LEGEND OF THE UNDERGROUND

US, 2021, 86 minutes, Colour.

Directed by Giselle Bailey, Nneka Onuorah.

This is an HBO documentary, focusing on social issues in Nigeria and of Nigerians in the United States.

The particular focus is on the LGBTQ in Lagos and other Nigerian cities, political stances, police procedures and brutality, protests.

There is a lot of footage in the underground clubs in Nigeria, drag queens, performance, the clientele. And there are parallels in the sequences in the United States. There are also protest marches.

The main feature of this documentary is the range of talking heads, those in Nigeria talking about their experiences, political and police operation, their defiant stances. And, this is true of the talking heads in the United States, those who have fled from Nigeria, very much involved in political and social movements.

The importance of the documentary is the Nigerian contribution – otherwise, the style of filmmaking is very familiar from other documentaries and television series.