A pivotal part of Nigeria’s history, particularly for the Igbo
people, is the arrival of the European missionaries and
colonizers on our shores. A good amount of literature and films
have been dedicated to capturing this era and preserving its
stories and lessons for future generations. Some of these pieces
are true accounts of happenings while others are fictitious
stories set around the time of the Second World War. Ikechukwu
Onyeka’s 2006 movie titled Captain falls with the
latter.
Captain tells the story of the return of a war veteran,
Nsofor, to his hometown. Warmly welcomed by his people, he
regales them with tales of his bravery and exploits in the
battlefields of Burma, where he had allegedly fought and gunned
down countless soldiers from across the world. Nkem Owoh plays
Captain Nsofor and delivers this role with the mastery and
eloquence for which he is renowned and celebrated.
The plot thickens when a canoe ferries two white men to the
shores of the village. This poses a challenge as neither the
white men nor the inhabitants of the community could
understand each other’s language, and they had to turn to
Nsofor, the one man who had conquered Burma and earned the
title, Captain, for his heroics. Captain Nsofor steps up to
bridge this gap, but given to his dishonesty and selfishness,
ends up exacerbating the situation.
As with other works of historical fiction, the biggest test
the film faces is that of originality. While there is no
strict requirement to be accurate with every detail, viewers
are often after relatability. The story needs to feel true.
Captain is set in such a time when the Igbo community
knew about white people but had not encountered them enough to
form a strong opinion about them. There were mentions of
“ndi ocha” even before their appearance, and the
people were not as shocked about their existence as they were
about why they had come to the community. The movie goes on to
relay its events in a compelling manner.
The stellar cast, including Fabian Adibe, Patrick Onyeocha, John
Okafor, Ogechi Obilonu, and a host of others, put forward
impressive performances. However, the character to watch is Mark
4, Nsofor’s son, played by Ike Nzenagu. As Ndi Igbo
would say, “Agwo aghaghi imu ihe toro ogologo" –a snake
will always birth something that is long, and Mark 4 takes after
his father’s mischievousness and edgy tongue. His character is a
humorous one, and he makes every second of his screen time
count, effortlessly delivering an honest and applaudable
performance.
Further highlighting the movie’s relevance to our history and
culture is the use of traditional Igbo currency as means of
exchange. The monies used are cowries and okpogho (
ego igwe - aka manillas), which are important markers
in the history of trade and exchange in Igboland. We also find
that town criers were used for mass communication in the
community.
The story deals a stroke of brilliance when Blankson, the
missionary’s companion, engages Captain and his son to steal
artefacts and carvings from the community. He pays them little ―
they could not have known the true worth of these arts at the
time― before carting away the elegant pieces to foreign lands.
This is a skillful depiction of the general understanding that
the Europeans came to us with the Bible and the gun. It further
lends credence to the words of the former President of Kenya,
Jomo Kenyatta:
“When the missionaries arrived, the Africans had the land and
the missionaries had the Bible. They taught us how to pray
with our eyes closed. When we opened them, they had the land
and we had the Bible.”
The plot reaches its climax when the captain’s cunning ways are
discovered and the missionary, now faced with the challenge of
finding another interpreter, goes away to pray in the mountains.
There, he receives a power akin to that which fell on the
apostles on the day of Pentecost, and miraculously begins to
speak the Igbo language. This affords him the ability to
converse directly with the people of the community, and
therefore share his message untainted.
While the movie is guilty of the unrealistic effects and claims
around spirituality, as is popular with movies produced around
this time, its depth and attention to detail sets
Captain apart from other productions. It makes good on
its promise to educate, entertain, and preserve the things we
hold dear.
