Just like in the olden days, domestic violence has become a global problem, especially in Africa, resulting in endless stories of pain and sorrow.
In any violent confrontation between spouses/partners, involving physical harm, willful intimidation, sexual assault, psychological, or emotional assault, women have remained the chief sufferers.
Previously, when we mentioned violence at home, what readily came to mind was a man beating or maltreating his wife. But in today’s society, the narrative has slightly changed. We have heard stories where women have become the terror at home, even to the extent of battering and enslaving their spouses. This is common among affluent women who are financially stronger.
An upcoming and must-watch epic film titled “Agude” (a very special treasure) centers on such an African woman who stood against male chauvinism and gender inequity in her time.
“Agude”, the lead character in the film, wields economic power and spiritual depth.
The producer of the film, Asiat Moromoke Olawale, said in an interview, “It is inhuman to lay hands on a spouse. Sometimes, misinformation is part of the problem leading to a misunderstanding of culture, which inadvertently leads to violence at home.”
Asiat, who also plays a lead role in the film, narrated how she witnessed an incident where a woman was being beaten by her husband. Through the film, she believes society will view the inhumanity of husbands towards their wives as a societal problem and not merely a cultural one.
Now, what is the meaning and focus of Agude?
Agude, according to Asiat, is not a true-life story but fiction. The central theme of the movie is “Ko si eni ma si’ju wo Agude ti ko ni sanwo eleye” (meaning that no one looks at Agude without paying homage to “eleye” (“powerful women with spiritual intoxication”).
“Agude” is about men who usually mistreat women, leading the lead character (a woman) to resolve never to be under the control of any man. Instead, she buys a male slave and makes him her husband.
Recognizing her great affluence, Agude is approached by some powerful occultic women to join their fold, but she vehemently disagrees. Not satisfied, the cabalists resort to arm-twisting, making it clear that they would force her into their fold, even if it means one of them turns into a man to be her husband. Summing all these factors together, she despises men so much that whenever she has affairs with the male slave, she subjects him to torture of the highest magnitude.
Aisiat, who started acting in 1987, has undoubtedly come a long way, facing many challenges, even from her infancy in the movie industry.
“I joined the movie industry as a little child, and during that period, I was deprived of any role in acting because many producers saw me as inexperienced. Thus, many times, I was not even allowed to follow them to locations for acting. Besides, both my parents didn’t approve of my desire to go into acting. Fortunately, I had a cousin who encouraged me and used to cover for me whenever I sneaked out to attend rehearsals. Another challenge was that even when my parents agreed with my chosen vocation, for many years, my contemporaries and I would not be paid when participating in acting due to categorization. But we thank God today; the story has changed,” she said.
Her first film, titled Efunyela, was produced in 2020 and marketed by Okiki Film.
Asiat said that when she wrote the movie “Efunyela,” her focus was centered on women’s affairs regarding marital choices.
“The film was about ladies who jumped into marriage without knowing where to go and moved from one husband to another. It is advisable that ladies investigate their marital journey before embarking on the same. The lead character in the film got married to three different husbands and became so devastated because of the bad treatment she got from those husbands. When she eventually discovered herself, she had to change her name from “Tanwa” to “Efunyela” in order to mend her ways. This later led to her breakthrough as she later met her real husband and gave birth to children.
The cast in Agude includes reigning, notable, and great actors Dele Odule, Peju Ogunmola, Taofeek Adewale Digboluja, Abeni Agbon in Baba Ogogo, Victoria AJibola Omo Local, Ejide Alakara, and a host of others.
The block burster film, shot at Akinyele, Ibadan, Oyo state, is expected to be released into the market by Okiki Film Production in Lagos, Oshodi Arena before the last quarter of the year.
The executive producer of the work is a United Kingdom based Art enthusiast and philanthropist, Olori Abimbola Ademiluyi.
Based on her former work (Efunyela) and her latest work (Agude), Asiat advised couples to be patient and exercise restraint in dealing with each other, adding that both should take note of where and how they met and relate to each other with the aura of first love.
