After watching House of Ga’a a few months ago, I was kind of reluctant to watch Lisabi, The Uprising. Thank goodness, I did, it was indeed a great watch! Ibrahim Chatta has been a recurring actor in Yoruba historical movies and he has been doing well playing his roles. When I saw him in the first scene, I knew the movie had potential to be good.
From the first scene, I loved a lot of things about the movie. The sound effects, sound track and color grading was premium.
The representation of the Alaafin of Oyo is one of the most lovable moments of the movie. I have said before that only we can tell our stories the right way with the power and might that he is. Once again, I am reminded by the supremacy the Alaafin of Oyo had in those days. Toba lase!
The Ilari Oyos, tribute collectors collect tributaries, isakole on behalf of the Alaafin of Oyo. They were his representatives in neighboring villages who were subjects to him. This movie is juggling up my knowledge of history.
I must say that Nollywood has attained considerable progress in effects. Though they still have to reach perfection, one cannot but recognise the fact that they’ve tried.
Another kudos goes to the costumes team who carefully put pieces together to embody tradition and also time setting. The best costumes in the movie were that of the four deities. Their appearance really represented the power they portrayed.
Lateef Adedimeji’s role as Lisabi deserves all accolades for his impeccable acting skills. He truly is a great force in the Yoruba movie industry.
One of the highlights of the movie for me was the plot development. The elaborate plot allowed for full message development and informed watchers about the movie concept. Though, it seemed like the last scene was rushed unlike the first scene that absorbed us in the beauty of Yoruba culture.
Cultural intricacies in Lisabi,The Uprising
-A Yoruba man doesn’t fight his fight without spiritual fortification. Who knew Lisabi bore such power under his cloak? He literally conversed with deities and had built his own powerhouse.
– Growing up, my parents passed on the knowledge to me that a whirlwind was not ordinary. It might be one of the dynamics of nature but it was easy to manipulate by terrestrial power. I wasn’t surprised when Lisabi took the Ilari Oyos by the whirlwind.
– People say their dead loved ones appear to them just in the space of their death. The situation of Osofiponmile and his wife, Orosola attests to that. Osofiponmile was killed on his way back from his farm but Orosola claimed she saw him afterwards.
– The Yoruba culture really upholds sexual purity among women such that a woman’s prized possession to her husband is her virginity. One cannot help but wonder the emotional tantrum Abebi went through after she lost her virginity to Sangodeyi who was not her husband on her wedding day.
– A Yoruba man is expected to be hardworking so that he can feed his family. Lisabi advises his friend, Sokenu to work hard so that he can take care of his wife.
Lisabi, the Uprising can top my Yoruba cultural movie of the year as I’ve seen nothing like this yet. The soundtracks did a great deal in resonating the weight of the Yoruba culture in my ears. The high color grading of the movie made it so delightful to watch. The producers made a masterpiece that’ll forever stick in my memory this year!
By Jemimah
