Lavender in a storm

Stunned by the demise of a good man he came to know closely for nine (9) months, Shakiru reflects on Awudu Tijani’s work, life and death. Awudu directed Traffic voluntarily in Ghana’s capital Accra for two decades and died without commensurate recognition, except a documentary of him which Shakiru produced in June 2019.

Affected by substance abuse, Shakiru shines light on Awudu’s health condition, Ghanaian attitude towards underprivileged persons and the State’s passivity towards drug addiction, rehabilitation and mental health.

  • Shakiru Akinyemi
    Director
    Life on the Road Reverberation, Normal
  • Shakiru Akinyemi
    Writer
    Life On The Road
  • Shakiru Akinyemi
    Producer
    Life On The Road
  • Shakiru Akinyemi
    Key Cast
  • Paapa Adjei Addo
    Key Cast
  • Stella Sessy Agbley
    Key Cast
  • Cygishmel Cherub
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Runtime:
    7 minutes 50 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 23, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    2,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Ghana
  • Country of Filming:
    Ghana
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, 1080p HD, 23.97fps
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Shakiru Akinyemi

Shakiru Akinyemi is a creative whose aim is to better understand the world around him. From writing Plays in university, poems after university, he’s now settled in making documentary films.

In June 2017, by professional recommendation, Shakiru was invited to join ZPZ Productions to film CNN’s 'Sex and love around the world - Accra episode’, which was originally an all-female local crew. His communication and cultural intelligence was sought in filming at Jamestown, Accra’s steepest cultural town.

In 2017, he was local brand ambassadors for Facebook’s Chris Cox's working visit to Accra, Ghana.

In 2018, he wrote script for 'Indigenous', a food and climate change project funded by OSIWA and produced by Refined Creative in Accra. He also co-directed Tribal Zone, a fictional project by Berlin-based Weltfilme.

In June 2019, he directed soon-to-be released documentary ‘Life on the road’, the story of Awudu Tijani who has been directing traffic voluntarily in Accra for two decades, while holding on to his childhood dream of becoming a police officer. Shakiru describes ‘Life on the Road’ as ‘a riveting story of ambition and human struggle’.

He has worked on three experimental films namely Reverberation, Normal, Dear sweetheart, all in 2019.

Shakiru lives in Accra, Ghana (West Africa)

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