Owo Blow is a story of survival of the fittest against all odds in a system that is rigged against the players in the first place. This movie was so phenomenal in 1997 when it came out, so much so that petitions were written to the Federal Government to take street urchins off the streets before they become another Wole Owolabi. That was the profound influence it had in Nigeria.
The story rings true. The producer, Tade Ogidan, didn’t explicitly issue a disclaimer that it was based on a true-life story, but who are we kidding? We all know a civil servant who was laid off and sent to prison because he pissed off his bosses in his line of duty, setting off a chain reaction of unfortunate incidents to befall his family.
The protagonist was an idealistic man, dewy-eyed from his experience while schooling abroad, disconnected from the corruption happening in high places under his nose. He ended up in prison for his ideals, dying there. His sad-faced wife constantly cried, penny-pinched, and begged everybody for money to feed her children and keep a roof over their heads. Their firstborn, Mope, unwittingly became a victim of paedophilia. A much older Yoruba Demon used her situation to take advantage of her, getting her pregnant and leaving her to deal with the consequences.
Wole, the secondborn, went through it all! From dropping out of school to becoming a washerman, bus conductor, and street pickpocket, all at the young age of 15. He was caught, beaten, and he refused to go back home. After suffering some indignities a human being should not suffer because he was homeless, unkempt and sickly, he found his way and joined a gang of street thugs we call ‘Egbon Adugbo’ these days. Eventually, he became an armed robber, a philanthropist and a family man. But your past can never stop catching up with you like they always say. The friends he made while in the trenches of suffering caught up with him, and they didn’t let go until they dragged him down with them. He became a pariah, and the money he made could not save him from the eventual doom that was coming in the form of the overzealous detective that just wanted to crack the case. He had a tough decision: merciful death, imprisonment, disgrace or disappointment.
He picked the best option.
I must reiterate that Wole Owolabi was not a monster. He was more humane and decent than every other character in this movie. So warm and kind-hearted. Everything that happened to him was not his fault. As I said before, the system was already rigged against him. He had no choice and only did what he had to do.
I blame the system for the blatant corruption, the disregard and disrespect given to incarcerated individuals and their families, and society for its stoic silence, indifference and penchant for chewing up and spitting out errant members who are found wanting. This movie was produced in 1997, but everything that happened then IS still happening now without much change. There is still massive corruption, and society is still indifferent to the plight of street urchins.
May this not come back to bite us in the ass.
Kudos to the exceptional cast who bodied these roles well. They always say that your debut always tells how your entire career will be. Femi Adebayo bodied his role as Wole excellently well that I felt everything for him—respect, being at the topmost. Taiwo ‘Ogogo’ Hassan continued the pace as an older Wole, killing the role to pieces. The other supporting cast also did really well. One thing about this ensemble is that most are still gracing your screens today. It is so remarkable. They include Bimbo Akintola, Lanre ‘Iya Awero’ Hassan, Binta ‘Igbanladogi’ Ayo-Mogaji, Yinka Quadri, Lanre Balogun, Sunday Afolabi, Kunle Afod, Bayo ‘Boy Alinco’ Bankole, Francis Onwochei, Adebayo Salami, Adewale Elesho.w3
There are also the dwindled stars like Rachel Oniga, Kayode ‘Pa Kasumu’ Odumosu, Bimpe ‘Ireti’ Adekola, Toun Oni, Enebeli Elebuwa, Sam Loco Efe, Prince Leke Ajao, Otolo. May they rest in peace.
I won’t say much about the production technicalities of Owo Blow, seeing that the film is a product of its time. All I will say is that this movie is a classic. If you are a student of literature and philosophy, take your time to see Owo Blow. You will take one thing home: life is unfair to low-income people and on the other side of the law. There are a zillion things you can deduce from that.
