''Palaver'', AKA ''Palaver: A Romance of Northern Nigeria'', is a 1926 silent film shot in
British Nigeria
Colonial Nigeria was ruled by the British Empire from the mid-nineteenth century until 1960 when Nigeria achieved independence. British influence in the region began with the prohibition of slave trade to British subjects in 1807. Britain a ...
, recognized as the first Nigerian feature film.
The film was significant for its use of non-professional local Nigerians as actors. While not a box-office success,
it was to prove significant in the larger history of
Nigerian cinema
The cinema of Nigeria, often referred to informally as Nollywood, consists of films produced in Nigeria; its history dates back to as early as the late 19th century and into the colonial era in the early 20th century. The history and develo ...
.
Plot
The film portrays conflicts between a British District Officer and a local tin miner which lead to war.
Criticism
Later commentators have classified ''Palaver'' amongst other colonial films which claimed the "beneficent influence of the white man in Africa."
Geoffrey Barkas
Geoffrey Barkas (born Geoffrey de Gruchy Barkas, 27 August 1896 – 3 September 1979) was an English film maker active between the world wars.
Barkas led the British Middle East Command Camouflage Directorate in the Second World War. His larges ...
(director, producer and scriptwriter) himself, in interviews about his work, referred to his casting from "cannibal pagan tribes" and spoke of their "blind savagery."
Nigerian ''Pulse'' magazine in 2017 described the film as "proudly racist", and noted: "Even though it was produced in Nigeria, Palaver was made for the British audience. There is no error in that the narrative was consistent with the popular idea sold in Europe that the colonial masters were doing Africans a favour by colonizing them."
See also
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Filmmaking in Colonial Nigeria
Filmmaking in Colonial Nigeria generally refers to an era in Nigerian cinema, usually spanning the 1900s through to the 1950s, when film production and exhibition or distribution were controlled by the British colonial Government. The history of ...
References
External links
''Palaver: A Romance of Northern Nigeria''at the
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery (United Kingdom), National Lot ...
1926 films
Nigerian drama films
Films directed by Geoffrey Barkas
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