My Father’s Shadow 2025

Two young brothers are playing in a house on the Nigerian countryside when their father, Folarin, returns with a plan to spend a day in Lagos for his work. Eager for time with his kids, he agrees to bring them along. They board a minibus, but the ride stalls when the vehicle runs out of fuel, forcing them to hitchhike the rest of the way to Lagos.

Once there, he introduces his sons to his workplace, and they learn he has not been paid for six months. A colleague mentions that the manager should be back by nightfall, so he decides to stay in Lagos with his children for the evening. Their days start to unfold against a backdrop of city life, and the family begins to navigate a city pulsing with energy and tension.

In the bustle of the city, the family is accompanied by the two boys, Aki and Remi, who rapidly discover the fragility of their father’s situation. They witness the ever-present military presence as they wander through streets filled with sounds, colors, and the heat of the day. The trio enjoys a few simple pleasures together: a visit to an amusement park, the flavors of street food, and a refreshing swim at the beach. Throughout the day, Folarin endures unexplained nosebleeds, a physical sign that something isn’t right. He speaks to his children about the meaning of family and the power of fraternal love, sharing a painful memory from his own childhood when his brother drowned. That memory becomes more vivid when he begins to glimpse his brother’s restless spirit, a haunting that eases only after he names his son Remi after his brother.

As evening falls, they return to the workplace, where the manager still hasn’t appeared. A coworker invites them to a café, where they drink palm wine and watch a televised announcement about the 1993 Nigerian presidential election. The children learn that their father is having an affair with Abike, a young woman working at the café. When the Nigerian military announces that the election has been annulled, the café erupts into chaos as people spill into the streets. Folarin rushes to get his children home, but a harsh military checkpoint stands in their way. A soldier claims to recognize him from a violent incident the week before, and Folarin’s nose bleeds heavily as they are finally allowed to pass.

Some time later, Aki and Remi attend their father’s funeral with their mother, a quiet moment of closure that marks the end of a day filled with danger, hope, and the enduring bond of a family that clings to one another in the face of uncertainty. The story lingers on what was learned about love, resilience, and the unpredictable paths that life can take in a country on the edge.