NO U-TURN

Ike Nnaebue, NG, 2022
94 min., eOV
I am going to retake a journey that I made 21 years ago, as a young man, when I left Nigeria to try and reach Europe by road. On my journey, I turned back on the advice of a stranger. Why do other young men and women continue? I want to meet West African youth migrating today to search for a better life and through conversations with them, I will try to understand their challenges and hopes as well as the choices they make. With images of people lured into slavery and bondage along the routes in North Africa all over social media and the internet, most young people are aware of the dangers of traveling undocumented by road. More and more women are joining the ranks of those who risk this journey. I want to meet the women who take such a dangerous risk and find out what this means for evolving gender roles in African society. This journey is a reflection on own my coming-of-age story, a road movie through the landscapes and cultures of West Africa.