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The White Garment Church (Cherubim And Seraphim)

This documentary project is centred around the life of the founder of the Cherubim and Seraphim Church (C&S), St. Moses Orimolade Tunolase.
The church places special emphasis on the direct personal experience of God through Baptism of the holy spirit as shown in the Biblical account of the Day of Pentecost.
We take a journey into the world of the C&S church exploring its origins in the ancient city of Ikare in Ondo State Nigeria and how from this small town which was predominantly filled with traditionalists at the time steadily grew a church with a huge following worldwide.
We take an in-depth look into the myths that have surrounded the church for almost a hundred years and the various internal conflicts and struggles plaguing the church and how a new generation of millennials within the church have begun to change the narrative with a goal to demystify and enlighten people on the practices and doctrines of the C&S church.

  • Ola Deborah Ajayi
    Producer
  • Ufuoma Metitiri
    Writer
    The Mr X Family, Professor Johnbull
  • Emmanuel Wogu
    Director
  • Anuoluwapo Sangokunle
    Editors
  • Deji Talabi
    Director Of Photography
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 35 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    December 8, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    50,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    Nigeria
  • Language:
    English, Other
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital 4k
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Emmanuel Wogu

Graduated from University of Nigeria (AUN) and studied TV & Film. Emmanuel has shot documentaries, commercials and short films. He is excellent at professional camera movement, frame composition.

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Director Statement

Growing up Catholic, I just could not understand the White Garment Church or Olumba-Olumba as they are popularly called in the rural town of Yola, Adamawa state. We often heard rumors of rituals, crazy dance and idol worshipping. They wore white flowing gowns, walked barefoot and were often the talk of the town.

Today in my twenties, nothing much has changed. They have integrated a lot more into society but not many people like myself before this documentary project have had the opportunity to hear their story. And so, when the Producer of the Project, Ola Ajayi flew in from the United States and explained her vision, what I saw was an opportunity to not only hear their story but to help tell it. And so myself, the Producer, and an army of young Lagos based creatives, took on the challenge. The objective was to demystify the negativity surrounding the church and highlight some of its serious challenges since its birth. Today, I’m proud to say that we have a body of work that does justice to that.

What stood out for me about the church throughout the whole process, is its leadership since its birth. The vision, from Saint Moses Orimolade who founded it in 1928, to today’s famous founder of the Love of Christ Generation Church (C&S), Esther Ajayi who is presently championing a new wave of reforms, has remained the same. Despite incredible challenges, the church has grown, adapted and won over its present-day army of souls for Christ. The church surprisingly turns out to be one of the most progressive in Nigeria and I feel privileged to be part of the team responsible for telling its story. That is what this project is about. I encourage our audience to watch, have a good time, enjoy and share their thoughts with us. Cheers!