Glitz of ‘Elesin Oba, The king’s Horseman’ 

Ferdinand Ekechukwu

Ebonylife TV’s co-produced “Elesin Oba, The king’s Horseman” – a screen adaptation of Wole Soyinka’s acclaimed tragic play “Death And The King’s Horseman” had its exclusive screening at EbonyLife Place, Lagos, on a recent Friday night, drawing out the film’s stars, filmmakers, A-list celebrities and corporate Nigerians in an atmosphere of glam.

They all dazzled, depicting the theme – ibile – Oleku – Dashiki. The celebrities and the other guests, who turned out for the much talked about feature film, now showing on Netflix, had an amazing experience. The viewing party witnessed a gathering of the movie’s cast, crew, family and friends.

Just like most Nigerian celebrity events, the stars rocked and got social media buzzing with their statement attires. The cast – Omowunmi Dada, Deyemi Okanlawon, Odunlade Adekola, Shaffy Bello and other stars at the night – Kate Henshaw, Dakore Egbuson-Akande, Genoveva Umeh and many others graced the occasion in an extravagant manner.

The red carpet was lit with their outfits made from traditional fabrics. The movie stars danced happily and mingled with other guests as they enjoyed the attention drawn. The statement ‘gele’ (headgear) and modern styled native dress worn by Omowunmi Dada still a talking point days after the event.

After snaps of the actress’ outfit made the rounds online, it drew a series of funny comments. Some said with her outfit, a new “Madam Kofo’” is born as she stole the show with the fashion piece. 

Mo Abudu, the Executive Producer of the movie, went further to share beautiful moments from the event.

The film is a riveting classic based on factual events in Nigeria’s colonial era when the horseman (Eleshin Oba) of a Yoruba King in the Oyo Kingdom was prevented from committing ritual suicide by the colonial authorities to follow his deceased master into the afterlife. 

The horseman is unable to fulfill his ultimate commitment to the king, leaving his spirit to roam the earth, spelling doom for the land and its people.

The original Death and the King’s Horseman was a stage play, written by Prof. Wole Soyinka, who won Africa’s first Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986. The screen adaptation was written and directed by the late Biyi Bandele.