White Agbada

In White Agbada, written and directed by Lande Yoosuf, Ibironke (Idara Victor) is a Nigerian-American woman feeling disconnected from her Nigerian roots. Living alone in the U.S., she spends her days doing nothing, missing therapy sessions, and suffering through calls from her mother (Lande Yoosuf), who pleads with her to visit Nigeria. Ibironke, feeling emotional exhaustion, insists she’s fine.

While out one afternoon, Ibironke meets an elderly Nigerian woman who seems lost and asks for directions. When she goes to the bakery, she finds her favorite sweet snack on the counter and is lucky to buy the last bag. Later, Ibironke hooks up with her lover, Bamidele (Tosin Morohunfola). She then confronts him about his recent engagement announcement on Instagram. Bamidele confesses his fiancée is pregnant with his child.

With the seemingly coincidental reminders of her family’s homeland and the depression she feels from being lost in life, Ibironke is visited by a mysterious presence.

“Ibironke is a Nigerian-American woman feeling disconnected from her Nigerian roots.”

Director Lande Yoosuf drew inspiration for White Agbada from her own personal struggles with depression, food addiction, and unfulfilling relationships. As a way of working through her personal struggles, she wove them into a story about healing through cultural reconnection. She uses this opportunity to rediscover her Yoruba heritage and the spirituality that came from embracing her ancestral lineage. Yoosuf also explores themes of dual identity as a first-generation Nigerian-American and the clash between Western and African values, incorporating the unseen ways ancestors guide the living. Through the symbolism of the agbada—a robe representing dignity and legacy—she uses the supernatural to reveal that healing and self-acceptance often begin when we listen to the quiet call of our origins.

As a film, White Agbada packs quite a punch as Yoosuf puts so much of herself into the story, using Ibironke’s journey to lay the groundwork. As described by Yoosuf, the film’s theme leaps off the screen without ever feeling on the nose or in your face. It’s a common story for any first-generation American caught between two worlds and cultures, struggling to find their identity.