‘Aramotu’ is clearly not your run-off-the-mill Yoruba film. One of the things about it that soon creeps on you is the fact that it brings to the fore stereotypes and cultural issues relating to the female gender and her relationship with the opposite sex and how she is generally perceived in the society.

This enterprising, positive and far seeing woman, Aramotu, is, in words that cannot be overemphasised, light years ahead of her time. No wonder she is seen by detractors as the prime example of a male emasculator.

A trader who travels constantly, Aramotu is married to a man who is seemingly unabashed about his devotion to his wife and who endures constant ridicule from relatives and villagers who refer to him as the ‘wife’ in his marriage.

Aramotu is successful in her trade and is easily burdened by the plight of women and children in her community. However, her desire to be a voice in the society causes her to clash frequently with Iyalode, who considers herself the head of the womenfolk in the village and a legitimate leader.

Her goodwill and sense of magnanimity also leads her to take in a runaway widow from another village, the daughter of a friend, whose arrival eventually brings trouble to her doorstep.

The artistic Aramotu is also a wood carver, an art she practises in secret because it is the preserve of men and considered an abomination for a woman. She secretly carves a special mask for the Gelede festival in an intricate design which mocks the arrogant and overbearing leaders of Agesi and carries the insignia of Awo Alatankun, the cult of the spider, which Aramotu’s destiny is tied to.

Set on a course that has been pre-ordained, Aramotu has come to show that even the earth mothers do not support the parochial unjust system that has evolved. Being different and grossly misunderstood, she is labelled a witch.

Unforgettable movie

A mix of elements make ‘Aramotu’ an unforgettable movie, one of which is character representation and Idiat Shobande, who plays the eponymous heroine, breathes that larger-than-life yet human element into the role. Our lead character is played by a woman who seems to have been tailor-made for the role.

Shobande brings heroism, pain, courage and kindness to the fore in her brilliant portrayal of Aramotu. The story is set in the Yoruba cultural milieu in a period where contact with the West had already begun and this is what we are made to see in ‘Aramotu’, a traditional setting with its own value system, marketplace and organised system of government, with its checks and balances.

The women of Agesi village are bound by age old traditions but they are not averse to change and with Aramotu’s financial and moral support, they are able to dissuade their husbands from foolishly selling off their lands to the greedy chief, Olookan.

However, there is another set of women who prey on their fellow women and who do not care about change. There is Iyalode and there is Aramotu’s sister-in-law, who along with the rest of the family, urges Akanmu, Aramotu’s husband, to take another wife.

It is tradition no doubt, but there is a subtle evil satisfaction lurking behind her motives. As it turns out, there is trouble in store for Aramotu on the home front.

Best Nigerian Film

Kayode Odumosu and Peter Fatomilola bring years of acting experience into their roles while the young Gabriel Afolayan shows that he is not that far behind. Another feat for the film is its subtitling, which is nearly flawless and on point, with efforts made to translate incantations and Yoruba words with deep meanings.

In addition, the proper Yoruba language suited to the period and the people was spoken by all the characters throughout the movie with very few slip-ups.

However, there are a few scenes and actions that do not quite add up and are incongruent with the sequence of events we have followed from the beginning of the movie. For instance, why should Oluawo, the chief priest, who succumbed to the leaders’ labelling of Aramotu a witch and who facilitates her sentence, be exempt from the fate of the rest of the leaders in the ensuing turn of events?

While the use of special effects in the film could be better, it certainly does not leave one with a feeling of disgust and exasperation.

There are many lessons to be learnt from ‘Aramotu’; not leaving out its unsuspecting win of Best Nigerian Film at the African Movie Academy Awards in March in Bayelsa; a face-saving point for Nollywood at the awards.

Aramotu is now showing at Silverbird Cinemas in Abuja, Port Harcourt and Lagos.