“Ijákumo: The Born Again Stripper” Raises Eyebrows In Storytelling

The Yoruba people have a saying: ijákumo kií rin’de òsán, eni a bíire kií rin’de òru which loosely translates as the wildcat doesn’t move about in the day; a well-bred person shouldn’t move at night. This philosophy, usually a form of chastisement targeted at young people, encourages them to be morally upright in order to be seen as omoluabi (the well-bred) in society. Toyin Abraham breathes new life into this philosophy through her film Ijakumo: The Born Again Stripper. Directed by one of Nollywood’s finest filmmakers, Adebayo Tijani (Omo Elemosho, King of Thieves), the film is both a revenge drama and a religious satire. It was first theatrically released on 23 December 2022, and it recently debuted on Netflix on 23 June 2023.

Plot Synopsis: What is Ijákumo about?

Asabi is on a revenge mission against her ex-lover Olajide, the head pastor of a mega-church controlled by a syndicate. She recruits a Ugandan stripper, Sharon, in order to expose the pastor’s secrets.

When the randy pastor visits the strip club and meets Sharon, he mistakes her for Mary, a female choir in his church, because of their striking semblance. The pastor gets more intimate with Sharon who schemes her way into his matrimonial home where she finds the thumb drive containing the church’s financial records and hands it to Asabi. With the help of Asabi’s team, the church’s bank account is compromised and sensitive files are leaked to the public in a bid to pull down the syndicate.

Pastor Olajide discovers that Sharon stole the thumb drive, and he gets on the run when the police approach. Outraged, he arranges to have Sharon captured, only for him to discover that Mary and Sharon are not the same person.  As Pastor Olajide decides to kill both of them, Asabi appears to stop him with her magical powers and succeeds in killing him.

Why is Asabi out for revenge?

One of the techniques used in the film is flashback. It helps to recall the past relationship between Asabi and Olajide, and reveals the reason for Asabi’s revenge mission. A highly ambitious but poor young man, Olajide decides to run a church as a business. He sees pastoring a church as the gateway to wealth, an intention that he does not hide from his girlfriend, Asabi. At first, Asabi tries to persuade her father, a traditional medicine man with supernatural powers, to fortify Olajide. When the old man refuses, she recommends to her boyfriend another medicine man for spiritual powers to support his pastoral quest. But while in quest for power, Olajide has other plans. He tries to kill Asabi and abandons her for dead because he considers her an unsuitable marital match for him in his new status as a pastor.

What makes Ijákumo fascinating?

A relatable story, the film touches on religion, a fundamental part of our existence as Nigerians. Through the character of Pastor Olajide (acted by Kunle Remi), the filmmaker reveals the dubious nature of many so-called religious leaders.  Fast-rising actress Lolade Okusanya (Pearl Crowns) shines in her dual roles as Sharon and Mary. As she switches between the gentle, churchy lady and the sexy, adventurous but cunning stripper, the actress provides perspective on the Janus-faced personality of many people in society. 

What’s wrong with the film?

The film gives room for interaction between the physical and the supernatural in a way that seems rather insincere. Although the belief in the supernatural has long been represented in Nollywood films, the manner in which it is expressed in the film invokes doubts.  If Asabi happens to be as spiritually fortified as she claims and demonstrates in the final minutes of the film, one wonders why she needs the services of tech experts and bodyguards to protect her and get back at Olajide. 

In a flashback scene where Asabi momentarily encounters her father in heaven, he reprimands her for not heeding his warning to desist from helping Olajide. At this juncture, it is difficult to tell whether or not Asabi is dead and has only reincarnated for vengeance. As her being is called to question, so is her source of wealth a mystery. Viewers are likely to find the character bereft of depth and unmotivating because almost nothing is known about how she became rich and powerful within her means. 

In the final scene, when Sharon and Mary meet each other for the first time, the ensuing conversation is ill-timed. In such a distressed situation, as the twin sisters find themselves, people would be more concerned about safety and survival rather than a conversation about their roots. An additional scene would have been spot-on for sharing memories of their birth.

Verdict 

As a Nollywood filmmaker, the key to thriving is having an adventurous storytelling appetite and daring to experiment with more films. However, for industry stakeholders with copious experiences, there is a greater responsibility to tell compelling stories with minimal or no loopholes. Perhaps this is one responsibility Toyin Abraham has not wholeheartedly embraced in her recent New Nollywood expedition (Fate of Alakada, The Ghost and the Tout). While the use of exciting, in-demand actors will titivate a film’s chances of box office success, the story itself determines the long-term fate of the production—whether it will have a special, enduring place in the hearts of fans or it will only be enjoyed for its temporal orgasmic experience. Ijákumo seems to fall in the latter category. Here’s the point: appreciate the film for its aesthetics and lessons, and don’t overthink the story.