‘In Bakassi’ Screens At Social Media Week Lagos

In Bakassi, a short documentary by filmmaker Joel ‘Kachi Benson will be screened on February 8, 2019, being the last day of the ongoing Social Media Week Lagos. The documentary is also one of the selected virtual reality films that will be screened at the 2019 Berlin International Film Festival.

The film, which shines a light on the insurgency in the Northeast part of the country is, the first VR film to be made by a Nigerian on the effects of terrorism on Internally Displaced Persons (IDP).

Relayed from the eyes of Modu Mustapha, an 11-year-old orphan, who has been living in the camp for three years, viewers are immersed into the daily struggles of survivors as they search for hope in a place of desolation.

The film comes at a time when the effects of insurgency that has rocked the northern part of Nigeria have reached frightening levels leading to the displacement of millions of Nigerians. These Nigerians have had to find new homes in the IDP camps situated in the region. The Bakassi IDP Camp, spotlighted in this film, is one of the most populous camps in the region, sheltering over 35,000 Internally Displaced Persons with half of them being children.

Many of the children in the camp are orphans and have been traumatically affected by the effects of the insurgency. Despite efforts by the government and international bodies, the living conditions in the camp are still deplorable and subpar. Benson’s film spotlights these problems and brings them to the forefront of the documentary.