Welcome to the Deep Dive. We are really glad
you're here. Absolutely. Welcome. Because we
know you love to learn. You like absorbing huge
amounts of information efficiently, right? Yeah,
getting right to the good stuff. Exactly. Yeah.
So today, we are basically saving you about,
oh, I'd say 130 hours of binge watching. Which
is a... Pretty massive undertaking. It is. We're
distilling a massive 260 -episode Nigerian period
drama down to its absolute most crucial elements.
And this is not just any show. No, it's Riona.
Pronounced Riona. It's a 2020 Africa Magic original
series. And the goal today is to really look
at how this show masterfully blends 12th century
history. with intense class warfare. And dark
prophecies. Don't forget the prophecies. Right.
The prophecies are huge. And for anyone wondering
why this specific show matters to you, I mean,
why we are doing a deep dive on it, it's because
it's so much more than just a daytime soap opera.
It is this brilliant structural exploration of
dictatorship versus democracy. It really forces
you to look at the terrifying lengths people
will go to when they want to preserve their own
power. OK, let's unpack this, because to really
get the stakes here, you have to understand the
world they're living in. The setting is everything.
Right. So based on our sources, the show is set
in the pre -colonial Itzikiri kingdom. In the
12th century. Exactly. Yeah. Just to put that
on a map for you, we are talking about the westernmost
part of the Niger Delta. Which is bounded by
the Bight of Benin. Yeah. It's this incredibly
rich, geographically complex region. Very lush,
lots of waterways. Controlling this area means
you have serious wealth and strategic power.
But the kingdom of Wyoming, which is where our
story takes place. is dealing with a massive
crisis. A crisis that has nothing to do with
borders or trade? No, they are quite literally
under siege by fate itself. Yeah, the inciting
incident is wild. It really is. So we meet this
character, Aranyeka, and she is the Oparun male.
Which means the mouthpiece of the gods. Right,
and she is actually the first female Oparun male
in the history of the kingdom. So already tradition
is shifting. The old rules are breaking down.
And she delivers this absolutely chilling prophecy
to the throne. She says a child born under a
rising dark moon is going to destroy the reigning
king. King Ofotunku. Yes, and completely end
his rule. What's fascinating here is how the
writers take this classic, almost mythological
trope of, you know, the ruler trying to outsmart
destiny. And they ground it in this brutal political
reality. Because the king's reaction isn't to
step down or repent. No, he doesn't self -reflect
at all. Not even a little. He immediately orders
the mass killing of all children born under the
dark moon. Which immediately establishes just
how impossibly high the stakes are. And how brutal
his regime actually is. It tells you exactly
who King Ofotanku is. And he's played by Frank
Conwaya, by the way. Our sources describe him
as a genuinely wicked king. Wicked is almost
an understatement. Yeah, he crushes anyone in
his way. goes beyond just being a dictator. He
literally dares to fight the gods when they pass
judgment on him. Which is the ultimate sign of
an autocrat completely losing touch with reality.
He thinks he is bigger than fate. Right. But
trying to cheat fate comes with a tragic cost?
It does. And there is this one specific, shocking
detail from the text that really drives this
home. It's devastating. To save his own life
from this prophecy, the king is in this state
of total panic. He loses his temper. As he often
does. Right, he has this explosive temper. And
he unwittingly kills his fourth wife. Anya Mofay.
Yes, she goes by Mofay, played by Mimi Chaka.
And the tragedy here is that Mofay wasn't just
a political alliance. No, she was his favorite.
She was the one he actually married for love.
And she's the mother of his heir. Exactly. So
in his blind panic to hold onto power, he destroys
the only real genuine human connection he has.
He totally isolates himself. Which means he has
to rely entirely on his inner circle. The enablers.
Yeah, let's talk about that inner circle. You
have Omereon, played by Sobifai Dokubo. Who is
a fascinating character. He is. He's the king's
intensely loyal friend. They've been close since
childhood. But his real job is basically handling
the king. He's the diplomat. Right. He knows
how to navigate this tyrannical guy without getting
himself killed. You need someone like that to
keep a failing regime running. And you contrast
him with Queen Eidolor. His first wife. Yeah,
she is a high council member. So you have this
very complex web of advisors insulating the king.
But they can't insulate him from the prophecy.
No, they can't. Because despite this horrific
mass killing, fate finds a way. As it always
does. Four of the targeted children actually
survive the call. Four managed to slip through.
And one of them is Prince Atsigen. Who goes by
Agon. Right. Played by Emer Chukwu Ono. And this
is the structural core of the whole series. Here's
where it gets really interesting. Agon is the
king's own heir. His own son. Yes. He is destined
to bring down his father's dictatorship because
he was one of those kids. born under the dark
moon. And his motivation is so unique for a period
drama. Yeah, he doesn't just want the throne
for himself. He despises his father's oppression.
He actually wants to replace the monarchy with
democracy. Which is a wild concept for a prince
in the 12th century. Totally. He is willing to
sacrifice his relationship with his father, his
own inheritance, to tear the system down. But
a prince can't start a revolution all by himself
from inside the palace. No, the pressure has
to come from the outside, too. Exactly. Which
brings us to the lowborn leader, Oriasame, or
Seema. Played by Jasmine Al -Ratami and Maggie
Isabor. Right. Her background is so complex.
Technically, she is highborn. But she doesn't
grow up that way. No, she is raised by a virtuous
lowborn man named Aso. And Aso raises her specifically
to lead the rebellion. He teaches her her value.
She voices her opinions without any fear. Which
is very dangerous in this society. It is. And
it gets her into major trouble when Prince Agan
actually visits her community. They clash immediately.
Because she just speaks her mind. But you see,
connecting the dots between Egon and Seema is
the whole point. They come from entirely different
worlds. But they are both dark moon children.
Their chance crossing of paths is the ultimate
threat to the king. They are the two halves of
the kingdom coming together. Which brings us
to the actual society they are living in. The
class warfare in Oyomer is intense. It's the
engine of the show. The society is divided into
two main classes. At the top, you have the highborn
class, the Omajaja. They hold all the cards.
The wealth, the military, the land. And at the
bottom, you have the lowborn class, the Aral.
who are essentially living in bondage. Yeah,
they do all the work and suffer under the king's
violence, and Sima is the one destined to free
the Aral from this bondage. Making her King Ofotanku's
absolute worst enemy. But it's not just politics
and class warfare. The show also has this incredible
mystical side. The supernatural elements are
deeply woven into the politics. Yeah, like Atigbi
-Aloy, played by Elvina Ibru. She is a shape
-shifting witch living in the Oyomir forest.
She is amazing. And she plays a critical role
in making sure the dark moon prophecy is actually
fulfilled. If we connect this to the bigger picture.
The show uses all these elements, both the magical
gods and shapeshifters, and the social clash
between the Omijaja and Uriah. To build this
world on the brink. Exactly. It creates this
rich tapestry of a society ready for revolution.
The magic shows the limits of the king's earthly
power. He can't execute a shapeshifter. Right.
Now, just stepping back for a second, we have
to talk about the sheer scale of this production.
It is staggering. 260 episodes. We'll let that
sink in. Produced by Fimo. Directed and executive
produced by James Amakwe. And written by Effiani
Barbaciti. Edit air daily. 30 -minute episodes
every weekday from September 2020 to September
2021. The stamina required to pull that off while
keeping the narrative quality high. is just incredible
and people noticed the real world reception was
huge it was listed as one of the top five nigerian
tv series of 2020 and it earned james omakwe
a nomination for best africa magic original drama
series at the 2022 africa magic viewers choice
award very well deserved so what does this all
mean why does a massive 12th century period drama
matter so much to you today because the themes
are universal Exactly. It shows how epic storytelling
is used all over the world to process historical
and societal themes. We use these grand historical
settings to safely explore modern realities.
Power, corruption, freedom. Exactly. So just
to quickly wrap up this massive deep dive, we've
looked at the epic clash sparked by King Ofotunku's
paranoia. His brutal attempt to stop fate. We
followed his rebellious heir, Ogun, who wants
democracy. The fearless Sima. Leading from the
outside. And the inevitable explosion between
the Omijaja and the Aral. It is a brilliant piece
of media. And it leaves you with such a clear
insight into the core themes. It really exposes
the destructive nature of absolute power. It
rots from the inside. Right. But it also highlights
the unstoppable force of people demanding their
freedom. Once that spark is lit, you can't put
it out. You really can't. And before we go, I
want to leave you with one final provocative
thought based on the premise we just discussed.
Oh, I love this. Lay it out. Think about the
ultimate paradox of the king's actions. He ordered
the slaughter of innocent children purely to
prevent the prophecy. Right. But by doing that,
King of Otanku is the one who alienated his own
son, Agon. He pushed him away. He pushed him
right toward rebellion and democracy. So here's
the question for you to ponder. Okay. Did the
dark moon actually curse the king? Or did his
own brutal attempts to cheat fate guarantee his
destruction? Wow. That is a heavy question to
walk away with. It really makes you think about
free will versus destiny. It absolutely does.
Well, thank you so much for joining us on this
deep dive. We hope we gave you a great shortcut
through an incredible story. Keep exploring.
Definitely. Keep learning. Keep asking questions.
And we will catch you next time.