Last Friday at the British Council in Abuja, International filmmaker and migration crusader Ikenna Nnaebue screened No U-Turn, a critically acclaimed documentary chronicling the experiences of migrants.
At the event titled “Conversation on Migration Between Borders and No U-Turn,” hosted by the Eastern Nigeria Film & Arts Initiative (ENFAI) and supported by the Council, a community of policymakers, non-governmental organisations, migration-focused agencies, and thought leaders convened to exchange ideas on migration and post-migration integration.
The multi-sensory gathering featured a cocktail reception, panel discussions, and post-screening reflections with interactions from the audience who shared their experiences. During the post-screening conversations, the panellists—Ikenna Nnaebue, Filmmaker; Franklin Nguendia, Migration Policy Officer, EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS; and Uri Ngozichukwuka, Executive Director, Empathy-Driven Women International Initiative—and the audience alike arrived at a common uniting ground: the importance of sharing success stories to inspire others.
The discussion focused on complex and multifaceted nature of migration, highlighting the root causes. Nnaebue told the gathering that the essence of the event was to inspire action from policymakers and leaders regarding the challenges faced by migrants. For him, the root cause of migration stems from threadbare dreams: “People don’t leave their homes and families lightly; they want to ‘self-actualise’.” He highlighted the absence of development, leadership and skill-building centres and facilities in remote areas.
Responding, Nguendia, a Cameroonian who had lived in Germany for three years, challenged prevalent negative narratives about migration, stating that a significant majority occurs within regions. He emphasised that “80% of migration occurs within regions, not to Europe,” noting that in 2023, 16,000 Nigerians received short-stay European visas. He stressed that legal migration remains the vast majority and argues that the focus on irregular migration misrepresents reality.
“It’s normal. It’s human history. It’s the human lot to search for a better life. And we, from the European [side], understand, but we just want to first change something. We are talking a lot about the negative side of migration, about its bad narrative. I just want to recall again—of course, it’s a movie about crossing to Europe—but 80% of people just migrate within the region. These people are saying they brought out the most visible part of migration, but they are not the majority.” He shared personal insights into migrants’ realities, including the powerful influence of diaspora remittances on local economies.
Through the discussions, it became evident that segmenting the stories and leveraging social media platforms would lead to broader dissemination, a recommendation strongly echoed by Ngozichukwuka. On their part, the audience called for greater involvement from the government and policymakers, with the general dialogue focusing on fostering a more nuanced understanding of migration and its implications.
Why No ‘U-Turn’ Is an Important Story to Tell
In a post-screening chat with Modaculture, Nnaebue said that a significant personal experience deeply influenced the making of No U-Turn. The storyteller shared his two-decade-long aspiration to create a film that recounts his harrowing migration attempt from Nigeria to Europe, highlighting the challenges faced along the way. This journey shaped his narrative and brought to the fore the importance of storytelling in conveying personal and cultural histories. “So I’ve actually always known that I was going to make this film. I would say the original journey itself has always been the inspiration. You know those kinds of situations that you’ll find yourself in, and you just know that it’s like, if I survive this, I’m definitely going to tell the whole world about it. But it took me a lot of time. It took me over 26 years to be able to finally find the resources and the opportunity to tell the story.”
He expressed gratitude to key organisations, including the curator of the event and No U-Turn Impact Producer Ujuaku Akukwe, the British Council, the International Organisation for Migration, and the United Nations delegation to Nigeria, for their support of the film screening; emphasising the vital role of partnerships and collaborations in the film’s success, while also calling for greater involvement from the Nigerian government in critical dialogues regarding migration. He stressed the importance of the government’s engagement in addressing migration-related crises, acknowledging the presence of a representative of Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, the Honourable Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, during the panel discussions as a positive step toward facilitating this call.
“With the successful screening of this film today, I feel very supported. I would say that we need a lot of support from the Nigerian government. During the Q&A session, people were asking: ‘Where is the Nigerian government here?’ ‘Why is the Nigerian government not part of this very important conversation?’ And the answer to that is—we don’t know. We invited the government through the relevant agencies. But thankfully, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, the Honourable Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, sent a representative, and we appreciate that a lot. But we need a lot of government support. We need the Nigerian government to be part of this conversation. It’s a serious issue, and the government needs to drive this conversation.”
No U-Turn has achieved significant milestones, such as surpassing two million views on YouTube and generating over 10,000 conversations. In addition to these accomplishments, it has earned accolades, including a special jury mention at the Berlin Film Festival where it premiered and winning “Best Documentary” at the Africa International Film Festival. According to Nnaebue, the next focus is to establish partnerships for community screenings and target audiences who need to see it for more impact. “My desire for this film now is that we are really focusing on the impact drive that we get the right kind of partnerships and the right kind of support so that we can take this film to communities where people really, really need to see it.”
He told Modaculture about the sequel to the film hinted at earlier. “Yes, the follow-up to No U-Turn is Finding El Dorado. It’s basically about people who eventually made it into Europe, and the film seeks to understand how it is working out for them. The question is, is it worth it? After all that they had gone through, they are finally in Europe. Is it worth it for them and how are they trying to integrate? Basically, that’s what the film is about.”
See more photos from the event.
