Kudos to the late Author, Chinua Achebe, for gracing us with his literary brilliance during his time on earth. He was, indeed, an enigma and a force to be reckoned with. Even after departing the world, his literary piece, Things Fall Apart, still remains Africa’s biggest literary record to date.
Wow! Writing an article related to such a record-setting novel is truly an honour for me.
Only recently, studio, A24, announced that they will be adapting this novel to screen. While there have been two adaptations already, the second being in the late 80s, this one is different because, obviously, this is Hollywood. I, more than anyone on Earth, was over the moon in celebration of this announcement.
This is something I’ve always asked friends: “Are they blind?” I often asked about Hollywood’s inability to see how much of a huge success adapting Things Fall Apart would be. At last, they saw the light like I did and I await, with eager anticipation, this TV series.
While the announcement boosted African literature in no small way, the announcement of the cast appeared to distract from this: It is no longer news that the main character in the novel, Okonkwo, is set to be played by Hollywood star, Idris Elba. This news did not sit well with many Nigerians, who immediately took to social media to share their opposition to the choice of Elba.
In their view, a Nigerian actor would be better suited to play the role as opposed to a foreigner, even though black.
These differing views are not shared by just the masses. Even veteran Nollywood Actor, Bob-Manuel Udokwu, shares this view.
Yet, another opposing view to the forthcoming series is the fact that Idris Elba does not have a command of the Igbo language, an ability they feel is paramount seeing as the book was set in old Eastern Nigeria. These opposing views have dominated social media for quite some time.
Having weighed the opposing arguments, I, respectfully, will set them aside for lacking enough merit to stick and I will explain my reasons.
For starters, I am no Gen-Z. I saw the second adaptation of the novel as acted by legend, Pete Edochie. All Part 1-13 video cassettes of the TV series still gather dust in my family junk stuff. I saw every bit of it, can recite almost every line along with the Actors and have read the novel itself over a million times. On that note, I deem myself an expert in this field.
Now, are you aware that, in the second adaptation, the most used language was actually English and not the Igbo language? Yeah, they did sing Igbo songs here and there, recounted Igbo parables here and there and spoke the language now and again, but, English remained the common feature. I know because I saw the series firsthand.
On that note, I cannot understand the criticism of Idris Elba not having any command of the Igbo language. Quite frankly, he doesn’t need it. The Author himself wrote the character, Okonkwo’s lines, in English; the book itself was written in 98% English; the adaptation had the character speak English; who then are you to demand the opposite, or is there something I’m missing?
Also, when you demand that a Nigerian Actor must play the Okonkwo character, I just laugh. Can you mention just one Nigerian Actor who has a major presence globally? We know our musicians can boast of this global presence: Guys like Davido, Wizkid and Burna Boy are well-known globally. However, the same cannot be said of any Nigerian Actor.
The answer is zero. All of them only boast of an African presence. Now, is that what you think Hollywood is looking for—adapting a novel of this magnitude with a Nigerian Actor whose face won’t sell their product globally?
Hell no! That’s not how business is done. No Hollywood movie mogul in his right senses would take such a huge gamble on his investment. He will use a global face to sell his global product.
It goes without saying that Idris Elba is in a league of actors whose faces can easily sell movies. He is tried and tested and playing him as Okonkwo is a surefire investment that will yield the result the makers of the series yearn for. Even the global audience will lap it up as opposed to seeing a global nobody from Nigeria (no insult intended).
Nigerians need to understand that, making a movie or series is not just about the art itself—it is also about the business aspect. While movies yearn to be critically acclaimed, it becomes useless if your screenplay doesn’t bring in the expected gross revenue. Thus, there is no room for sentiment. How does the Italian Mafia put it again? “It’s just business,” they’ll say.
Even if Achebe didn’t write the book in English and the second adaptation didn’t use mostly English, there is no way Hollywood would have risked using the Igbo language throughout, thereby localizing the content. This is meant for the global stage, not Rok 2 of Africa Magic. Think strategic.
In any case, if Nollywood still feels so hard done by the choices of A24 on this one, I suggest they garner their resources and adapt the novel to screen themselves, use Nigerian Actors and speak the Igbo language all day long.
Good luck with that. For now, let Hollywood do their thing in peace. They are the best for a reason.
