Lagos State Government has knocked the producers of the movie Gangs of Lagos, noting that it misrepresented the culture of a people and portrayed them in bad light.
Commissioner for tourism, arts and culture Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf said in a statement on Wednesday that the ministry, being the regulatory body and custodian of the culture of Lagos State, viewed the film/series as a mockery of the heritage of Lagos.
Akinbile-Yussuf said she was disappointed with the promoters of the film, Jade Osiberu and Kemi Akindoju, for portraying the Eyo Masquerade as a gun-wielding villain while adorning the full traditional regalia.
The government said Eyo Festival is rarely observed and only comes up as a traditional rite of passage for monarchs, revered chiefs and eminent Lagos indigenes while the Eyo Masquerade is used as a symbol of honour for such personalities and remarkable historical events.
Akinbile-Yussuf said, “We are of the opinion that the production of the film ‘The Gang of Lagos’ is very unprofessional and misleading while its content is derogatory of our culture, with the intention to desecrate the revered heritage of the people of Lagos.
“It is an unjust profiling of a people and culture as being barbaric and nefarious. It depicts a gang of murderers rampaging across the State.”
The state government maintained that “the Adamu Orisha, popularly known as the Eyo Festival, is rarely observed and only comes up as a traditional rite of passage for Obas, revered Chiefs and eminent Lagosians.”
Akinbile-Yussuf stressed that the Eyo Masquerade is equally used as a symbol of honour for remarkable historical events.
The movie had received bashing from Isale Eko descendants.
