Cinema
Bisi, Daughter of the River
Jab Adu · 1977
Synopsis
Bisi is born in Badagry, on the coast. Her father regards her as a gift from Yemoja, the goddess of the river, and wants her to serve the goddess as a priestess. She refuses, makes her way to Lagos and gets herself hired there as a secretary by a businessman. She falls in love with her employer's partner, which closes off any return to her home region. A rival in the firm then decides to have them both eliminated.
Context
Based on a play written by the director with Ladi Ladebo and Kola Ogunnaike, the film was shot on thirty-five millimetre in Lagos and Badagry, with a crew of Nigerians and foreigners. A wealthy Nigerian merchant supported its financing. The title role went to a Nigerian singer who was then making a career in England. Its success opened the way for the filmmakers who followed, well before the video films of the nineties.
Who it is for
In English, with passages in Yoruba. It is worth knowing that Yemoja is the goddess of the waters and that a family could dedicate a child to her service before birth.
Prizes and reception
The most profitable film in Nigerian cinema for several decades. A producer was still looking in 2025 for the rights holders in order to remake it.