Naija jolof vs Ghana jolof 2
I don't know if it's just me, but I find it a bit strange that the most recent Nigerian movies on Netflix either feature British guest actors or Nigerian actors who have lived in Britain or at the very least have. a LABA- Locally Acquired British Accent.
As far as movies go, Isoken is one of the good ones.
The British guy, Kevin( Marc Rhys), is more Nigerian than the other guy, Osaze( Joseph Benjamin), who is vying for Isoken's ( Dakore Akande) love.
His dressing, his mannerisms, his tastes in just about everything are unmistakably Nigerian.
If it were not for his bad dancing skills, I wouldn't ever think to refer to him as 'Oyinbo'.
He's definitely my favorite suitor.
His first scene is the best in the entire movie.
I won't say much but imagine leaving your underwear behind in the machine at a laundromat for the next user to find.
Mortifying, I know.
And it's only a wonderful person —like Kevin—who can make remove the awkwardness from such a situation.
Of course, in a culture such as ours, where the pinnacle of a woman's success is her ability to trap a wealthy husband, the accomplished, unmarried thirty-four-year-old Isoken is not her mother's pride and joy.
Surprisingly, her father loves, cherishes, and supports his intelligent daughter.
Without her dad, I don' think Isoken and her mum would even speak to each other. He's a rare gem.
The crux of this tale is that Isoken can't decide.
Should she marry the rich, seemingly perfect Osaze, who comes from a respectable Edo home, and finally, become the apple of her mum's eye?
Or, should she go with Kevin, who shares her passions, who seems like an extension of her own person, but whose prospects are not so promising?
It also doesn't help matters that Kevin is white. An Oyinbo.
By now, I'm sure you know I like Kevin and probably dislike Osaze.
I do not dislike Osaze because of my particular predilection for white boys.
Rather, the grating of my nerves occurs because of the condescending way he talks to Isoken, for the way he lets his mother belittle her natural 'fro and decide what she can and cannot wear and can and cannot do.
I dislike the fact that he didn't wait for her to say yes before e assuming that she dared not refuse his proposal.
I detest him for saying that he's going to have Isoken 'behind him' rather than 'beside him'.
This, to me, is indicative of the dynamic their relationship is to have:
It signals to me that it's impending doom will be attributable to its to dynamic of subservience rather than of mutual support and co-operation.
I know I said Isoken was intelligent, but, as is usually the case when it comes to love she decided to choose a course of action that would have been to her detriment.
At the risk of giving away everything, I'll only say this.
It's a romantic comedy, and love eventually triumphed.
This movie is fantastic. Hilarious, socially relevant, witty, and educational.
This should definitely be at the top of your Netflix to-do list.
I hope you enjoyed this plateful of Naija Jolof.
Here's a secret Lydia Forson stars in Isoken.
She's Ghanaian, of course, and just because I can't help myself, let me add this:
She's the secret ingredient that makes this Nigerian dish pop spectacularly.
My next post will be a Ghanaian dish: Potato Potahto by my girl Shirley Frimpong Manso.
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