DOCUMENTARY

Nollywood filmmaker Ike Nnaebue retraces a journey he made twenty-six years ago, when he left Nigeria as a young man to try and reach Europe by road. Along the way, he meets those who are taking the same trip today to search for a better life and, through conversations with them, tries to understand the aspirations of young people in West Africa. On his own journey, Ike Nnaebue returned because of the advice a stranger gave him. Why do other young men and women continue? With images of people lured into slavery and bondage along the routes in North Africa all over social media and the internet, most young people are aware of the dangers of traveling undocumented by road. Yet more and more women are joining the ranks of those who risk this journey. Who are the people taking such a dangerous risk and what does this mean for the evolving gender roles in African society? This journey is a reflection on Ike Nnaebue’s own coming-of-age story, a road movie through the landscapes and cultures of West Africa. No U-­Turn is Nnaebue’s first documentary.