Far From Home, Netflix Naija’s YA production focusing on the lives of young Lagosians attending a prestigious educational institution (what level of schooling were they in please? Still haven’t figured that out), is a revelation in a lot of ways. It includes an ensemble cast comprised of some age-appropriate (at least in terms of looks) newcomers to Nollywood who put on decent to good performances; its primary focus on the journey to adulthood from a variety of different perspectives was refreshing; and it is one of the few Nollywood productions to spend a lot of quality time with both the affluent and underprivileged. In my view, the latter is the main reason why this show was so compelling and why the main character Ishaya Bello was one of the more fleshed-out Nigerian characters I have encountered on screen. *Spoilers Ahead*
Ishaya Bello, played by Mike Afolarin, is the main protagonist, an anti hero of sorts. He is an underprivileged young Nigerian from Isale Eko, an area in Lagos, with a massive passion for art, and the talent to go along with it. We are introduced to this character in an aspirational dream where he is attending the *Grand Opening* of his art gallery. He takes to the stage, gives the “this doesn’t happen to people like me” yarns, appreciates his mentor; then the dream is broken. The next thing we see is Ishaya being hurriedly awoken by his sister, Rahila, who tells him that his mom is waiting for him to go to work, a job that they share cleaning houses for the Lagos elite. I think it is one of the best introductions to a character to come out of a Nollywood production.
In the first two minutes of this pilot, we are given an insight into his dreams and aspirations, made aware of his current conditions, and introduced to some members of his family. All this is done in a manner that didn’t seem too contrived. Excellent storytelling.
I have a gripe with Nigerian storytellers who tend to focus their storytelling on the elite and the aspiration to that. I feel like we have a lot of stories to tell about class struggle, not to mention that the majority of Nigerians are not affluent and not represented in most of the stories told (sans the aspiration to wealth part). This show is not without that focus – we may never escape aspirational storytelling as it is a big part of the Nigerian story – but because of the background of the main character Ishaya, we are exposed to the lives of ordinary Nigerians trying to make their way in Lagos. Through these people; his parents, his sister, and his best friend – in addition to some of the Whitmer characters and his eventual oga’s; we are exposed to many themes that surround the lives of ordinary Nigerians. The distrust of elite society, the hustle mentality, the ever present struggle between morality and wealth, love and friendship, Nigeria’s class relationships, etc. These themes are further explored through Ishaya’s lens as he navigates living a life as an artist, student and amateur drug dealer/kidnapper. Oscillating between the excess that surrounds Whitmore and its students, and the poverty and sometimes hopelessness he is faced with at home.
His story is one of hope, of an audaciousness that manifests in both the positive and negative, of great talent teetering on the edge of obsoletion or fame. He commits fraud to get into Whitmer, seizing the chance from both his sister (according to her, but I get it) and the demure son of one of his clients (in terms of the fraud opportunity and “scholarship”), but at Whitmer he is able to hone his talents and get exposed to opportunities someone with his background could not have dreamed of. He joins a Lagos criminal organization (OCG, word to AC-12) to pay for his Whitmer debts and to continue pursuing his dream. Ishaya starts selling drugs to his classmates and aiding a kidnap, but…( smiles) through the selling of said drugs, he is able to endear himself to friends and establish trust both at school and within the criminal organization. Eventually helping to take down members of the gang (where is Angel btw?). A balanced character if I ever saw one. #range….
I will say this…Ishaya is a terribly selfish individual. He was often agonizingly self-serving, and he took advantage of people he claimed to care for at every turn – his friend Michael; sister, Rahila; Adufe, his former girlfriend; Government (side note: I absolutely love Nigerian street nicknames). His attempts at apologizing failed to convey any sense of real remorse or proportionate introspection. That apology scene on school grounds in the middle of episode 5 was particularly painful to watch (a particularly poor performance from the actors in that scene as well did not help). That his friends forgave him and helped him after that “apology”, given the offence…better than me. It does speak to the way the character was written and his consistent and uncanny ability to attract loyalty, opportunity, and love from those around him. It also spotlighted the way that poverty warps our morals and really does affect the way that we relate to even people we love or claim to love.
This is by no means a perfectly written tv show. There were points that the writing felt a bit off – I definitely felt like the last episode was rushed (needed one more episode) and there were other characters I really wish we spent more time with – Angel, Adufe, and Government. Even Ishaya, the character I’ve been praising this whole piece had some moments that strained my ability to suspend belief. But 90% of shows have these flaws and it does not take too much away from the overall story telling.
Dami Elebe, the producer and lead writer for Far From Home, has some experience writing compelling characters. Tiwalade and Mide in Skinny Girl in Transit, the acclaimed web series, are two examples of characters that captured our hearts and showcased a breadth of the human experience. Characters who spoke like Nigerians (you know how I feel about this) and behaved like Nigerians. It’s really exciting that she was given this opportunity to produce and write for a Netflix Naija series and perform. Ishaya was not the only character I found to have an excellent arc (we need more from Angel). I’m excited to see what more this brilliant scriptwriter has in store for us.
