Dilemma and the ‘Ka la ba ya do sha’ Shenanigans (A Movie Review)
Paul Dada
There is no better dramatic representation of the horns of the dilemma that the modern professing Christian may be locked on than the movie, “Dilemma” whose script was written by our beloved Bro Stephen Alamu (Stephen Dayo on Facebook).
As the movie depicts, some Christians in the dilemma cage would find grace to break through while others would fall for what I call the ka la ba ya do sha shenanigans. I would explain what that means in the course of this article.
The 36 minutes long movie produced by Stephen Alamu and directed by Cornelius Leke Alonge, is one that generously uses several flashbacks to tell a scintillating, attention-gripping but potentially mindset altering movie. The movie opens with a Pastor Alex telling his colleague Pastor Duro of an unsavoury meeting he had with their “almighty” Daddy General Overseer.
A flashback takes us to Daddy GO berating and censuring a sorry looking Pastor Alex, a branch pastor for not being successful in ministry. His failure according to the larger-than-life pulpit god of men, is that he is not making enough money from the branch. Daddy GO rants to his kneeling and intimidated minion about the fact that tithes from his branch decrease, offerings are not forthcoming and Sunday attention is poor while threatening him that “7,000 others” are waiting to replace him.
Well, Pastor Duro through a flashback then shares how he had a beautiful meeting with the GO who commended him because his own branch is a money making centre for the “church”. In fact, Duro presents a cheque of 1 million naira to Daddy GO being a cash gift from a woman that he prayed for.
Feeling hapless and helpless, Alex asks Duro for the secret of his success. Duro berates his ministerial colleague for continuously preaching unattractive sermons that border on subjects like sin, holiness and cross bearing. He also tells him that the choir of his branch sings dry hymns rather than modernised songs. Duro tells him to preach messages that will motivate people. In excitement, Duro speaks in an “unknown tongue”. The seeming gibberish he utters is “ka la ba ya do sha”. To me, “ka la ba ya do sha” is a metaphor for the shenanigans taught and practised by the proponents of the “health and wealth” gospel. It is a metaphor for the evil stratagems of Bible welding but deceptive and wickedly manipulative pulpit mafiosos.
Well, Duro recommends three books that could change the life of Alex. And they are:
*Seven Spiritual Dimensions by Rev James Blues… ka la ba ya do sha “Growing A 21st Century Church by Nicholas Johnson… ka la ba ya do sha *You Are Able by Bishop Jordan Joe… ka la ba ya do sha
As a confused Alex visits a bookshop to get the books, he meets a certain gentleman who says he was in his church the past Sunday where he heard him preach a rarest sermon on how God uses affliction to perfect believers. In fact, he tells Alex that he has come to buy a book, “Furnace of Affliction” recommended by the preacher( Alex) who is now in a state of dilemma.
Later at home, his wife acting like the Biblical Job’s wife of the “Curse God and die” infamy, tells him she is tired of their poverty which she attributes to the husband’s kind of sermons.
Finally yielding to intense pressure and further influenced by the books Duro recommended to him, Alex finally becomes a materially rich preacher as his focus in ministry has now changed from “fire and brimstone” sermons to “lovey -dovey”. In fact, he surpasses the now shell- shocked Pastor Duro in the ka la ba ya do sha shenanigans. He earns the gratitude of a certain Sister Pamela the head usher who appreciates him for going easy on her sins and her co-travellers in phony Christianity. Ultimately, he becomes a favourite “son in the Lord” to Daddy GO who puts him in charge of a building project.
Meanwhile, Daddy GO complains that Pastor Duro has changed as he has abandoned the prosperity sermon. He enlists Alex to talk to his friend. In a meeting between the two, Duro tells Alex that his life changed six months ago when he got a book titled “Let my People Go” as a birthday gift. He says he and his wife read it and realised he had been doing ministry wrong and preaching falsehood.
As the movie progresses, Daddy GO calls a meeting of the council of pastors saying that Duro has resigned and returned all church belongings in his possession. He also informs them Duro told him that their church system is an aberration as it does not follow the pattern of the apostles which has no General Overseer.
Alex is later seen and heard in wondering how Duro who earlier misled him could throw away the glitz and glamour he once enjoyed and take such a bold step. He asks himself if he should also get the book “Let my People Go” but decides against it. He asks if he should retrace his steps but he chooses to continue in his lifestyle of ka la ba ya do sha. And so the movie ends.
I recommend this movie to you as it is a clear picture of the difference between the way God would have us live our lives and do ministry and what a religious but godless world wants.
Trust me, after watching this movie, you would either decide for God or go for Ka la ba ya do sha.
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