King of Boys: Great Movie, Too High On Ethnic Angst

I finally watched Kemi Adetiba’s raving movie on Netflix, “King of Boys.” Fantastic. Great script. Great delivery! Good blend of Igbo speaking and Yoruba speaking. It’s all ours. Very Nigerian.

However, that is the LOUDEST and MOST TRIBAL MOVIE I ever watched. Practically a story about the underworld and gangsterism drugs and violence. Guess what ?? All the Igbo barons were murdered in cold blood by their Yoruba counterparts from the other side. Charly boy didn’t see it was an ethnic statement. He was too happy to be relevant again in entertainment in ‘King of Boys’. He was outsmarted by the Yoruba Outgoing king and replaced by a young Korede known as Makanaki. He was shot to smithereens. Same for the only other Igbo drug war Lord whose entire family was erased alongside.

Kemi Adetiba should have tried harder not to let this Igbo angst be so blatant. Anyone who didn’t see that is blind. But hey, why not? It’s really a pity that no matter the exposure and education, this anti-Igbo angst sits solidly in the bedrock of the souls of many. Tribalism, they have not come to understand, takes away. The message was not subtle at all. No difference between the loud messages from the bandits and Boko Haram et al.

If the Arts cannot eschew these, then who will?
We thought the Arts was the last hope. Even, I think it was Pompei that told Julius Caesar to do anything to the people and Rome but don’t touch the Arts.

It appears there is no respite for Nigeria with the likes of Kemi Adetiba .

Who finances her? Do we finance our entertainment industry? Do we understand the war is on all fronts and fours? Gosh!!!!!

I still marvel at the unbridled show of “kill them all,” we are the owners of the land. Did no one really see this? Am I the only one that saw this?

I wonder what the response would be if there were going to be one. The tribe that was cast in bad light here has good writers. Good movie producers. Good actors, very very good actors. Imagine if this had become a tribal war. Sometimes it’s not just about business, it’s about good national conscience and values. A war for equity!
At this time good conscience should be driving the narrative.

We all know how to tell good subtle ethnic stories. King of Boys to me was a violent tribal movie; Netflix or not.