Communiqué 43: Of all the things to fall apart
What a debate about the film adaptation of an African literary classic tells us about global cultural goods.
1. Little Italy
I’ve been thinking a lot about food—about the ways a meal could taste in one part of a country in comparison to how it tastes in another simply because the ingredients readily available are different. How the same meal cooked with so much spice in one region could be a lot milder in another. How a group of outsiders can come into a community, take inspiration from their local dishes, and then adapt ingredients to suit their taste. How people are forced to adapt recipes (use different vegetables, soup bases, meats, etc.) whenever they move into a new country. Or how the influx of a new group of people into a community comes with new culinary flavors.
In essence, food is one of the best ways to understand the spread of culture globally. Take a cue from the Italians.
Towards the end of the 19th century, there was a massive influx of Italian migrants into the U.S. This wave of migration, according to The Atlantic, “was ultimately responsible for pasta’s becoming a staple of the American middle class.” But it took a while for this to catch on. More than five million Italians moved to America between 1880 and 1921, and when they did, the food they brought along with them and consumed (pasta, hard cheese, vegetables, fruit, and garlic) turned many people off. The Italians went as far as growing vegetables and herbs they could find in America and importing “appalling sums” of hard cheese. Today, Italian food is a huge part of American culture and global cuisine. Some of the recipes have changed, some have adapted their ingredients to their new environment, but a lot has also stayed the same.
2. What does food have to do with this?
A few weeks ago, U.S. publication Variety reported that a TV series adaptation of Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart” was in the works, with Idris Elba attached as a co-producer and star. The show would be developed by studio A24 and backed by other producers such as Yoruba Saxon, a production company founded by David and Jessica Oyelowo, Emmy Award-winner Ben Forkner, African media investor Dayo Ogunyemi, and Achebe Masterworks, the author’s estate.
The announcement was followed by an uproar and think pieces questioning Elba’s selection to play Okonkwo, the story’s protagonist. A lot has been said about this already, some of which is right and helpful, much of which isn’t.
“Things Fall Apart” has been adapted twice before—first as a movie in 1971, then as a TV series in 1987. The latter, starring Nigerian film icon Pete Edochie, was a national hit and the more popular of the two. It is perhaps the adaptation that evokes the strongest emotions and draws deepest from the wells of nostalgia. But it was hardly an economic success, given that the local film industry was still in its infancy. A 2024 adaptation of “Things Fall Apart” will be significantly more expensive and lined up against far more stringent benchmarks than either of the previous versions.
For one, “Things Fall Apart” is now a global product, having been translated into over 60 languages, including Arabic, Basque, Greek, Hindi, Italian, and Swedish. Therefore, it makes sense that a 2024 adaptation will appeal to a wider, global audience. This strategy will require making hard decisions, such as bringing on investors, actors, and crew members who are neither Nigerian nor speak Igbo, the language of the book’s locale. Furthermore, it is impossible to ignore the financial limitations of Nigeria’s film market.
For instance, the highest grossing Nigerian movie of all time, “A Tribe Called Judah,” has brought in 1.4 billion naira ($853,000). The top five movies have brought in a combined 3.5 billion naira ($2.2 million)—that’s less than it would cost to even get a star like Elba onboard the “Things Fall Apart” ship.
Turning a book into a film or TV series is hard work. Take the proposed 2D movie adaptation of Cyprian Ekwensi’s “The Passport of Mallam Ilia” for example. This project has been in the works for at least five years now. Although the project is nearing its completion, it’s still some way off its final form. One of the biggest challenges has been finding investors. Right now, the project is listed on WeFunder, with an investment goal of $500,000. Only about $65,000 has been raised so far. The goal is to secure a licensing deal of about $4 million and box office revenue of $13.5 million, amounting to returns of nearly 800%, more than investors would get from most tech startups on the continent. Still, this fundraising goal has been incredibly difficult, and this is largely due to the absence of dedicated creative economy investment firms with comprehensive understanding of the landscape.
3. Ruminating
Knowing this then, it makes sense that the developers of the new “Things Fall Apart” series will look to amplify the book’s status by primarily looking to the global market for funding, casting, production, distribution, and generating returns on investment. What this means is that the Nigerian audience (with its strong cultural ties to the story and its significance) has to accept the reality of these. Elba’s selection to play the main character is one of several decisions that will be polarizing. But these choices will set the show up for international success, and that could lead to more open doors for similar projects.
That said, everyone who feels strongly about this has the right to. Afterall, there have been many instances in the past where culturally iconic products have been watered down for the sake of global appeal. Once a product leaves the shores of its home country, it becomes subject to several other cultures’ interpretations—this happens with food, music, and fashion. It will happen with “Things Fall Apart” and many other stories. Exporting a cultural good means accepting that it is no longer exclusively yours.
However, the fact that you can export a cultural product also means you have the chance to benefit from it, economically and socially. Even though people will modify your culture to suit their reality, you can still have a say in how it is expressed, especially if you do so with a collective voice. You can and should correct inaccurate and watered down representations and uses of your cultural products. But you must be flexible enough to allow them to spread organically. Therein lies the tension with “Things Fall Apart.”