Anikulapo – The Man who made a mockery of death

“Saroooo, Alaso- ofi!”.

Chances are you have come across the name ‘saro’ as numerous conversations sparked around his character. Was he a victim of his circumstances? Or was he just unwise? Before we go ahead to analyze this character, let us start from the beginning. Who is Saro?

Saro is the protagonist of the Kunle Afolayan classic Anikulapo. A mythology story set in the 17th-century kingdom of Oyo which explores folklore-like themes of second chances, betrayal, and what classic is complete without love and romance wink.

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Anikulapo interprets as ‘ he who has death in his pocket’. This power initially belonged to the mystical ‘Akala’ bird, and you can agree with me that Saro did not have any spectacular reason to be granted a second chance. However, as fate would spin it Saro was not only fortunate to live again but now had the power to give life, like literally in his pocket.

Death is such a sombre topic, on the living, it incites great feelings of despair, how much time do I have left? , Have I lived purposeful enough?

Death reminds us of how our mortality that at the end of every human travail is a sudden end. All these are very sober thoughts, yeah, but then Saro faces death and switches the script on us.

We expected an exceptional coming of age for Saro, who else should reevaluate his choices after such a horrid experience if not him? Still, we see how he conveniently makes the same pattern of missteps again.

Saros’ Achilles heel is wealth, status and women, which we can empathise with. Comfort has a way of making us lose sight of what is important. Saro took life and death and made a mockery of it, Literally.