Tayo (Jable Ogranya) and Themba (Jesse Suntele) create an app that makes it easier for Lagosians to book rides on motorcycles (or okadas, as we call them), consequently making it easier for okada riders to earn a living, something Abiola (Adebowale Adedayo) is thankful for. When the government bans okadas from the roads, their business -as well as the okada riders’ source of income- is put in jeopardy. Directed by Afolabi Olalekan, Freedom Way follows the characters as they try to make their way out of their situations – some of them by any means necessary, highlighting the corruption, brutality and ignorance that unfortunately plagues our communities.
Though the film deals with heavy subject matter, it brings a lot of humour as well, something the cast and crew present at the screening note is most likely a trauma response from Nigerians. Within a system that seemingly repeatedly deals out defeat, especially for its young people, laughter is a way people are still able to keep moving forward.
Like The Legend of the Vagabond Queen of Lagos, Freedom Way gets you to think about the lives of people affected by laws for more than just a moment. Even more poignant, this film reminds us that the people affected by these laws is all of us. Called her ‘love letter to Lagos’ by writer, Blessing Uzzi, Freedom Way holds a mirror up to our society and bids us to take a good look at ourselves. I am really looking forward to this film getting its wider release in Nigeria, specifically so that we have these conversations about how we respond to laws and ways of living that negatively affect us- on a small scale in our homes, but on a wider scale as well.
Freedom Way is playing at TIFF ’24. For more information, click here.
