Lisabi Agbongbo Akala is the traditional hero of the Egba people.
The Egba people are a subgroup under the Yoruba Ethnic group and they are mostly farmers. The Egba kingdom was divided into four settlements: Ake, Oke-ona, Gbagura and Owu.
Being a subgroup, the people of Egba suffered oppression in the hands of the Alaafin of Oyo, who exploited them through his tax collectors who were never satisfied with the offerings given to the Alaafin. The tax collectors were corrupt and abused the power given to them by the Alaafin. This caused a rebellion led by a hard-working farmer, Lisabi.
The Egba people suffered greatly in the hands of the tax collectors because they claimed the offerings were too small for the Alaafin. To solve this problem, Lisabi formed a farmer’s union to help people on their farms to collectively boost the harvest. Lisabi also used this medium to train able bodied men who will be ready for battle at any given time.
After successfully working on everyone’s farm, when it was time to work on his, Lisabi rallied men of their community for war to fight for freedom and put an end to the tyranny of the Oyo empire. It is this historical event that Niyi Akinmolayan, Adebimpe Oyebada and Victoria Akujobi have made into a film for our viewing pleasure.
Lisabi: the Uprising – An Overview
The film begins with King Olodan (Femi Adebayo) who refused to pay tributes to the Alaafin of Oyo (Odunlade Adekola). King Olodan is of the opinion that the Alaafin and his tax collectors were taking too much from the people, they were unsatisfied with the tributes because of their greed. Furious at King Olodan, the Alaafin orders his execution.
Songodeyi (Ibrahim Chatta) the head of the tax collectors, is brutal and takes joy in terrorising the Egba people. The Egba people try to meet up with their tributes but the tax collectors take more than they should—they raped the women and killed anyone who dared to speak up.
One day while the tax collectors were carrying out their evil acts, Oshokenu ( Adebowale Adedayo “Mr Macaroni”), the close friend of Lisabi (Lateef Adedimeji) boldly kicks against their injustice, questioning why they forcefully take women only, why not men. This provoked Songodeyi who marked Oshokenu for revenge.
Oshokenu plans to marry Abebi(Roseline Afije “Liquorose”) and asks his friend Lisabi to help him with Abebi. All goes well and Oshokenu and Abebi tie the knot. Songodeyi’s men get to know about Oshokenu’s marriage ceremony, stop Abebi as she is being escorted and Songodeyi sexually assaults her. Not knowing how to process the traumatic experience, Abebi commits suicide.
Full of rage, Oshokenu sets out to avenge his wife. He engages in a fight with the tax collectors and kills ten of them but ends up being shot. Before his death, Lisabi arrives at the scene and Oshokenu pleads with him not to allow his death to be in vain. Fueled by his friend’s dying wish, Lisabi strategically creates a rebellion plan under the guise of a combined farming effort.
At the end of the film, Songodeyi is killed by Lisabi when the uprising is at its peak.
Yoruba Elements Portrayed In Lasabi: The Uprising
The film infused traditional Yoruba elements to give more depth to the story. This could be seen in the use of:
Spiritual and religious practices: The Yourba culture is deeply rooted in their belief in gods and spiritual practices. They rely on divine intervention before going on important missions. This we see when Lisabi calls on his gods to help him in the war against the tax collectors.
The Art of Warfare: Yoruba history is rich with tales of war. There’s no story to tell that doesn’t involve war or a form of resistance. The Yourba’s were known for their military strategies, strength and bravery. In the film, Lisabi’s military strategy was communal labor.
Yoruba indigenous language: The diction of the film is in Yoruba backed with English subtitles for non-yoruba native speakers. This is an aspect of film making Nigerians should be proud of, telling of historical tales in the language of the people.
Costume: In the film, the character wore Yoruba attires such as Agbada, Buba, Iro made from Aso-oke and Adire fabrics. The tax collectors also dressed in uniforms with beads and amulets.
Final Thoughts
Lisabi The uprising is currently streaming on Netflix.
Lisabi The Uprising can be referred to as a cinematic preservation of the legacy of the Yoruba hero. In the past, stories like Lisabi were passed down orally by seniors to kids seated under a tree with their hands akimbo, their eyes lit up with curiosity and their ears ready to listen. But now with technology, telling this Yourba history through films is something we love to see and we are glad Nigerian directors and producers are taking the initiative.
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