Osuofia in London (Nigeria, 2003)

All great comedies have an underlying meaning. Yes, they are meant to make audiences laugh but are audiences laughing because it is funny or because they do not understand the lifestyle of the artist and/or comedian? With a comedy film there is no room to ask questions, so audiences must follow the direction of the film. Ogoro wants audiences to see the bigger picture and ask themselves whether they have the bravery to live outside their own comfort zone.

Ogoro gives his audiences a chance to choose between laughing at his peoples’ way of life or putting themselves in his peoples’ shoes. A cultural difference like using a bush as opposed to a toilet may be comical by the passive viewer, yet what if using a bush is all the people of that culture understand? If anyone who normally uses a toilet visited a third world country, and was only offered a bush or even a hole in the ground, would they be laughing because they do not have knowledge of social status and economic systems of that society? The same can be said for Osuofia trying to purchase food with an unaccepted currency or embarrassing himself by closing a strange woman’s legs because of what he understands about the sexism and lechery within his culture.

The real nature of society is displayed in Osuofia’s trip through London. He is clueless. He is what Western civilization considers reckless, yet, he is innocent. There is something about reckless innocence that makes comedies a pleasure. If Osuofia was aware of the cultural differences and still made his mistakes then he would just be embarrassed, and that is not funny. Ogoro’s message within this film is asking audiences to step back and pay a little respect to innocence. It is within all of us or it was at some point.