Makemation enters Nollywood with ambition, not just in scope but in meaning. Framed as Africa’s first AI-themed feature film, it could have easily settled for the novelty of that claim. But instead, it chooses to centre something much deeper: a 17-year-old girl, poverty-stricken and overlooked, refusing to be silenced by her circumstances. In a story shaped by gender discrimination, digital inequality, and quiet resilience, the film is not simply shouting about technology. It is asking what kind of future becomes possible when young girls, and not only them, are given the tools to imagine one.
Story and Substance: When Intention Meets Impact
At the core of Makemation is Zara Sodangi, a Hausa teenager who dreams earnestly, constantly, and against all odds. What starts as a coming-of-age drama in a rural Lagos community transforms into a social commentary on innovation, inequality, and identity. Zara is poor. Her father, Jato, believes her place is in the kitchen. Her community wants her in the market, not at a tech competition. But with the support of her mother, her friend Yara, and a few allies, she gains entry into the Makemation school/competition. This moment is where her personal journey becomes symbolic of something bigger: the right to imagine.
Rather than glorifying technology, the film roots it in tangible struggle. Zara’s project, inspired by her father’s misdiagnosis, highlights how limited access to proper healthcare can have devastating effects. Her transition from a girls-in-tech empowerment idea to a software-based diagnostic tool could have been clearer, but the switch still reflects her responsiveness to real-life challenges. Every subplot, from the neighbourhood street boy to the bickering market women, contributes to building the social backdrop Zara is pushing against. These women, mocking her family for not prioritising market work, are not just gossipers. They represent generational expectations and cultural barriers.
Read More Here From Somi B, Nolly Critic: Makemation: A Family Drama on AI, Technology, and the Future
