US-Supported Drama Sends
Nigerians Message of Unity
USAID
‘In Love and Ashes’ brings plight of the Northeast into the mainstream
The cast and crew of “In Love and Ashes” take a bow at the gala launch of the mini-series in Lagos
by Zack Taylor
L
agos – As a long-time friend and ally
of Nigeria, the United States is always
looking for creative ways to promote
social cohesion and national unity.
A new and inspired effort by the
U.S. Agency for International
Development (USAID) unveiled at
the end of March taps into the vast
platform of Nigeria’s entertainment
industry with support for a new
television drama that tells a story
underrepresented by “Nollywood” – the
struggle to live, love, and survive in the
embattled Northeast.
A village scene from the USAID-supported
mini-series
Over the course of eight episodes,
a new series, “In Love and Ashes,”
supported by USAID and the 2Baba
Foundation and produced by
Watershed Entertainment, touches
on universal themes such as the social
and emotional challenges of marriage,
the status of girls and women,
the rise of poverty and hardship
fomenting radicalization, the influence
of political “godfathers,” insurgency,
and the hardships of life for the
internally displaced.
Set in restive Maiduguri, In Love
and Ashes sends the message that
love conquers hate and draws the
moral conclusion that to overcome
extremism, all Nigerians must rise
above ethnic and religious differences
and jointly work to achieve lasting
peace and reconciliation. The story of
hope in the face of disaster, the series
unfolds as a bittersweet tale about
CROSSROADS | May/June 2018
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