A Daring Homage to the Igbo Apprenticeship System

Engaging the very popular Igbo apprenticeship system (IAS), the movie, Áfàméfùnà explores what happens when the hierarchy that instils order in the IAS is truncated—even for the sake of ingenuity.

There are things far from acting that bring a movie to the front door of excellent cinema: a good story, believable dialogue, the mundanity of the extras, intentional well-angled camera shots, the casting choice, editing and an endless amount of hard work put in by the many faceless people who sweat and bleed behind the scenes. These elements add the glow and final touch that any movie or TV show needs to move from decent to excellent. Anybody familiar with Nollywood can attest that for the longest time, the battle for excellent cinema in the industry has been between the elements listed above and the actual work people see in movies—the acting. From the 1990s to the 2000s, the industry had what can best be described as some of the most brilliant actors and storytellers. However, since the work they put out fell short in other departments like cinematography and video editing, it failed to reach this mark of excellence. Over a decade has passed since then, and things have significantly changed. Nothing captures this change as perfectly as big box office movies like Áfàméfùnà: An Nwa Boi Story on streaming platforms. 

Áfàméfùnà tells the story of a boy who moves from Onitsha in southeastern Nigeria to Lagos, the country’s economic hub in southwestern Nigeria, to learn a trade. Locally known among the Igbo as ‘igba boyi’, it loosely translates to ‘to learn a trade by becoming a master’s boy/apprentice.’ Referred to as the Igbo Apprenticeship System (IAS), it has been practised across Igboland for centuries. Professor and businessman, Ndubuisi Ekekwe, in a 2021 essay in the Harvard Business Review described the system as the largest business incubator in the world. While the conflict that carries the story hinges on uncovering the killer of another character who had been a fellow nwa boyi (apprentice) alongside Áfàméfùnà, the titular character, the story digs into the entire nwa boyi experience...