Notes on Supo Shashore's The Journey of an African Colony

A few months ago, I had a meeting with Tomiwa Aladekomo, the CEO of Big Cabal Media. During our conversation, he asked me what I thought of some existing media platforms. As I am known to do when I let my tongue run away from me, I launched into a monologue that was scathing at best and bitter at worst. He stopped me, saying, "You must never forget that these platforms are pioneers. They're filling a space that needs filling and doing a job that needs doing. Flawed they may be, it's a fact that we can't ignore. You must also remember that many are new, and they're modelled on platforms that have existed for centuries. They'll get there eventually. They're more worthy of praise than scorn." I'll never forget these words, and I was reminded of them when I watched the first episode of Supo Shashore's The Journey of an African Colony. 

There are two questions every Nigerian asks: What happened to us, and why are we the way we are. History as it's taught in Nigerian schools is a farce - an abortion of a thing. That it is possible to leave education without knowing any answers to the above two questions is a travesty. This is why Shashore's documentary which airs on Nigeria's most watched news network, Channels Television, isn't just highly recommended but part of every Nigerian's civic duty. It is the history lesson we should have had in school.

What the script lacks in tightness, Shashore more than makes up for in his narration. His confident delivery and his syrupy baritone make the story easy to follow and more importantly easy to remember. His pieces to camera are world class. This is marred by the sound editing which bizarrely bad and the camera work which definitely needs work. I have heard that quality was lost in transmission but the criticism stands. I can only review what I saw. The production may also have been better served by more creative thinking. I would have loved for Shashore to visit some of the slave towns he spoke of in the series first episode.

However, for all of its flaws, The Journey of an African Colony is a must see.