Demands
In an earlier statement, Lagos’ prince, Uthman Shodipe-Dosunmu, demanded immediate withdrawal of the ‘Gangs of Lagos’.
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Shodipe-Dosunmu describes the movie as an ugly, hate filled mockery of the Lagosian heritage.
“It is not only a distortion of Lagosians culture, but ethnic profiling of the people as criminals and murderers.”
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He called on the National Film and Video Censors Board and all appropriate authorities to ban the movie and impose the most punitive sanctions on its promoters.
