By Efe Onodjae
Nigerian actor and filmmaker Saidi Balogun, co-producer of the latest movie EWO, has revealed that he lost his daughter just two weeks before joining the movie set.
He disclosed this during the exclusive premiere of EWO at Genesis Cinema, Lagos, ahead of its global release in cinemas on July 18. According to him, although he was physically present on set, his mind was elsewhere. He said: “I lost my daughter two weeks before I went on this set. So on that set, I won’t lie, at times I was just talking, but I wasn’t there. After that, we had an accident actually three accidents but today, nobody is dead; we are all alive.”
On his part, the director of EWO, Ekene Mekwunye, an award-winning filmmaker and Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards, AMVCA winner, explained that the film is based on a true story that occurred in the western part of Nigeria following the death of Oba Lipede, the Alake of Egbaland, in 2005.
“It was said that his youngest wife fled with his corpse,” he recalls. “I came across this account about ten years ago, and it simply wouldn’t leave my head. By 2018, I started working on the treatment and wrote the screenplay afterward.”
The film’s title, Ewo (meaning “taboo” in Yoruba), encapsulates the cultural and spiritual weight of the story. According to Mekwunye, the queen’s alleged actions violated Yoruba royal customs, which hold that a king’s body, upon death, becomes the collective heritage of the ancestors and the people, not personal property. The incident sparked deep spiritual fears, challenged the legitimacy of succession, and symbolized a broader cultural conflict between tradition and modern religious practices.
“This clash between Christianity and traditional beliefs,” Mekwunye says, “raised questions about the erosion of cultural values in a modernizing society.”
The movie features a star-studded cast of some of Nollywood’s finest, including Bimbo Ademoye, Ademola Adedoyin, Moyo Lawal, Taiwo ‘Ogogo’ Hassan, Saidi Balogun, Jaiye Kuti, Tina Mba, Akin Lewis, Yinka Quadri, Dele Odule, Kunle Coker, and Osareme Inegbenebor.
The premiere night attracted notable actors and industry figures, celebrating a film that promises to offer a unique perspective on African culture through its compelling narrative. Among the dignitaries present was the Lagos State Police spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, who noted that the movie is a must-watch, especially for Yoruba-speaking audiences who may be unaware of aspects of their culture. The current Rector of Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), Dr. Engr. Ibraheem Adedotun Abdul, also graced the occasion in cultural attire.
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