Last Updated on May 23, 2021 by themigrationnews
Human trafficking is common in Nigeria. Edo State is an especially well-known place, where human traffickers recruit their victims.However, other states like Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, Ondo and Delta are not an exception, in the recruitment of victims. Òlòtūré is a movie that shows the vicious game of human traffickers and sex slavery criminal business in Nigeria. Òlòtūré in Idoma language means endurance. The true-life event movie adaptation is about an attempt to discover the nether regions of human trafficking and sex slavery in Nigeria, by an investigative reporter, Tobore Ovuorie.
Her motivation was derived from the death of her friend who was trafficked for sex in addition to her years of research into the plight of trafficked women in Nigeria. She went undercover to discover the multi-billion dollar criminal enterprise and had to relive some of the nasty experiences of prostitution, sex slavery, and trafficking.
The story was written by Mo Abudu and Heidi Uys. It was directed by Kenneth Gyang and produced by Ebony Life production. The main characters of the movie are Sharon Ooja, Blossom Chukwujekwu. The movie was premiered in Tunisia on October 31, 2019, at Carthage Film Festival and released on Netflix on October 2, 2020.
The movie is 106 minutes long and showcased a character named Oloture in Lagos, Nigeria who bravely joins a prostitute ring, as an undercover journalist to expose sex slavery and human trafficking. The opening scene shows how the lead character arrives nightclub on a motorcycle. She faces harassment inside the hall by one of the prostitutes who feel jealous, because one of the male customers abandons them and chooses to patronize Oloture for the night. It is really terrifying to see how she jumps out of the hotel room window with a guy she just met at a club with the main purpose to have sex. She sustains an injury of her arm and treks many distances at that dead hour of the night before she enters a vehicle to get back to her brothel. This scene especially and many others exposes the terrible life experience of prostitutes to the viewers. It allows viewers to understand various reasons that lead many of them into such dehumanizing acts.
The scene where one of the girls is beheaded for being in contact with her mother after strict instruction by the kingpin cartel to not do that is horrific. It elicits fear and anger while watching. The realism was designed to shock viewers. Another shocking scene is when the lead character is drugged and raped by a socialist at one of the orgies. The movie shows men, who are in general regarded as citizens of high moral standards in the society being secretly involved in commercial sexual activities.
One of the breathtaking scenes is where girls are intercepted by the men of the police forces before they crossed the border, in continuation of their gruesome journey to Italy. Alas, the police officer could not get there on time, which dashed any hope of them being rescued. The movie ended with a climax, which leaves the viewer in anxiety with a question begging for an answer – what would be the fate of these young women? The reality of the situation is that human trafficking channels are heavily systematic, deeply rooted by those in power, shackling those who oppose into fearful silence. The use of costume and makeup in correlation with the theme was adequate.
Netflix’s Oloture was shot in an ultra-personal way that gives an uncomfortably authentic experience. Some of the direction and shots are questionable, and at times, you could wonder whether they were managing a budget or the director did not do well in planning the location for some shots. Some violent scenes feel jaded or out of place which dampens the experience somewhat. The violence that is implied is ironically more effective than the moments where they tried to get away with sound effects and poor choreography. Overall, the message of existing cartels doing human trafficking and criminal business was well presented.
Solomon Obanla is a trained diplomat, migration consultant, social researcher, Gender and Peacebuilding analyst, Peer Educator, facilitator, and community mobilizer. He obtained a master’s degree in Gender and Peacebuilding at Cheikh Anta Diop University, Dakar, Senegal, and a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations at Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria. Twitter: @obanla_oluwafe