My first introduction to the vast library of Charles Uwagbai’s creativity was not even with the ‘Blood of Enogie’ series. No. It was with ‘Akunne’ (2018). I wasn’t even in the film industry then. I suppose this was around 2020. Before COVID. I remember I was visiting a family friend in Agbor, Delta State. They had served me hot party jollof rice and fried meat with smoke ascending to the ceiling that not even a belly-filled person would reject. They tuned onto ROK2 Channel and I was watching the visual story of ‘Akunne’. I was supposed to return home that evening at 9pm but this film kept me glued to the screen past my bedtime until I had to go home and sleep. The naturally crazy thing I did – and which I always do till today – was to take note of the film title. There it was: ‘Akunne’. I went home thinking about that film. I couldn’t even sleep that night. The rich language. The memorable dialogue. The colourful scenery. The cinematography. All the rich colours of life blended and rose to life in this film. The natural acting of the artists? Impeccable. Everything came together as one. You know, fundamentally there’s no such thing as an untold story. So this film’s storyline is not new, but the approach to the visual storytelling was unique and innovative and exuded directorial attention to detail in every context. That was how I began to search for this film. I never got to watch it again for a long time.
One day I had gone to visit my uncle in Upper Sakponba, Benin City. It was around 7pm. Everyone started running around. “What is going on?” I asked.
“Have you not heard of ‘Blood of Enogie’?”
“Which one is ‘Blood of Enogie’ again?” The confusion on my face and in my voice was visible to the blind and audible to the deaf.
“Why not come and see for yourself?”
The moment I saw the opening montage – the graphics, the soundtrack, the voice, the concept of Bini culture, even the title itself – I knew this was going to be a great show. And I was not mistaken.
This was a sign, the answer to the question I had been seeking. Should I become a screenwriter or not? This was it! From that moment, I sensed the zeitgeist or the spirit of the times reflected a fast-growing demand for Bini cultural films. Our culture, traditional heritage, our clothes, our proverbs, our artwork, our mysticism, our regality, our unique stories had an international appeal. They always did but now it was going to take on a higher dimension. I would not stay behind and watch on. I would begin anywhere I could. Other Nigerian cultures have already been explored but special attention was about to be focused on Edo. This was a sign. This was my sign. I knew I had to jump onboard this vehicle, with alacrity.
And that was how I relocated and ran down to Benin City. It was the dawn of a new era for filmmaking in Edo State. The stage had been set. So, I set about seeing what I could do to make my little contribution. Hence, Edo State has become a darling courted by Nigerian filmmakers, both home and abroad. The influx of filmmakers trooping into Edo State right now is beyond belief.
It was four years later before I got to meet Mr. Charles in person and even work with him on a project. But like they say, your reputation can precede you and this was evident when I asked Destiny Osagiede, “Who created ‘Blood of Enogie’?” and he said, “Charles Uwagbai, he created and directed.” This is no surprise, after all, who can best showcase the immense splendour and creativity of our “Edocentric Essence” other than an Edo man like Charles Uwagbai?
Which brings me back to ‘Akunne’. When I finally got to watch it till the end, and saw that it was directed by Charles Uwagbai, I shook my head and said to myself, “No wonder.”
But what really is behind the sensational magic of Charles Uwagbai? Let’s examine a slice of a slice of his filmography.
AKUNNE: I love the logline for this one. “Akunne, a hardworking and resilient girl, saddled with the burden to pay off her father’s debt, meets a helper who masks his identity.”
This story is not new but the storytelling and the dialogue and the music will remain with you long after you are done watching it. Akunne’s father was naturally depicted. You just feel like he is someone you know in real life. This film teaches me to remain upright, to stay humble and focus on developing myself and when the time is right, the right people and success will come to me. Imagine the Prince falling in love with Akunne, a girl from such a humble background without actually trying to impress him. He chose to stay. You can’t force anyone to stay in your life. They have to see what potential you have and make the choice in their heart to be with you. Fame, true love, money and success are not chased, they have to be attracted.
BLOOD OF ENOGIE: I have spoken a lot about ‘Blood of Enogie’ in previous articles and I still will. The reason is, this Charles Uwagbai-created-and-directed series actually gave a solid platform for a lot of Edo-based artists to spread their wings and fly. With a feature length film, we only get to see an actor for two hours. With a series, we get to see a character every evening until we develop a sympathetic bond with them. Series make established actors; established actors make feature length films. ‘Blood of Enogie’ reminds us to be careful of whom we marry. To dig deep into the historical and familial attributes of a prospective spouse before we settle down with them, that is, if we don’t want persistently plaguing marital troubles. When the Enogie married a second wife so she could bear the heir to the throne of Isibor, he didn’t know he was making his life more miserable than it already was. Do we really know happiness until we have lost it? By the way, I must commend Osagie Elegbe, Etinosa Idemudia and Angela Eguavoen for their immense depth of emotional involvement and dedication which ensured the characters came to life, especially since they carried the bulky weight of the sensational series. Then again, I wasn’t really surprised. Charles Uwagbai is a visionary director who knows how to bring the best out of an artist.
OSATO: This film as directed by Charles Uwagbai and shot in Benin City premièred and screened in Benin City during the Edo State International Film Festival. This star-studded film was a major highlight of the Film Festival in 2023 which was quite essential for driving film tourism and another feather to the filmmaking cap of the visionary Charles Uwagbai.
Other notable works by Charles Uwagbai are ‘Okoro the Prince’ (2013), ‘Charlie Charlie’ (2021), ‘The Black Silhouette’ (2015) and ‘Esohe’, a 2018 Nigerian epic fantasy thriller film co-directed by Charles Uwagbai and Robert O’Peters.
CONCLUSION: My sincere impression of the filmmaking veteran, Charles Uwagbai, who also produces and writes, is that of a visionary director. A vision refers to the imagined possibility of a future realization. A visionary director would be a creative who sees with his mind’s eye how best to visually represent an artistic concept. I commend his innovative ideas, his diligence, his impeccable skill-set and his emotional intelligence especially when working with cast and crew on long drawn-out film projects. My heartfelt regards also go to his conscious behind-the-scene endeavours to keep showcasing ‘Edo To The World’.