Reporter’s Diary: Why Documentaries Are Not Boring

For a film genre that captures the realities of people’s lives through human interest, it’s a common misconception that documentaries are boring. Why is that?

Last month, I made my debut at the iRepresent International Documentary Film Festival (iRep). What to expect? I wasn’t sure, especially for a strictly documentary film festival.

I’ve often assumed documentaries are mundane; I know I know. There are many like me too. Why? It’s probably something I never really fancied like feature films.

From the few I’ve seen, I find it challenging to stay engaged with someone narrating their story in a documentary that follows their journey. I prefer the more dynamic cinematic experience that features offer.

For iRep, I expected a quick, easy experience, but the festival had different plans for me. I found myself completely captivated and immersed over its four days, spellbound by each documentary film that was screened.

My experience clearly conveys why documentaries are committed to showcasing authentic stories through real people. However, it is perplexing that we continue to shy away from this powerful medium of African storytelling.

Different faces, Different stories

If there’s anything, my experience at iRep was eye opening. It made me realise that “as our faces are different so are our stories.” Each documentary film screened at the festival captured different African stories, personalities, culture and traditions. Each curated film was a memory worth reliving.

One of the films that stood out for me during the iRep festival was Kachi Benson’s “Mothers of Chibok” (2024). The story chronicles the grieving experiences of Chibok mothers and survivors. The brilliant portrayal of nuances around ‘strong faith’ of these Chibok mothers also comes in hidden but noticeable ways.

One striking scene was a mother who had received a call that her daughter might be among the recused victims. It was heartwarming to see that all through the years, she kept her daughter’s things intact–in hope for her return.

“A Goat for A Vote” (2014)by Kenyan filmmaker Jeroen Van Velzen is another story that mirrors the political lobbying system, the lens of secondary school students. Three students of Majaoni school Harry Jefwa, Magdalene Ramadan and Said Salim vied for the position of the President.

From bribing students with sweets, to recording songs in the studio, and praying to God, the contestants devise different approaches to gain the trust of the students. We see the lengths they go to seek campaigns.

Shedrack Salami’s “Beyond Olympic Glory” boldly highlights the remarkable journey of Nigerian female boxer Cynthia Ogunsemilore as she confronts the challenges of a doping drug case.

Semilore, in the documentary, tells her own story, narrating how she fell out of the Olympics because of the scandal. She also talked about the suicidal thoughts she had to deal with all the way. The emotions in every scene are both heartbreaking and inspiring.

Documentaries like “Tina, When Will You Marry” by Celestina Aleobua also touches on a crucial issue of societal pressure on women. It is a stark reminder of how women are faced with unending stereotypes and expectations. Society dictates when they should get married, give birth and how to live their lives.

Autism is a disorder that is most ignored in Nigeria. Many people aware of it are mostly connected to it. This issue is captured in “Echoe of Hopes: Navigating Autism in Nigeria” by Solape Azazi. It is truly enlightening documentation.

It is a story of mothers, siblings, fathers and professionals navigating with children with Autism. The film most importantly exposes the misconceptions, stereotypes and stigmatization of autism.

Are Documentaries Boring?

Before now, I can say yes but experiencing iRep changed my perception. The stigma around documentaries operates primarily on the assumption that facts are boring and that history is boring.

I’ve come to terms with it being ridiculous now. For instance, improbably fascinating things happen everyday, and we love to hear about them. Why not a documentary?

A documentary is about more than presenting just facts and history. It is important in African storytelling. Documentaries are far from boring if we begin to focus on its authentic stories beyond the urge for ‘entertainment.’

According to Film Blogger, Mike Egan, a documentary is still a film, after all, and therefore a piece of art. “A documentary takes facts and history and creates art.”

Egan opined that a film has the incredible privilege of being able to tell a story at the precise pace that an artist wants, revealing new information only when the artist feels it creates the most meaning for the audience, and for the film as a whole.

This article I read while writing this piece, corroborated my new beliefs about the power of documentaries—not being boring but a cultural tool if well utilised.

Documentaries are a learning tool

During my time at iRep, I felt the crowd was low and wondered why more people didn’t show up to experience the powerful stories as I did.

Sharing my concerns in a conversation with a Documentary filmmaker Peju Awofeso, he corrected my perception, saying that the festival has witnessed a larger turnout in the past years.

Awofeso highlighted documentaries as a learning tool that many often overlook. For him, while it still boils down to people’s choices, the documentary is a must-watch.

“Documentaries are one of the best ways to be educated. If you are interested in something, find a documentary that talks about it. Many people don’t see it as such.” he said.

He, however, noted that there is a growing interest in documentaries in Africa compared to what it used to be before.

Documentaries are a reflection of society

Watching Kachi Benson’s “Mothers of Chibok,” I remember sharing thoughts with an actor, Miracle Obaloluwa, I met. He shared how fascinated he was about the Chibok story despite being 10 years ago.

I particularly remembered explaining the ‘media framing’ approach behind the documentary. It is enough that Nigerians have moved on from the 2014 Kidnap of over 200 girls in Chibok.

However, the trauma is something these girls’  families, especially their mothers cannot forget. They sleep and wake up to relive the nightmares of that day.

In “A Vote of Goat,” Oba painted the political system of Nigeria and how everything in the documentary is what is obtainable in our country.

As a reflection of society, documentaries like these, present the realities of real people and leave us reflective of the past, the present and the future.

Documentaries are Means Cultural Preservation 

“Cultural preservation is very important in what I do as a filmmaker. Everything I’ve done is driven by the fact that people preserve heritage for posterity,” Peju Awofeso told me as we spoke about his documentary on “Mission to Osoogun.”

The narrative chronicles the remarkable history of Bishop Ajayi Crowther in his hometown of Osogun. It emphatically highlights his capture and enslavement, as well as his significant journey in translating the Bible into the Yoruba language.

According to him, we are able to talk about cultural preservation because some people in the past thought about that. “Having benefited from that in the past, I should also be a propagator,” he noted.

Finance, however, is one the most important challenges of making documentaries, Peju said. It is the reason why his project was crowdfunded. “It is a huge capital-intensive project,”

Accessibility is another challenge that inhibits documentaries as cited by Peju. Getting access to people to interview and characters to share their stories can be a hard nut to crack.

“The challenge is how we do not preserve our history and culture,” Oluwa Enitan, one of the researchers on Peju’s “Mission to Osoogun,” also shared with me.

Enitan detailed her eye-opening moments as a researcher on the project. “Going to dig out these archives was eye-opening for me,” she emphasised.

For her, researching on the project made her realise the importance of taking charge of one’s life and their impact in the society.

“We are not documenting enough. Who would have thought that Ajayi Crowther was Herbert Macaulay’s in-law?” She lamented, highlighting how Africans destroy historical information that ought to tell our stories.

“There are also challenges in getting materials because for each generation, they keep destroying information because most of these stories follow oral preservation,” she added.

Final Thoughts

The future of African storytelling is undeniably in documentaries. For too long, the narratives of Africa have been shaped by outsiders.

It’s time for African voices to take the lead and share their own authentic stories. To tell our stories as authentic and realistic as they are, documentaries have proven the best medium.

Documentaries often blend rare archival footage, intimate interviews and untold stories that spotlight history, personalities and culture.

Documentaries are not boring, it is what we all need to remember who we are, where we used to be, where we are and where we are going.