This Short Film Is a Striking First-Gen Tale Told Through a Regal Nigerian Mother
In Adeyemi Michael's "Entitled," we learn about his mother's take on being a first-generation Nigerian as she rides through Peckham on horseback in style.
As a first-generation Nigerian, I would be remiss to admit that the immigrant stories we hear from our parents and our elders can be taken for granted. I find myself asking them to repeat their tales of migration—which, for some, began when they were younger than most of us were when we left home for the first time—just so I can be sure to stay true to my roots and pass their experiences on to the next generation.
Nigerian-British filmmaker Adeyemi Michael has done just that in his new short film, Entitled. We see his mother ride through Peckham—which is home to the largest Nigerian community in the UK—on horseback in regal, Yoruba attire.
The film premiered on Channel4's short film vertical, Random Acts, where the synopsis reads:
What does the immigrant fantasy feel like? Adeyemi Michael reimagines his mother's idea of moving from Nigeria to Peckham in Entitled, a short film about leaving your country of origin. Riding a horse dressed in traditional Yoruba ceremonial wear, Abosede Afolashade, a first generation immigrant, takes to the streets of Peckham.
Watch it in full below.
Entitled reminds us that the struggles first-generation immigrants have in finding comfort in their dual identities is a phenomenon that we're not too far removed from. If our elders were able to thrive not forgetting where they come from while embracing the environments that raised them, then we can thrive, if not more, too.