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00:00Four British celebrities are returning to the countries their families once called home.
00:07It's super important to me. I want to make sure that the heritage and our legacy isn't lost.
00:11I'm a little bit nervous now. It's about to happen, I can't lie.
00:14I'd love to know where my dad went to school or where he was hanging out as a kid.
00:19From the Caribbean to West Africa, they're tracing roots and rediscovering connections.
00:25This is the first time he was back in Nigeria.
00:27To culture, to family, to identity.
00:38We come from England. This is where we're rooted as well, so it also feels like home for us.
00:43As Britain turns inward, they're turning their gaze outward, exploring where they come from.
00:49I'm very proud Ghanaian. I love having Ghanaian heritage.
00:52Who they might have been if their families had never left.
00:55I want to find out more about the Nigerian film and TV industry.
00:59It's a dream of mine to record in Jamaica.
01:01And whether their futures could belong to both worlds.
01:04Ready to start making some plans.
01:06This is Mission Motherland.
01:13I'm Jimmy Akumbola, a British actor with Nigerian heritage.
01:18Since starting out in theatre back in the noughties, I've starred in critically acclaimed UK dramas.
01:25And I also host my own comedy panel show.
01:27Sorry, I didn't know.
01:29But back in 2017, I relocated to Hollywood.
01:33And snagged my biggest role to date in Bel-Air.
01:36A reboot of the iconic 1990s sitcom, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
01:41Right now I'd say it's probably, it's been one of the busiest times of my life.
01:58I've just finished filming season four of Bel-Air.
02:02And I've only been back in the UK for probably less than 24 hours.
02:07So I'm a little bit jet lagged.
02:11My mind's in a really interesting place.
02:13I think personally, I've really felt this desire to return home, if that makes sense.
02:22I mean, where is home?
02:23I was born in the UK, but I've always felt like I've been between, you know, two worlds.
02:28My parents relocated to England from Nigeria in 1963.
02:35They had four kids of which I'm the youngest, but when I was two, they divorced.
02:41I stayed with my mum, and my brothers and sister went to live with my dad.
02:46But my mum suffered from mental illness, and since my father and her were estranged,
02:52I was fostered by a loving white English family from the age of two to sixteen.
02:57Growing up in the UK, I was a British-born Nigerian, and then going through the care system,
03:05being fostered, it was a lot to navigate.
03:09Between my foster family and my Nigerian family, I felt like I balanced it really well.
03:16I remember my foster family, like, they would highlight someone.
03:21Nine times out of ten, they'd be a Nigerian doctor, or a Nigerian athlete,
03:26or, you know, someone doing work as a banker or as a lawyer.
03:31I really remember growing up and having a sense of pride of being Nigerian.
03:37But I've only ever visited Nigeria once, 16 years ago, back in 2009, for a cousin's wedding.
03:46In terms of the core family element of my Nigerian family,
03:51there's another side that I did miss out on.
03:54It's crazy, man, I've got cousins, uncles that I've not met in person.
03:59I've heard names, I might have seen one or two photographs,
04:03but there's a side in my family that is going to be all new to me.
04:09In 2019, my brother Shegen died.
04:15A few months later, my mum passed away also.
04:18And then following her, I lost my dad.
04:21I think this latest chapter in my life, I'm honouring them.
04:25I've got to thank my mum and dad coming all the way here from Nigeria.
04:29It's not easy, you know.
04:31They've given us all a chance for something different.
04:37The truth is, my dad and I had a difficult relationship.
04:43When he and my mum split acrimoniously, he disowned me,
04:47questioning if I was even his son.
04:50He was in and out of my life for a while.
04:52But when he died, unfortunately, we weren't speaking.
04:56So it's his story, most of all, that I'm desperate to connect with while I'm in Nigeria.
05:02I suppose I'm slightly apprehensive about what might come up for me in terms of
05:11the complicated nature of my relationship with my father.
05:16He's not here anymore, but, you know, we had a, our relationship was complicated
05:21and there was a lot of pain.
05:26The disagreement was ownership of me as his son, you know.
05:32He had his reasons.
05:33It was complicated for him.
05:36I feel like going on this journey and meeting the family in Nigeria,
05:41that's the resolving element.
05:43That's the healing element.
05:45But I'm not going to Nigeria solo.
05:57I'm riding with the world-famous Jamiroquai percussionist, Shola Akimbola.
06:03And yes, he's my big bro.
06:05Hey, big bro!
06:07He's been to Nigeria many times and speaks Yoruba, which is our language.
06:11So he's going to help me fill in some of the blanks before we leave.
06:14What you got for me, bro?
06:15The networks.
06:16The networks.
06:17The family.
06:18Connect, man.
06:19That's my mum and dad.
06:24When, like, to go on this journey, I was like, I can't go on my own.
06:30I've got to go with my big bro, man.
06:32And you know I can speak Yoruba as well, so.
06:36I and Jimmy didn't grow up together in the same house.
06:39I mean, I'm about 14 years older than Jimmy.
06:42Great picture of dad there.
06:44We do try to make sure, when we can, we come together.
06:49This is the picture of dad at school, right?
06:51Mmm.
06:52Look at that.
06:54And then who is this?
06:56This is one of our cousins as well, right?
06:57Yes, so that's Rafiw.
06:58And he's the son of Elijah.
07:00There's a lot here I feel like I haven't seen before.
07:04I feel like I recognize this is, is this grandma?
07:06That's grandma.
07:07That's dad's mum.
07:08I remember dad saying that grandma was a performer, if that's right.
07:18They performed all over Yoruba land to the noble houses at the time.
07:23But because the females were not allowed to perform, she used to have to dress up as a male.
07:29Seriously.
07:30So she could do, and she was the jewel in the crown in the family performance kind of hierarchy.
07:36You know, as we talk about a family, I am excited.
07:41And yet I can't lie.
07:43I'm a bit nervous.
07:45I'm like, how will the family respond to me?
07:48You know?
07:49Mmm.
07:50Most of the family know who I am.
07:53They know about Jimmy, but this will be maybe the second time they're meeting Jimmy.
07:57So I'm going to really be in charge of introducing Jimmy again, and then giving Jimmy the space
08:03to make his own relationship with the wider family.
08:07So yeah, we'll see.
08:08We have to seduce them and open them up a little bit.
08:11So hopefully I'm going to do some playing with them and stuff.
08:13We'll see.
08:14I think one of the things I'm really looking forward to is to find out more about where
08:25we come from.
08:26You know what I mean?
08:27And really understanding about the Yoruba tribe and the family lineage.
08:34You know, it'd be great to be able to return from Nigeria and having like a piece of paper
08:41and being able to say like, okay, this is my great great granddad.
08:46This is my granddad.
08:47Like this is, this is the lineage.
08:50Passage of time, man.
08:51Yeah.
08:52And how we, how we remember.
08:53Yeah.
08:54And how we reconnect, re-engage.
08:56Definitely.
08:57Definitely.
08:58That's what we're trying to do.
09:03Lagos, the largest city in Africa and the former capital of Nigeria.
09:19Between about 17 and 21 million people live here now.
09:23When my parents immigrated from Lagos back in the 1960s, there were less than a million
09:29inhabitants, but the population has just kept growing.
09:33It's a city full of survivors, different tribes, religions, cultures, languages, all coexisting.
09:41There's a mad energy.
09:43It's like London on steroids.
09:45And it feels like we've brought some typical British weather with us.
09:49Okay.
09:50We are here.
09:51We are in Nigeria.
09:52How to do.
09:53Hey, Lagos.
09:55It's a bit like a London September today, but the energy at the airport was definitely
10:01not London.
10:02Yeah, exactly.
10:03We plugged in.
10:04I feel like there's a, there's a low key constant percussion going on underneath the ground.
10:09Hey.
10:10I just feel like, I'm just like, okay, okay, okay.
10:13Hey, hey, hey.
10:14Where the funky people at?
10:15Yeah.
10:16Where the funky people at?
10:17Let's see it.
10:18Uyajalo.
10:19Let's go.
10:20Let's go.
10:23After freshening up, we head 10 miles north of the city to Ikeja, the state capital,
10:28to meet some family members.
10:31Destination, the new Africa shrine, built in honor of Nigerian musical icon and founder
10:37of Afrobeat, Fela Kuti.
10:39It's a cultural Mecca.
10:41Shell has arranged for us to meet a couple of our cousins tonight to ease me in.
10:46We're going to meet Arafu and Akeem Farabi.
10:49They are our father's sisters' sons.
10:53They haven't seen Jimmy in a really long time.
10:56They haven't seen Jimmy in a really long time.
10:58I'm a little bit nervous now.
11:00It's about to happen.
11:01I can't lie.
11:02All right.
11:03Okay.
11:04Here we go.
11:05I think I may have met them very briefly probably 15 years ago.
11:11All my nerves evaporate in warm embraces.
11:30My cousin Rafiou introduces his son Tunji, who I haven't seen for years.
11:50Pleasure.
11:51Lovely to meet you too.
11:53Hey.
11:54How old are you now?
11:5625.
11:5725.
11:58Last time I saw Tunji, he must have been about like 9 or 10.
12:03Hey, that's me now.
12:05No one forgets that.
12:09No one forgets that.
12:11Nobody forgets that.
12:12That's a slogan.
12:14Please have a drink.
12:15Definitely.
12:20The tango today that we are seeing ourselves, what's our next step?
12:24How are we going to meet the other family members and what does tomorrow look like?
12:29Some of the family members are likely to come around tomorrow.
12:34They will all be looking forward to seeing.
12:37Oh, wow.
12:38You understand?
12:39It's going to be a very great reunion.
12:40Okay.
12:43Shola pulls out a shekare, his favorite piece of percussion.
12:53And our cousins start chanting our grandmas a riki, a Yoruba verse that's a powerful affirmation
12:59of the family's identity, praising our resilience, passion, loyalty
13:04and courage.
13:12Cheers to family and reconnection.
13:20It's been a soulful first encounter with family here.
13:23A gentle initiation.
13:29I feel like things are never going to be the same after this journey.
13:36And again, I'm surprised it's day one.
13:39I'm Jimmy Akumbola and I'm here in Nigeria with my bro Shola.
13:56I was fostered by white English family as a child.
13:59So this is a chance to explore my Nigerian birth father's legacy for the first time.
14:04I think we're going to be welcomed with love, if I'm honest, with joy.
14:10I'm hoping that the family will also be very, like, open in terms of, like, sharing, like,
14:19the family history with us.
14:20Today is massive because we're heading to Oregon.
14:24It's a commercial hub on the outskirts of the city.
14:27This is also the beating heart of the Akumbola clan.
14:31My grandfather's family moved to Oregon from the Yoruba heartland of Ile Ife.
14:37And grandma's family moved here from Oyo State.
14:41Then dad left here for England in 1963, along with thousands of other Nigerians seeking
14:47opportunities within a growing UK economy.
14:53I've never been here before.
14:55And today will be the first time I'm meeting most of the family on my father's side.
14:59I don't know what to expect or how I'm going to be received.
15:03But whatever happens, I'm hoping that being here helps me understand more about my father.
15:17It looks like Rafiou has organized a welcome party.
15:20The wives in the compound welcomed me with a chant in Yoruba.
15:38I'm overwhelmed, you know.
15:49I'm meeting so many family members.
15:55I meet our cousin Kazim, who immediately takes me to where it all began for my dad.
16:01This house is one of our father's houses.
16:08That's where your father born.
16:10Seriously?
16:11Yeah, this house.
16:13As if it wasn't enough to be stepping into the house where my father was born,
16:18inside waiting for me is a very senior member of our family.
16:22Now, this is our senior brother, Chief Funcho Akimbola, the Bababa of Oregoon land.
16:34So yeah, okay, so this is the house that dad was born?
16:39No, no.
16:40Dad built this house.
16:42Exactly.
16:43He built this house.
16:45Yes.
16:46Wow.
16:47Yeah, welcome.
16:48Wow.
16:49Yeah.
16:50This is Chief Akimbola building.
16:52Okay.
16:59Standing within these humble surroundings, thinking about my dad's start in life,
17:04him excelling at school and leaving for the UK with a scholarship,
17:08is really helping me get to grips with where he came from.
17:12I'm lost for words.
17:14I'm lost for words.
17:15I feel so grateful just to be here.
17:20Is this what you're expecting?
17:23I just wanted to be embraced, you know?
17:25I wanted to be greeted with all the love and energy that they gave me today.
17:32And actually, I didn't.
17:33I didn't expect what we got in the street.
17:36I did not expect that.
17:39Next, I am led to the Akimbola Palace.
17:42Yes, you heard it right.
17:44We are royal.
17:48Here, I learn about the bigger picture and where I fit in.
17:51What is your mother?
18:00Our grandfather?
18:01Our grandfather?
18:02The ballet of Oregou.
18:03From 1940 to 1947.
18:04Now, by law, we are all princes.
18:08The chief explains that our grandfather was the ballet, or head of this area, and that
18:20status has partially filtered down to us.
18:23Listen, it's my law, my rights.
18:29Hey, we are princes.
18:33It's a lot, it's a lot, it's a lot.
18:39It's beautiful.
18:43Ah, wow.
18:45It's just, it's just, the link, the link, the link is further than we think.
18:54Deep, deep, yeah.
18:58It's fascinating, the different lines within the family.
19:02In essence, it's just the, how big it is, how big.
19:06But you heard him say, I'm a prince now.
19:09The prince are already gone.
19:11I knew it.
19:13I knew it.
19:14Are you the prince prince?
19:15I am the prince prince, so very good.
19:19All right, Jay.
19:20After a quick photo op, we hit the streets.
19:27Our cousins want me to experience the real Lagos.
19:31The people are the heart and soul of Nigeria.
19:34This is already one.
19:36Why not?
19:37All right.
19:38This is our turf.
19:40Family turf.
19:41Family turf.
19:42It's here.
19:43It feels, it feels so at home.
19:46You know?
19:47It doesn't feel alien.
19:50It doesn't feel, I don't know, I just feel like I belong.
19:54And I'm loving the energy.
19:55A little bit different.
19:56Energy has gone New York vibe, actually.
19:57Energy is the problem.
19:58As I walk in my father's footsteps, people that knew him share their stories with me.
20:11It's magical.
20:12My name is Tawa Akindi.
20:14We are happy to see you, eh?
20:18This is Akindi.
20:19This is the first song of Akindi.
20:21Yes, song of Larry.
20:23Oh, Larry.
20:24Yes.
20:25This is Dad's house.
20:27So you see that scar on Daddy's head?
20:29Yeah, the dad's head.
20:30Uncle Larry and Dad were playing together.
20:32So he did the jump.
20:33Uh-huh.
20:34So then Daddy tried to copy Uncle Larry.
20:36Yeah, yeah, yeah.
20:37But he didn't make the jump, so he smashed the fire.
20:39Wow.
20:40That's why he's got that scar.
20:41Wow.
20:42I always wondered about the scar.
20:43That's right.
20:44He said he's going to bring a picture, I think, of his dad or my dad.
20:48Or maybe both together.
20:49So, you know, that's what I wanted.
20:52I wanted to see who had pictures of any family members, you know?
20:57This is Kazim's mom.
20:59Kazim, this is your mama?
21:00Yes.
21:01Ah.
21:02What's his face?
21:03This is Alamu Griff.
21:05One of my dad's peers, Uncle Alamu, Kazim's dad, is buried here at the front of his house.
21:10Which is actually a family tradition that I knew nothing about.
21:14When the elders depart, we don't hide the graves.
21:18And it's a way to maintain the presence of those that have departed.
21:23The elders are not, those that have passed, they're not hidden away.
21:28I don't show you this, your dad.
21:30Yes.
21:31Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's right.
21:32So what year was this when dad came?
21:34Uh, Auntie Joe Simi.
21:35Auntie Joe Simi.
21:36Auntie Joe Simi.
21:37Yeah.
21:382012.
21:39My dad hadn't been to Nigeria for about 40 years.
21:4240 years.
21:43And so this is the first time he was back in Nigeria.
21:47We brought him back.
21:48After, and Shela brought him.
21:49This is amazing.
21:50This is amazing.
21:51Yes.
21:52Unfortunately, my dad passed away 11 years later.
21:57And Shela brought his ashes home.
22:02I'd always planned to pay my respects where my dad rests, to get some closure.
22:07But that won't be as straightforward as I imagined.
22:12This is where our father's buried.
22:15Yeah, this is where our father's ashes are.
22:18His ashes is for the...
22:21We don't have the key to get in there.
22:26We lost our father during the pandemic.
22:28Yeah.
22:29So Shela was the, um, the only one that could travel to share my dad's ashes out here.
22:36That was one of my, that was my dad's wishes to be, to be buried out here.
22:39So, so yeah, I haven't been able to see it yet.
22:43He wanted to come back to spend the rest of his days here.
22:46But unfortunately, he passed away before that happened.
22:57Even though I didn't get to see my father's resting place on this visit,
23:01there is a more positive end to the day.
23:04When Rafiou takes me down the street, with our name on it.
23:08We are in Akinwala Street in Noregoon.
23:10Uh-huh.
23:11This street was created in 1970.
23:14Yeah.
23:15And give this name for our grandfather, Akinwala Jinodu.
23:20Mm-hmm.
23:21This street is part of our legacy.
23:22Yeah.
23:23You know, it's part of the things that our fathers have worked for.
23:27And this street is named after them to serve as a memorial.
23:31Mm-hmm.
23:32For our children's children to keep remembering it.
23:35And knows that our fathers have been at the forefront of development.
23:39Mm-hmm.
23:40So we are glad to have Jimmy on board.
23:42Mm-hmm.
23:43We are glad to see Shola here too.
23:46This is an honor.
23:47So that they'll contribute to the development of the Great Motherland.
23:50I feel very honored to be standing right here with all of you.
23:54Mm-hmm.
23:55To have a street named after the family.
23:57And having moments like this, all of us together, you know?
24:00Yeah, exactly.
24:04Before today, I had no real connection to my father's side of the family.
24:09But being welcomed by so many of them has filled me with a sense of acceptance, belonging, and pride.
24:30I'm Jimmy Akimbola, and I'm here in Nigeria with my big bro Shola reconnecting with our motherland.
24:37Today, we are meeting Dr. Tunde Adekbola at the Lagos Museum to talk about why thousands of Nigerians, my parents included, left for the UK in the 1960s.
24:49Because Western education became the determinant of success and well-being.
24:56Right.
24:57Yeah.
24:58And that was the time when there was a dichotomy in the Yoruba society of an Oni Sheowo versus an Alakowe.
25:10Oni Sheowo is somebody that works with his hands.
25:13And Alakowe is one who thinks and writes.
25:17And it was a kind of derision that somebody sits in an office all day, sits on a chair, and he claims to be working.
25:24However, in 1960s Britain, smart, hardworking African immigrants like my dad had to settle for jobs that they were overqualified for.
25:35For some people, too, who probably did not achieve what they went for, the impetus to come back is not there.
25:43And they just thought, well, I'm leaving, I'm getting by here, I'm living day by day, I can educate my children.
25:51And, well, maybe I just stay here.
25:54When it comes to our father, he got a scholarship, he was the most intelligent of the family, right, in his area.
26:01And they somehow brought, because there wasn't a lot of money in the family then, right?
26:06No.
26:07But they got him over there to achieve this thing.
26:09Yes.
26:10And he didn't achieve it.
26:11And so I think that weighed heavy, that weighed very heavy on his heart.
26:14Yeah.
26:15He had many opportunities to come back.
26:17True.
26:18There was this reluctance, you know, and that's sad.
26:21I definitely think it was much harder for my parents in terms of them coming to the UK to leave behind your family, your friends, to start again.
26:33You know, this was supposed to be, like, the place where the streets were paved with gold and it's all good.
26:39But there was a lot going on.
26:42And yet, I wonder, I wonder if we didn't come to the UK, where would we be, you know?
26:52Would I still be doing acting if I was in Nigeria?
26:55I don't know.
26:56I'm just grateful for them for giving us the opportunity.
27:00In some ways, I'm grateful for their sacrifice.
27:11Later today, our relatives are putting on a traditional Egugun ceremony in honor of our ancestors.
27:18Since they'll be pulling out all the stops, I've decided to fix up and look sharp.
27:25I mean, I want to blend in, but I also want to stand out.
27:29You know how it goes.
27:30It's a London team.
27:32I was wondering if you can help me, because I'm off to a family.
27:37It's Egugun.
27:38Let's go to the Agbada section.
27:40Uh-huh.
27:42I love that, but I feel like I need some color today.
27:45But yes.
27:46Do you want to write a color?
27:48Ooh!
27:49It's so hard to choose.
27:52Ooh!
27:53I love this color.
27:54This is Agbada now, right?
27:56Yes.
27:57Yeah, yeah.
27:58This is...
28:00Oh!
28:01It's really...
28:02Lola, I love this one as well.
28:04Oh, yeah.
28:05See?
28:06This lady knows.
28:07See?
28:08I think...
28:09I think it's this one.
28:10I think I'll try this one.
28:12Whilst I decide on which outfit to step out in, Shola is making moves of his own, indulging
28:19in his life's passion, drumming.
28:22My father used to play his music every day in the UK.
28:27So when daddy used to go out, I used to go into the front room and I used to go through
28:31the albums.
28:32So I've grown up with that Aruna sound in my head.
28:35And the influence of the percussion that I've played on all of Jamiroquai's music comes
28:40from here, Yoruba land.
28:43He tracked down legendary Yoruba percussionist, master of the talking drum, Baba Odebembe,
28:58playing with his protege Adesanya Michael Adeyemi.
29:02He's a legend.
29:03He's a legend.
29:04He's the elder version of what I'm trying to do.
29:07in the UK, in Europe, with Jamiroquai.
29:08He's a legend.
29:09He's the elder version of what I'm trying to do in the UK, in Europe, with Jamiroquai.
29:34You see how he's bending the note?
29:45You have to acknowledge those that have established things that you're building on.
30:12What is it that Sir Isaac Newton said?
30:14We stand on the shoulders of giants.
30:16That's why we can see further.
30:18We must come back and look for the giants.
30:20These are the giants.
30:29Later in the afternoon, once I've got my drip sorted, I arrive at the family compound in Oregon.
30:34What are you doing?
30:35What are you doing?
30:36What are you doing?
30:37What are you doing?
30:38What are you doing?
30:39It just looks amazing, Jake.
30:41It's amazing, right?
30:42Beautiful, man.
30:43Oh, they're good, man.
30:44Oh, they're good, man.
30:45Oh, they're good, man.
30:56But all the singing, dancing and drumming isn't in honour of my fresh arms.
31:02This is the warm-up for today's Egugung ritual.
31:26I'm buzzing.
31:27I'm buzzing.
31:28And we've only just got started.
31:29That's the crazy part.
31:30We've only just got started.
31:33But before the ceremony begins, I've been granted an audience with the two most senior members
31:39of our family, from the opposing sides of our family tree.
31:43Please, please.
31:44The father from the father's side on your left, and the father from the mother's side on the right as well.
31:54Now it's really hard to keep tabs on who is who and where everyone fits in, as I haven't been here for long.
32:01But for now, it's great to feel that sense of belonging.
32:04You know, I thank God, I thank you all for, you know, being here and being able to share all this knowledge.
32:12I'm so grateful for that.
32:13You know, I come here, I'm out.
32:16You know, when my wife comes to me, you know, yeah, yeah.
32:22Let's join arms together.
32:25We are one.
32:28And Jekasu Rock and Kassie.
32:30Formality's over.
33:00the Agungun ceremony begins.
33:03This is a centuries-old Yoruba masquerade
33:06steeped in mysticism and tradition.
33:09There is a supernatural element
33:10as the performers represent the spirits of our ancestors.
33:14They bless us and we pay them homage.
33:30Jesus was born only.
33:52Aaaaall BoAhal!
33:55The final performer dons the costume our grandmother would have worn in her day.
34:15This is it! You see what I mean? It's power we're receiving!
34:25As the performance continues, I realise that this must be where mine and Shola's creative DNA originates.
34:32And I think my dad would have been proud that I'm here where it all started for him.
34:37Here with my big bro Shola, keeping his legacy alive.
34:44During this time, all I could think about is just my father, my grandmother, my mum,
34:49just everybody that, you know, would have loved to have been here for this moment.
34:55I'm Jimmy Akumbola and I've been in Nigeria reconnecting with my roots.
35:16Today, I'm indulging my professional curiosity with an exclusive visit to a Nollywood film set.
35:25Nollywood is huge, right? I've never done a Nollywood movie yet.
35:31But, like, I've got so much, like, respect for all the Nollywood stars out there.
35:37So I'm really looking forward to just sort of, like, chopping it up with them.
35:42Nollywood. The Nigerian film industry might be less profitable than Hollywood,
35:47but it produces around five times more films a year.
35:53I've travelled three hours out of Lagos to the set of a film being shot in Oyo State
35:58by legendary Nigerian filmmaker Femi Adebayo.
36:05On arrival, I meet one of Nollywood's biggest names, Toby Bakari,
36:09to find out what makes Nollywood unique.
36:13What do you say the differences are in terms of then being on, like, a Nollywood set
36:16from, like, Hollywood or Bollywood?
36:18Like, I'm thinking about how long are your shooting hours at UK?
36:22Yeah.
36:23I think it's eight hours or ten max.
36:24No.
36:25US maybe 12, 13 max.
36:2613 max.
36:27Nah, here's a lot different.
36:28So, in terms of, because everything is, like, pa-pa-pa, budget is limited.
36:33So in terms of budget being limited, resources are limited, time is limited.
36:36So we have to try and get the best of what we can in a very short period.
36:40So that means sometimes you're getting a script two, three weeks before shoot dates.
36:45Wow.
36:46Shoot dates on a very reasonable project can be about two, three weeks.
36:50Mm-hmm.
36:51Sometimes you're working 16, 18 hours.
36:53But it's all because of, we understand our challenges and we understand the work we're trying to put in.
36:59And it's a growing industry.
37:01Yeah, yeah, yeah.
37:02So these are the sacrifices we have to make.
37:04I mean, we move, we push.
37:05Listen, look, you gotta go.
37:06There you go.
37:07All right, brother.
37:08Appreciate you, man.
37:09Appreciate you, man.
37:10Appreciate you, appreciate you.
37:11All right, guys.
37:12Cheers.
37:13It's back home now.
37:14It's staying home.
37:15It's clear that people are putting a shift in here to make things work.
37:20Could I cut it out here?
37:22I find Bimbo Ademoye, one of the industry's brightest stars to see what it would take.
37:28No, I'm not.
37:29Any US or UK actor desire to try and be a part of this industry?
37:34What advice would you give them?
37:36First of all, I call Nollywood hustle wood.
37:38Okay.
37:39Because over here we just try to make things work.
37:42But for someone who's trying to join, just come with an open mind.
37:46Do you desire to go to the US or the UK?
37:51Do you need to?
37:52Because you're at the top of your mountain.
37:54Would I love to act next to Denzel Washington and pull him out of retirement?
37:58Absolutely.
37:59But is that like, you know, my...
38:02I love my country.
38:03Yeah.
38:04I'm an Nollywood star.
38:05And I'm very proud of it.
38:06All right?
38:07I'm very proud of it.
38:08I'm celebrated here.
38:09Yes.
38:10Do I want to go international?
38:11Absolutely.
38:12If the opportunity arises, say I get an audition call, would I take it?
38:15Absolutely.
38:16But is this something that is like, I can't wait to leave Nollywood.
38:19No, baby.
38:20Nollywood made me.
38:21Yeah.
38:22Loving the vibe and what I've seen in terms of commitment, energy and graft.
38:27I could definitely see myself getting involved if the right project came along.
38:34There you go.
38:35When I'm with you now like a lady.
38:38Cause your energy will bring me far away.
38:42Props to those Nollywood stars that are flying.
38:45Making it in show business is tough.
38:48Even more so if you're from a disadvantaged background.
38:51I should know.
38:53As a foster kid from the East End, I relied heavily on support to eventually make it to Hollywood.
38:59When I get back to Lagos, I drop in on a youth organization called the Street Project Foundation.
39:05It's run by a lady called Rita Izenwa Okoro.
39:09The whole vision is to raise transformational youth leaders who can make a sustainable living doing what they love.
39:16The language we should be speaking is a creative arts.
39:20I mean, we're in Nigeria.
39:22We speak over 500 languages.
39:24We're from over 250 ethnic groups.
39:27We definitely need a unifying force, especially for our young people.
39:31It is through the arts that we can exercise our imagination.
39:36One, two, three.
39:39The foundation has been making a difference to the lives of young people for the last 17 years.
39:45Even if you were a street kid.
39:48Even if you were, God forbid, you're left in a dumpster.
39:52Somebody found you.
39:54Well, right now I'm free, right?
39:59So this is us taking it back.
40:01Let's not let society tell us that we can't be anything.
40:04That's so important.
40:05Yeah, I thought about what if I was born here in Nigeria?
40:09What sort of space would I need to find me and be me?
40:14And I feel like it's this kind of thing.
40:16Organizations like this are so important for young people.
40:19What are ways that people could help?
40:21One of the biggest budget lines for all of the programs we run is space.
40:29A multimedia space where the young people can come in any time of the day
40:36to record, to rehearse, to perform.
40:40Let me see what I can do.
40:43Let me see what I can do.
40:46The work Rita is doing has really inspired me today.
40:49And as Mission Motherland is also about giving back,
40:53we are gifting the organization £5,000 to go towards more space for its users.
40:59I will definitely be back in Lagos very soon to see the money in action.
41:08When I say street, you say project street.
41:11Project street.
41:12Project.
41:13When I say project, you say street.
41:15Project street.
41:16Project street.
41:17Advocacy.
41:18Soros okay.
41:19Advocacy.
41:20Soros okay.
41:21Soros okay.
41:22Soros okay.
41:23Advocacy.
41:24Soros okay.
41:25Advocacy.
41:26Mission.
41:27Motherland.
41:29It's mission accomplished in my motherland.
41:44This journey has surpassed all my expectations.
41:47I've got a whole new perspective which has transformed my outlook.
41:52I feel at home, you know what I mean?
41:54Yeah, yeah, yeah.
41:55I feel at home from day one.
41:56You feel an engagement.
41:57Yeah, from day one.
41:58A switch on.
41:59And it's just grown.
42:00Yeah.
42:01These days just grown.
42:02I totally hear that.
42:03This is, this is the beginning of many visits and a deeper connection with my family.
42:09Yes.
42:10And with this country, you know?
42:11Yeah, yeah.
42:12And even though getting to know and understand my dad so much more on this trip has been amazing.
42:19The most beautiful and unexpected thing is how it's brought me, Shola and my family closer.
42:27It's been the most unfathomable joy for me to watch you.
42:33That's why when we were in the, in Oregon, they completely embraced you.
42:38It was a wonderful moment of security for me.
42:42You know?
42:43It was, bro.
42:45Ooh, yeah.
42:47Oh, excuse me.
42:52I felt that I, I, I was bringing you into the family to say, yeah, protect.
43:00Yeah.
43:01Our brother.
43:02You know?
43:03Because we've had that, that history, especially in the UK, of being fragmented.
43:07Yeah.
43:08Yeah.
43:09Yeah.
43:10I love you, bro.
43:11Yeah, no.
43:12Big love you.
43:13I'll tell you one thing though, Shola.
43:16I need you, Akin, Raphael to write down the family tree because it's confusing.
43:21For sure.
43:22It's confusing.
43:23So.
43:24I'm so good.
43:25I'm so good.
43:26All right.
43:27I'm so good.
43:28Oh, I am.
43:29And yet.
43:31Whew.
43:33Woo!
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