Made by the Agbajowo Collective, The Legend of the Vagabond Queen of Lagos, a 2024 social thriller film of a cry of protest at evictions, is currently showing at the AfryKamera festival in Warsaw capital of Poland.
AfryKamera is the first and largest African Film Festival in Central and Eastern Europe, and the largest African-themed cultural event in Poland. It screens a diverse range of films from across the African continent and diaspora and includes accompanying events like music, art exhibitions, workshops, and discussions.
The Legend of the Vagabond Queen of Lagos, directed by The Agbajowo Collective, which comprises Samuel Okechukwu, Temitope Ogungbamila, Bisola Akinmuyiwa, Elijah Atinkpo, Tina Edukpo, James Tayler, and Mathew Cerf, is based on the 2017 destruction of Otodo-Gbame, a waterfront settlement in Lagos.
The film follows a young mother who discovers a corrupt plan to destroy the informal settlement and build a luxury condo development in its stead and her attempts to unite her community in resistance. Although it is a fictionalised account, the story is based on the true events of the Otodo Gbame evictions of 2016 and 2017, where 30,000 residents were forcibly evicted in a series of attacks by police and armed aggressors.
“We thought that a film would explain the situation better than documentaries made about the settlement’s destruction,” said Tina Edukpo, who grew up in Otodo-Gbame.
Mathew Cerf, a film professional based in the U.S. and a member of the collective, said the group had “an audacious goal” to make a movie about the episode that “could stand up on the international stage”.
That goal has now been achieved, with The Legend of the Vagabond Queen of Lagos making appearances across the world since its release last year, first at the Toronto film festival (TIFF) and earlier this year winning big at the Zuma International Film Festival earning three awards for its technical excellence.
AfryKamera has managed to occupy a niche in the film festival market – although there are many international film festivals, they generally show a limited range of African films.
AfryKamera is therefore the only festival in Poland dedicated purely to films from the continent and the diaspora. In the past few years the festival has decided to explore new avenues not only in the art of cinematography, but also in the presentation of other African art forms, music, and culture.
The main events of the African Film Festival AfryKamera take place in Warsaw, Poland, traditionally in the capital city’s premier arthouse cinemas. The 2025 event will last a week, from November 21th till 27th, and present around 16 feature films (including documentaries) and 12 short films from around the continent and from the African diaspora. The 2025 motto of the festival is “African Gaze”: SANKOFA.
