186 african appropriations
Koran and prayer beads in his hands. Next to him is a caption reading “The
global terrorist and his belief.” In the pitch-dark of night and illuminated
by an Islamic half-moon, he is hovering above the globe from which he
expels a number of Christians with karate k icks and chops. Compared to
their pursuer, the Christians depicted are the size of children. Some of
them are lying on the ground, surrounded by a scattering of Bibles that
have dropped from their hands; others seem to be begging for mercy:
“Please let there be peace since we worship one God” is another caption
apparently directed at the terrorists and like-minded beholders. The lower
margin of the poster instructs the reader to look up the Gospel according
to Matthew, chapter 24 (verses 8–28), for an explanation of the events of
9/11. At this place in the gospel, Jesus announces his return at the end of
time, warning his disciples against false prophets who will then appear
in his name. The poster thus interprets 9/11 as a foreboding of the biblical
apocalypse and bin Laden as a false redeemer, deceiving his followers.
BIN LADEN AND SADDAM IN VIDEO MOVIESThe Nigerian video film industry—equally prolific as the calendar
business and also matching it in terms of politicsploitation—reworked
the events of 9/11 in two of its movies. Both films treat the serious matter
in comedies. However, they differ profoundly in terms of religious target-
ing: while the southern Nigerian version features a Christian worldview
and anti-Muslim sentiments, its northern counterpart promotes just the
reverse. In 2002, Jesus Team Productions released the video Osama Bin
La, by southern Nigerian director Mac-Collins Chidebe. Just like many
other Igbo comedies, whose simple style is reminiscent of village theater
plays, the movie was made in the Igbo language, re-staging, in a sense,
the global theater on a local stage. The movie’s key protagonists are stock
characters: an old good-for-nothing, Joshua, who spends his corpulent
wife’s money on palm wine and a mistress; Joshua’s sidekick, Anadi, who
has obscene verbal fights with his spouse; a resolute female innkeeper; a
lecherous cripple; and a self-confident village chief and his councilmen.
“Osama bin La” and his accomplice, Clifford, fit in perfectly with the cast
of characters: they are pilferers who return to “Ozallanistan,” bin La’s