"British-Nigerian Me" by Dayo Adeneye might be the most apt film to carry the whole weight of the theme of this year's iREP Documentary Film Festival "Rhythms of Identity: Africa in Self-Conversation". Despite being a short film of only 9 minutes, the pathos it embodies will resonate deeply with most Nigerians both at home and in the Diaspora.



Adeneye, a British-born Nigerian, who visited the country recently was moved to document his own sense of identity (or lack thereof). Raised in the United Kingdom by Nigerian parents, not knowing where he fits is a constant cause for concern for the director and a other British-Nigerian people interviewed for the short film.
With a heartfelt frustration expressed by some other British-Nigerians in the film, you can sense the level of disconnect that they are trying to correct. Dealing with alienation from where they are born (Britain) because they are not quite white and also from Nigeria, where their parents hail from because they do not have a grasp of the language and culture.

This film also explores the role of Nigerian parents in fostering a strong sense of identity in their children, especially in communities like Peckham, which makes it slightly easier to raise them consciously with a stronger awareness of self.

Overall, this short film will most likely spark a conversation about the agony of estrangement, the yearning for home (wherever that might be), and the pursuit of individuality.

by Opeyemi Balogun

Paper first published in The Irep Report - 2014 iREP Newsletter Vol. 1, p. 1, reprint courtesy of Goethe Institut Lagos & Irep.