According to reports, a part of Season 2 of the Nigerian film, ‘Anikulapo,’ will be shot in Ghana, as revealed by filmmaker Kunle Afolayan.
Afolayan disclosed this information during the recent Nigeria International Film and TV Summit (NIFS) held in Cannes, France, with numerous industry experts and media personalities in attendance.
This aligns with the ‘Shoot in Ghana’ initiative by the National Film Authority. Ghana’s National Film Authority Executive Secretary, Juliet Yaa Asantewa Asante, who facilitated the agreement in France, was present at the Summit when the announcement was made.
“This is an important development. The shooting of parts of ‘Anikulapo’, in Ghana is a good opportunity to revive and enhance the film relationship between Ghana and Nigeria. Both countries stand to gain greatly from collaborating deeply and exploring each other’s markets and strengths,” she said.
Kunle Afolayan is also committed to training; and his film school, KAP Academy, has trained over 10,000 students in Nigeria and other parts of the continent.
His announcement implies that, many Ghanaians, even those outside the film industry will be employed and skills will be transferred during the shoot. ‘Anikulapo’, is a Netflix original film and television series.
Aníkúlápó tells the tale of Saro (portrayed by Kunle Remi), a stranger and traditional textile weaver who utilizes the “aso-ofi” loom and technique upon his arrival in Oyo.
Saro engages in a forbidden romance with Queen Arolake (played by Bimbo Ademoye), who endures an unhappy marriage due to her unpopularity among the King’s wives and her lack of interest in the King himself.
Despite being young and uninterested in the older King’s constant attention, it is her duty to be intimate with him. The mistreatment from the other older queens intensifies due to the King’s favoritism towards Arolake. Eventually, Arolake and Saro fall deeply in love and plan to elope. However, news of their affair reaches the King, resulting in Saro being sentenced to death.
Inspired by the mythical Akala bird, which resurrects him from death, Saro gains the ability to bring the deceased back to life through a stolen gourd, thanks to Arolake’s clever actions. This grants him the name Anikulapo (Aníkúlápó), meaning “the one that holds death in his purse.”
As Saro gains popularity in their new village, Ojumo, he becomes infatuated with other women and betrays Arolake. His excessive pride becomes his downfall as he starts making unreasonable demands from the villagers before he can resurrect the dead.
When Arolake discovers that Saro has requested the King’s daughter as a condition for reviving the King’s heir, she undermines the source of his power and abandons him. Saro fails to resurrect the prince and realizes that he has lost the ability to control death.
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