AWON BOYZ: Demystifying Area Boys

Yinka Olatunbosun
Every bit of the 38minutes for the documentary movie, titled Awon Boyz is worthy of attention. The area boy phenomenal in Lagos was the centrifuge of this brilliant cinematic experience directed by Tolulope Itegboje. Through the eyes of seven individuals who work as street urchins, the story of the unemployed youths is told from the point of view of cause and effect. While each one has a peculiar circumstance that puts him on the streets, they all share the quest for survival.

Through Awon Boyz, the viewer learns that the phrase “area boy” has been misused over time by many who use it loosely to describe criminals. But the truth in reality is that not everyone on the street is out to perpetrate crime. Some had failed in their pursuit of career goals and had resorted to sheer aggression and bullying to extort money to survive on the streets.

Mostly domiciled in shanties found in Monkey Village, Oshodi, Orile Iganmu, Mushin and other parts of Lagos, these “area boys” are husbands, fathers, brothers to other people. The average area boy speaks B or C grade English which may come as a shock to anyone. Although quite a number of them are school drop-outs, some are graduates of higher institutions who couldn’t secure jobs after graduation. Sadly, the documentary did not provide statistics on the number of these individuals on Lagos streets and why this is predominant among the male gender, but the interviews beamed light on the foundation of this systemic failure- the family unit.

For instance, Malik also known as Ete who is one in ten children revealed that he hailed from a middle class background but the large number of children made it difficult to give each child the right quality of life. With families like his, it is very easy for any child to end up on the streets. Malik who claimed to have had excellent performance in school said his troublesome nature forced him to leave school. With characters like Yobo, Moses and Lovely, it is established that street boys are not just limited to the Yoruba clan but quite a number of persons from other ethnic groups have assimilated this street life and built the street persona that is both intimidating and misleading.

Still, drug-dealing, stealing, fraud, prostitution rings and gang fights are regular features of the street life. Agamma who stays around Afrikan Shrine recounts a very emotional story of two street urchins who had a fatal fight over cabbage and suya. Agamma is a non-committal narrator who gives the perspective of others rather than his.

The movie, released on April 14 on Netflix puts a face to this growing legion of young men who run the street life in Lagos. Though it had its premiere screening two years ago, the docu-movie remains a timely collage of lives of courage, unconditional happiness and unfulfilled dreams.