A Bold Debut in Diasporic Filmmaking

In her debut film, Yam and Egg, Emily Nkanga set out to tell a story beyond familiar narratives, focusing on the emotional and mental struggles of migrants as they face loss and adapt to life abroad.

In 2017, when Emily Nkanga relocated to the United Kingdom to pursue her MA in Filmmaking, she decided that her first project wouldn’t be just any film; it would focus on the unique experiences of adult migration. Migrating as an adult has shaped Nkanga’s understanding of mobility and the unexpected challenges that come with it: questions of identity, feelings of alienation, and the risk of becoming a social outsider. Yet, within Nigerian social discourse, migration is often romanticized as a direct path to a better life—a way out of the economic and social struggles that increasingly characterize life in Nigeria, despite the grim realities. This realization inspired Nkanga to make her first film project something unique—one that reflects her personal experiences of migration. Noticing a gap in how modern filmmakers address biases and stereotypes about adult migration, Nkanga felt an instant connection when the scriptwriter, Wale Adetula, presented the script for Yam and Egg. She chose it as her first major project, aiming to carve an identity in exploring the complexities of adult migration and everyday diasporic experiences on screen...