Black perspectives offers an undercurrent to stories which are rarely seen in tales fronted by caucasian protagonists. This short movie opens with an explanation as to what an agbada is” “a wide-sleeved, flowing robe”. The protagonist Ibironke (Idara Victor)opts not to travel with her family members on a spiritual trip to Nigeria, despite grappling with demons of her own. She’s engaged in a sexual affair with a married man, before an encounter with a ghostly force causes Ibironke to question her personal path.
White Agbada packs a lot in for such a short work: grief, regret, hedonism and change are thrown at the viewer. Older views contrast newer ideas across the frames. Ibironke permits a man to enter her next to a photo of an elderly couple in Africa. A restaurant with high-tech equipment serves basic Nigerian biscuits. And the apartments that cement this part of the United States are furnished with emblems of the African diaspora left behind.
Identity is one of the core tenets of the work. Men and women of differing backgrounds have to figure out their place in a Caucasian country. One character says he has to consider the needs of the mother of his forthcoming baby: “I don’t dig the co-parenting thing they do here.” Everywhere Ibironke walks there are reminders of the culture, even family, she is leaving behind. Her mind is festooned with failed ambitions, amplified when the presence of an elderly man visits her through a vision.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Ryan Coogler, 2022) dealt with the plight of black women in a changing world, and now White Agbada furthers the narrative by inserting a Nigerian character into a North American culture she keenly wishes to adopt. Both works centre on the complexities of heritage in the 21st century. Characters ask themselves their duty to ancestry and a modern life.
“Go back to your good Nigerian wife”, Ibironke bellows at a paramour, signifying a refusal to capitulate to past traditions shackled on her. Yet she’s not too keen to abandon all leanings to her ancestral land; nibbling on the biscuits her culture has produced, Ibironke tries to improve her vocabulary. Lande Yoosof has directed a terribly colourful picture, luminous light hanging over the central characters in the interior shots. Whether done in a studio, or in someone’s flat, the place ripples with yellows, reminding viewers of the sun the main characters abandoned for rainier seasons in New York.
People discuss differing ideologies on the phone. Ibironke’s sister considers being “stigmatised” unsatisfactory for her growth on a spiritual journey. The central heroine would rather spend money on pancakes than a “trip halfway across the world”. In every reality, people consider the gravitas of their decisions, and the world of White Agbada is no different. So much is put into the short work that it could easily make the leap into 90-minute storytelling.
Such is the malleability that this could just as easily work as a play, given that the majority of the story takes place in an apartment. Credit to Idara Victor, she infuses Ibironke with a layer of melancholy that is apparent during the closing moments. Tosin Morohunfola adds swagger in his burly performance as Bamidele, a man deceiving two different women with his carnal flair. Those two do the heavy-lifting for the screenplay, decorations rippling in the backdrop exhibiting the central characters’ viewpoint on their present, past and future. As mis-en-scéne goes, White Agbada is fuelled by imagination, ingenuity and an inspired overview of the continent that belongs in memory and dreams for the central protagonists. An inventive piece of filmmaking
White Agbada the premiered at the Woodstock Film Festival 2025.
