Suffering and Smiling

The history of Nigeria and the oil business set to an Afrobeat soundtrack. Two rival family dynasties battle for the soul and future of a nation.

The film follows the decades-long inter-family conflict between two rival dynasties in Lagos: those of the multiple-term president and military general Obasanjo, and the founder of afrobeat Fela Kuti and his activist-musician son Femi.

Through close attention to the potency and activism of the Kuti family as expressed in their performances and lyrics, the film examines several decades of government corruption and misrule and the role of music in challenging this.

In the process it also reveals how this ongoing family and cultural feud is rooted in international politics surrounding the oil industry. (MOFFOM)