Enter with your change o!
Soole is a Yoruba word that is used for a cheaper and faster means of transportation. It is mostly carried out as a clandestine operation by the drivers as the registered transport workers are always on the lookout for the perpetrators of such acts.
The movie “Soole” tells the story of a group of travellers on a bus journey from Lagos to Enugu who find themselves entangled in a cat-and-mouse game with dangerous criminals. Directed by Kayode Kasum, the movie is Adunni Ade’s debut production with a star-studded cast which includes; Sola Sobowale, Femi Jacobs, Meg Otanwa, Shawn Faqua, Eso Dike, Teniola Aladese, Adunni Ade, Bukunmi Oluwasina, Lateef Adedimeji, Gold Ikponmwosa, Kelechi Udegbe and others.
Here are 5 relatable truths in “Soole” the movie and our everyday public buses. P.S. This article may contain some spoilers.
1. Transport Fare Hikes
It is typical of Nigerians to bargain with public drivers or conductors to settle for the price before hopping on the bus. As it is in Nigerian buses, the characters–with different reactions like pleas, compulsion and threats to hop on another bus–try to beat the down the driver’s prices.
2. The Tussle Between Driver And Passengers
It is not uncommon to see the driver and passengers quarrel over one issue or the other in our public buses particularly over change. The same played out between the driver and his passengers in this movie as they quarrel about different things from the positioning of luggage to how to deal with the pregnant woman.
3. In-Bus Religious Activities
I bet that you must have boarded a bus with a preacher of the gospel before. Gold Ikponmwosa plays the role of a pastor on the bus by leading prayer and praise sessions in the Soole bus, preaching a message of condemnation and distributing tracts. Just as it happens in Nigerian buses, he did not fail to collect offerings when he was done with his display.
4. Buying and Selling
You can also testify to the fact that Nigerians won’t hesitate from seizing any opportunity to advertise their businesses, public buses aren’t left out. This is seen in how the herbal mixture seller sells her concoction at the price of #3000 for men having a weak erection without even knowing its constituents. Hustling hawkers stretching weren’t left out of the equation.
5. The Over Zealous Nigerian Police Force
Seeing our security operatives on our roads is a norm as they claim to do this in a bid to secure the citizens’ lives and properties while some bad eggs seize this as an opportunity to create roadblocks to enrich their pockets.
The movie captures this moment when the bus is stopped in a night scene at a checkpoint by some policemen for a search through their boot without rejecting the bribe that was presented by the driver in an attempt to discourage the search.
Soole is currently streaming on Netflix.
#Unsolicited is a segment for reviews, opinion pieces and professional perspectives for various industries. This edition features 5 Correlation between Soole the Movie and Nigerian public buses.
