AV Club: Bariga Sugar is a masterclass in subtlety
A near perfect film
“My mummy has plenty friends… but me I don’t have any friends.”
Many kinds of women have been portrayed in Nigerian cinema but none has been more poorly treated than the sex worker. In a deeply religious country like ours, with its influence spread across all spheres of existence, including creative ones, sex work is villified. Classic films like Domitilla defined sex work as the exclusive preserve of the greedy and the wayward, and sex workers as ungodly. In the years since, sex work has become a plot point, a twist thrown in to give a flailing film some edginess, a trump card filmmakers rarely touch unless they can use it as a contrast to purity. The complexities that define sex work and the realities that sex workers have to live through to survive are rarely told with empathy, grace or even distance from personal prejudices and predispositions.
While sex work is misrepresented in Nigerian cinema, the sex worker at least is represented. This representation sadly doesn’t extend to the people directly affected by sex work, the partners and children of sex workers. It is on this premise that filmmaker Ifeoma Chukwuogo and writer Ikenna Edmund Okah build their film Bariga Sugar.
Ese, the ten year old daughter of sex worker Tina lives in the ghetto Brothel Bariga Sugar. Played by Halimat Olarenwaju with skill that you’d expect from someone far older, she brings Ese to life. Ese navigates the world with an avian curiosity, tempered with a weariness that comes from persistent rejection. As the pre-adolescent child of sex worker living a brothel, she is old enough to understand that her mother Tina is a pariah by virtue of her work, but young to be traumatized by the rejection she receives because of her affiliation to her. She is withdrawn, content to spend her days sitting outside her mother’s room, passing the days while her mother ‘entertains’.
When Hanatu, a new sex worker moves into the brothel with her ten year old son, Jamil (Tude Azeez). Ese suddenly finds herself the recipient of attention. It takes her a while to warm up to the bubbly Jamil, and never truly engages him till he is bullied and taunted by street children because of his mother’s sex work. It is only then that both children really find they share identical experiences and become inseparable. A misunderstanding between their mothers, threatens to end the children’s friendship and a tragedy reunites them, the price of which is almost too much to bear.
While the children are the real revelations of Bariga Sugar, the film really is more than the sum of its parts. Tina Mba’s stellar turn as the brothel madam, Madam Sugar helps ground the film in reality, proving yet again that the veterans of Nollywood still have a lot to give. Re Olunuga’s understated original score provides the fragility that reminds us, in spite of the harshness of the ghetto and the bleakness of the children’s reality, that these characters represent people with vast internal lives. Even the vintage radio advertisement that plays in the background in the first few minutes of the film, and the ambient sounds that follow help transport you to the decade in which the film is set and allows you fully immerse yourself, staying with you long past the film’s 26 minutes.
When the Bariga Sugar’s big tragedy happens, you are simultaneously expectant and completely blindsided. It helps that there are no villains in the end, only women and children disadvantaged by a system that let’s them fall through the cracks. The lessons are subtle but they’re impossible to ignore.
At the end of the film Ese is where she was when it began but she is essentially changed. The viewer is too, which is all a filmmaker can ask for.
Watch Bariga Sugar here
Fanti Carnival Returns to Lagos This Easter with a Vibrant Celebration of Afro-Brazilian Culture
The historic Fanti Carnival is set to make its grand return on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025, bringing the...
The historic Fanti Carnival is set to make its grand return on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025, bringing the streets of Lagos Island alive with colour, music, and culture. With roots dating back to 1890, the Lagos Fanti Carnival is one of Nigeria’s oldest and most vibrant cultural traditions, celebrating the deep ties between Nigeria and Brazil through a dynamic fusion of Afro-Brazilian heritage and modern creativity.
This year’s edition is supported by the Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture, in partnership with Robert Taylor Media and the Brazilian Descendants Association of Lagos. Together, they aim to honour the legacy of the Afro-Brazilian community in Lagos — descendants of formerly enslaved returnees who shaped the city’s culture, religion, and architecture.
The carnival procession will kick off at 12:00 PM, starting from Old Defence Road and will end at the JK Randle Centre, with accreditation beginning at 10:00 AM. Attendees can expect a stunning showcase of traditional costumes, Afro-Brazilian drumming, dance, and performances from local creatives reinterpreting heritage for a new generation.
Whether you’re drawn to the dazzling pageantry, the live performances, or the chance to connect with a rich cultural history, the Fanti Carnival is an unmissable event this Easter.
Tickets are now available, and more information can be found via the official Fanti Carnival website or their social platforms.
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Vlisco’s “The Garden Of Sisterhood” Campaign Comes To Life in New “MAYANGA” Video
A celebration of creativity and cultural
Dutch textile brand Vlisco recently unveiled its latest campaign ‘The Garden Of Sisterhood,’ as part of its women’s month celebration. The campaign, which looks to extend Vlisco’s rich legacy in African fashion and its ongoing celebration of creativity and cultural storytelling, takes inspiration from Congolese musical icon Fally Ipupa’s latest single, “Mayanga.” The song’s accompanying music video was shot in the Ivory Coast, and seamlessly balances Ipupa’s signature soulful Rumba music with intricate floral motifs and soft, elegant colour palettes that celebrate the strength and individuality that blossoms through community.
In addition to Fally Ipupa, Vlisco also tapped up Ivorian fashion designer Loza Maléombho and Nigerian director Daniel Obasi to contribute to ‘The Garden Of Sisterhood’ campaign. Maléombho’s unique designs and Obasi’s striking storytelling helped contribute to actualising Vlisco’s distinct aesthetic and vision of merging heritage, creativity and fashion.
In a statement discussing the collaboration with Vlisco, the Congolese superstar described it as a beautiful experience. “They understood my vision of working with talented artists and honouring the beautiful women who wear Vlisco fabrics. By creating exclusive designs for me and the remarkable women in the cast, Vlisco really brought our artistic vision to life, harmoniously fusing music and fashion,” he said.
Similarly, Marlou van Engelen, the creative director of Vlisco, expressed that it was an honour working with Fally Ipupa. “His song ‘MAYANGA’ perfectly reflects our admiration for the women who shaped us, inspire us, and mean so much to us. For us, it’s not just about fashion; it’s about the stories told through our beautiful prints. And I believe the best stories are always told together,” she said in a statement.
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NATIVE PREMIERE: Rigo Kamp Runs Ahead Of The Pack With The Visuals For “Marathon”
Rigo Kamp’s Marathon video is an intimate Afro-juju revival that pays homage to Sir Shina Peters and stamps...
Last Friday, Rigo Kamp, a NATIVE uNder alum and one of the architects of an equal parts nostalgic and refreshing sound released his self-titled debut EP, delivering a propulsive fusion of Alte, R&B, Funk, and Soul-infused rhythms.
Featuring previously released singles “Morning Sun” and “Summer”, the six-track eponymous EP executively produced by Odunsi The Engine sees Rigo lean heavily into his element as a sonic alchemist, jumping from silky falsettos to gritty grooves without losing an ounce of cohesion, and ultimately stamping the Abuja-born, Lagos-based singer-songwriter as a mad scientist of sound.
Just last November, Apple Music named Rigo Kamp as its Up Next artist, an acknowledgment that underscored his potential and confirmed what the tastemakers and underground scene already knew. Weeks later, he delivered an exhilarating live set for Spotify Fresh Finds in Lagos, proving he’s just as compelling live as he is in the studio.
On “Marathon”, the refreshing opener to the Rigo Kamp EP, Rigo borrows the bounce and swagger of Afro-Juju legend, Sir Shina Peters’ golden-era, fusing nostalgia with re-imagination to birth a vintage performance that feels like a private party for two, where it’s just Rigo, and you.
Get an exclusive first look at the video for Marathon here:
Listen to the Rigo Kamp EP:
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