Actor Saidi Balogun has revealed that he joined the set of the film Ewo just two weeks after the painful loss of his daughter Zeenat Balogun.
Speaking at the movie’s premiere held at Genesis Cinema, Maryland, Lagos, Saidi said he was dealing with grief during the filming of the project.
“I lost my daughter two weeks before I went on this set. So on that set, I won’t lie, at times I was just talking, but I wasn’t there,” he said.
He also disclosed that the cast and crew suffered multiple accidents during the production.
“After that, we had an accident – actually three accidents – but today, nobody is dead; we are all alive,” he added.
Ewo, directed by AMVCA-winning filmmaker Ekene Mekwunye, is inspired by true events that occurred in the western region of Nigeria in 2005. It revolves around the death of the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Lipede and the controversial action of his youngest wife, who allegedly fled with the king’s corpse.
Ekene explained that he stumbled on the story about 10 years ago and could not stop thinking about it. He began working on the treatment in 2018 before writing the full script.
“It was said that his youngest wife fled with his corpse. I came across this account about ten years ago, and it simply wouldn’t leave my head. By 2018, I started working on the treatment and wrote the screenplay afterward,” he said.
The film’s title Ewo means “taboo” in Yoruba, highlighting the tension between traditional customs and Christian beliefs.
“This clash between Christianity and traditional beliefs… raised questions about the erosion of cultural values in a modernizing society,” the director added.
The movie stars Saidi Balogun, Bimbo Ademoye, Moyo Lawal, Taiwo Hassan, Jaiye Kuti, Tina Mba, Akin Lewis, Yinka Quadri, Dele Odule, Kunle Coker and Osareme Inegbenebor,
Saidi’s daughter, Zeenat (also known as Zainab), died in October 2024. The actor had shared a candle-lit photo in her memory on social media, though he did not disclose the cause of death.
His ex-wife, actress Faithia Williams, also paid tribute to the young woman.
Despite the personal tragedy and physical risks involved in filming Ewo, Saidi pushed through, contributing to what the director describes as a thought-provoking story about culture, belief and identity.
