A documentary that portrays the life of the everyday Nigerian street hustler, ‘Awon Boyz’ will premiere on Netflix on Wednesday, April 14, 2021.
The 38 minutes flick was created by Lagos-based production company, Zero Degrees and directed by Tolulope Itegboje. Initially released in 2019, the documentary draws the audience into the life of organised gangs of street kids called “area boys” by providing a never seen before view of what it is like to live on Lagos’ streets. The documentary tells an all-encompassing story of freedom, missed opportunities, love, and self-belief of eight young men.
‘Awon Boyz’ was shot over a month across three locations. Arguably, It would be the first time the story of this class of Nigerian citizens is told through a personal, human lens.
“This story gives the audience a front-row view of what it is like to live on the streets of Lagos,” executive producer Steve Babaeko said. “It’s a very insightful piece of art that paints a vivid picture of what life is like on the streets for the people who live it. It’s a very important story, and we’re grateful that we get to help tell it to the world.”
Shot on the streets of Monkey Village, a slum in the highly residential area of Opebi, Oshodi, and the New Afrika Shrine, Ikeja, the documentary is the first of many and part of a plan, according to Babaeko, to bring fresh perspectives to stereotyped people and events on the African continent.
Data from the United Nations reveals that a significant cause of homelessness and street living in developing countries is poverty. In Lagos alone, one of the most populated cities in Africa, and Nigeria’s commercial hub, living on the streets has become a new normal, fuelling an ecosystem of artisans, beggars, traders, urchins, and many more.
Attesting to facts, one of the featured area boys in the documentary rightly pointed out that many people on the streets are graduates who have looked for jobs with no success. “They try to hustle, but the way is not pure. Or after hustling, the police stops them and collect all the money. So the area boy thinks to himself, the government has robbed me.”
The documentary premieres on Netflix on April 14, 2021, two years after a cinema premiere that attracted industry heavyweights and celebrities.
