The Supreme Price

Joanna Lipper's documentary centers on Hafsat Abiola, a woman who is carrying on the legacy of her parents in bringing democracy and a higher level of human rights to Nigeria. Her father, M.K.O. Abiola, was a business executive turned philanthropist who won the 1993 presidential election, promising to return freedom to Nigeria after years of military rule. But the military dictators abruptly nullified the election returns and the elder Abiola was arrested and imprisoned. Abiola's second wife, Kudirat (as a Muslim in Nigeria, Abiola was entitled to multiple wives), took over the pro-democracy movement while her husband was imprisoned, and her efforts brought renewed attention to the abuses under the military leadership. But Kudirat Abiola's work led to much discomfort among the ruling elite, and in 1996 she was assassinated. Today, Hafsat Abiola finds Nigeria in a difficult position. While civilian rule has returned, Nigeria still suffers from a deeply rooted culture of corruption, and the role of women as equal partners in the nation's political and economic power structure remains an elusive concept. The Supreme Price presents rarely-seen footage from Nigeria's tumultuous history (including the tragic civil war in Biafra), together with insightful remarks from Nobel Prize winning writer Wole Soyinka, who offers cogent input on the Abiola family's role in the nation's evolution. A well-researched documentary that provides historical context to the continuing problems (including mass rape) in this troubled African nation, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)