By Fasuyi Tolulope Samuel
Nollywood actress, Fathia Balogun has caused quite a stir with her latest project, Efunroye: The Unicorn, based on the true story of Efunroye Tinubu, a powerful Yoruba woman who was also a notorious slave trader.
Sharing the news on X, Fathia tweeted, “Power. Trade. Legacy. She was more than a warrior, she was a ruler who rewrote history. 🏹👑 ‘Efunroye: The Unicorn’ is coming to your screens soon! Are you ready?”
She added hashtags such as #EfunroyeTheUnicorn and #FathiaWilliams.
While some users praised the effort to spotlight African history, others expressed outrage. A user, @noobsoibot89, condemned the glorification of a figure associated with the slave trade:
“This woman was a slave trader, in fact, she was one of the people who didn’t want slavery to end. I’ve always wondered why people like her are celebrated.”
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Others, like @lareto24, supported the movie, stating, “I am loving this… our history must be written in gold so that it won’t be forgotten.
”However, critics voiced concerns. @samwellsg highlighted Efunroye’s role in the slave trade and multiple marriages, commenting, “She was one of the prominent slave traders of her time while jumping from one husband to another.”
The polarized reactions continued, with @agodliveshere questioning the double standards of condemning foreign slave buyers while celebrating local slave traders:
“You hate the slave buyers but are hailing the slave sellers as ‘unicorn’ who ‘re-wrote history’. The yoke is heavy.”
Despite the controversy, many applauded the effort to bring historical narratives into Nollywood, like @philsbaba, who noted,
“Since history is not being taught in school anymore, it’s great to see Nollywood stepping up and reenacting historical events in their scripts to bridge the knowledge gap in a captivating way.”
Fathia Balogun’s movie seems set to spark conversation on how African history, particularly its complex figures, is remembered and portrayed.
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