Title:
Cowboy

Year:
2022

Running time:
10:40 mins

Format:
HD digital film, colour with sound

Two channel

Location:
Lagos, Nigeria

Acknowledgements:

Producers: Golddust by Ashadu

In “Cowboy”, the story of the protagonist deftly and poetically relates to aspects of colonial structures and black history, while captivating the viewer with its beauty and sensuality. Two channels – one portrays swaying palm trees in the wind interspersed with rushing ocean waves, while the other introduces us to a man named “Cowboy” who has dedicated his life to the care of horses.

As he tends to his stable, he relays his life, origins and his love for the equestrian. The vastness of the sea, which features as a motif throughout the work – in both image and sound, conveys sentiments of Freedom and Independence.

In one scene, “Cowboy”, elevated on his horse, confronts the camera with his gaze. This hierarchy of looking is particularly captivating as he rides, seemingly encircling and homing in on us. The other screen remains dark for this moment and the gesture is intensified. When he’s not confronting the camera, he turns his back on us.

The churning grey sea featured throughout one channel culminates in “Cowboy” riding to meet it in the other. In this meeting he stops just shy of the shore, never really venturing in. Though there are sentiments of freedom in its undulating vastness, underlying however, is the sea as a witness of carnage such as the transatlantic slave trade, or as a passage for undocumented migration.

As the film ends and waves surge out to shore, involuntarily we reflect once more on these associations.

In the interplay with the palm trees, through whose leaves the sunlight breaks, the feeling of freedom prevails again. Historically, the palm frond stands as a symbol of victory, peace and independence.

Contact studio@karimahashadu.com for a preview link.