Besouro is an action-packed movie, set in 1920s Bahia, and based on the life of a legendary capoeirista slave who uses the power of Candomble to fight the cruel conditions suffered by the black people in Brazil. In the movie, you will be fascinated to hear the names of Yoruba gods such as Ogun (the god of iron), Osun (god of fertility), Sango (god of fire), esu (the devil) etc.

Besouro, tells the marvellous story of a young Afro-Brazilian man who became a symbol throughout all of Bahia for his bravery and loyalty, in defending the persecuted and oppressed.

Watch the entire 95-minute feature film above (you may have to download the Divx player plugin, if your browser doesn’t already have it).

… And what do you say?

There is no where our History as Nigerians can be written or said without the phase of slave-trade finding its way in between the lines.

This phase undeniably, has greatly influenced the course of life of the Nigerian people as well as their culture over time, and it is therefore important that we underline and document as much record of this phase as we presently have available, before they are totally eroded by the aggressive waves of western culture sweeping through our social and cultural topography.

These questions therefore come to mind: When last did we create time to visit a museum, or take a drive to an historical monument near-by? When last did parents take the children to their home towns to have a feel of their roots, when last did our children sit at the feet of grand parents to fetch from their well of proverbs and mythical stories that had forged the foundations of our people, giving them hope and aspiration for a better tomorrow.

It has been said that a people who do not know where they are coming from, can never get a clear picture of where they are going to.

I am a Nigerian, and I am black like the depths of my Nigeria.

Filed under: Culture, History