Iwaju
Entry updated 17 March 2025. Tagged: TV.
Nigerian, UK and US animated tv series (2024). Cinesite, Kugali Media and Walt Disney Animation Studios (see The Walt Disney Company). Directed by Olufikayo Adeola. Written by Olufikayo Adeola, Halima Hudson, Hamid Ibrahim and Toluwalakin Olowofoyeku. Voice cast includes Bisola Aiyeola, Femi Branch, Simisola Gbadamosi, Dayo Okeniyi and Siji Soetan. Six 18-23 minute episodes. Colour.
With a spate of child kidnappings in Lagos, Scientist Tunde Martins (Okeniyi) is developing an AI Robot lizard bodyguard to protect the children, but is struggling to finish it and forgets his daughter Tola's (Gbadamosi) tenth birthday: on remembering, he gifts her a prototype lizard, which she names Otin. Meanwhile, Bode DeSousa (Branch) – the man behind the kidnappings – plans to abduct Tola, then coerce Tunde into stealing data on Nigeria's wealthiest families held by the company that employs him. He pressurizes Kole (Soetan), the Martin's family gardener (who is only a little older than Tola), into helping him kidnap her.
Future Lagos is a high-tech City, with robots, Force Fields, flying vehicles (see Transportation) and suchlike; despite the affluence there is also considerable poverty, with both Tunde and Bode having been raised in the poor districts. Tunde once believed advances in Technology could be used to help people, but when it was made clear his employers consider their priority to be creating wealth for the shareholders, he accepted this, losing his values: now he distances himself from his siblings and is keen to keep Tola away from his past, disliking the friendship she has struck up with Kole. Bode uses the country's social injustice to justify his criminal activities, which are purely self-seeking: though not apparently physically cruel to the children he abducts, they do have to suffer his lectures.
Tunde and Kole work together to find Tola, but are captured. Otin runs out of power for a couple of episodes – thus allowing the plot to develop – until a brief recharge means Tola is located, but the still-low battery means they are unable to free her. However, Bode and his gang take their captives to Tunde's home to access his work Computer, so enabling Tola to re-charge Otin, who comfortably sees off Bode's gang – of whom the stoic Happiness (Aiyeola) has been the most interesting. Tola also manages to trick Bode into broadcasting a confession before Otin captures him. All ends happily, with lessons learnt by both Tunde and Tola.
Set in a future Nigeria whose social background reflects current problems (see Politics), there is a little dissonance between these themes and a plot aimed at children, but on the whole it works well. Iwaju is a notable, well animated Africanfuturistic (see Afrofuturism) adventure that has occasional Humour: "I'm ten, I get subtext now." [SP]
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