Bajulaye also mentions how colonialism shifted our artistic values and priorities. This shift made us acute consumers of western ideologies. This plays out in our educational and career choices. Often, these decisions are not made with consideration of individual passions and societal needs. Instead, there is a hyperfocus on flashy, ‘prestigious’ courses. In Bajulaye’s words:  

We are not thinking of the balance of society which is that there need to be farmers, doctors, lawyers, artists and culture practitioners. Society can’t be balanced if these different spaces and jobs aren’t occupied. We need to get back to the harmony of understanding that culture is something that needs to be preserved and artistic expression is what preserves this. Art reminds us of who we are, have lost and have. 

The colour grading and shooting style of Èkún Omi are influenced by Andrew Dosunmu’s Mother of George. Aesthetically, the film also draws from Bajulaye’s painting. Julie Dash’s Daughters of Dust further shapes its engagement with memory, the friction between the past and future and the tension of leaving one culture behind while entering another. Describing the visual language and aesthetics of African cinema, Bajulaye says it is steeped in memory and highly cerebral. Traditionally, Africans transmit stories orally through griots, town criers and older people who are custodians of knowledge and history. Bajulaye believes that African filmmakers need to find a way to piece all these elements together in their storytelling. As Africans, our storytelling style and sensibilities vary from that of other continents. This style and sensibility are informed by our daily realities and culture. For filmmakers hoping to tell authentic African stories, this implies the need to further understand culture and history which makes cinema beautiful.   

In Èkún Omi, Bajulaye shows the brilliance and science of Ifa in addressing mental health challenges. Anchored on Obadare, the film shows that Yoruba spirituality (particularly Ifa) is grounded in a system and science that, for devoted learners, offers a pathway for understanding the self and the world. Through Obadare, the film also emphasizes the cultural importance of elders in Yoruba communities. As custodians of knowledge, they help preserve and transmit collective wisdom. In exceptional cases, their wisdom and depth offer not only modern solutions to mental health difficulties but also tools for cultural preservation with future and technological understandings. According to Bajulaye:  

Obadare is used to anchor this as a reminder of the importance of knowing your root because it allows you an opportunity to overcome adversaries and difficulties. Even when people are going through mental difficulties, one of what a good therapist recommends is for you to go within and learn why things might be happening. Digging deep allows you to find answers. 

As Èkún Omi continues its festival circuit tour, Bajulaye hopes to build a community of people who will carry the film’s message. People who will connect with its cultural value and use it as a means of deep self-understanding, leading to both an inward reflection and outward transformation. Bajulaye also plans to screen Èkún Omi in Nigeria and across Africa, and to make the film available on streaming platforms that, in his words, will ‘afford people the opportunity to watch the film and define what migration means to them and how they have been able to find themselves or locate themselves within their culture.’⎈