A group of elderly Yoruba master musicians in Lagos. Nigeria were forgotten until Kunle Tejuoso. owner of Jazzhole Records created the Faaji Agba Collective. Kunle''s journey starts with Fatai Rolling Dollar. which leads him to others such as Alaba Pedro. SF Olowookere. Ayinde Bakare and more. From highlife to juju and afrobeat; Faaji Agba interweaves the history of the music scene of Lagos from the 1940''s to the present day.
FAAJI AGBA is a six-year journey by film-maker Remi Vaughan-Richards following seven. 68-85yr old Yoruba master musicians in Lagos. Nigeria. They were forgotten by society. until Kunle Tejuoso. owner of Jazzhole Records. follows a trail to rediscover them. And the''FAAJI AGBA COLLECTIVE is born. Kunle''s journey starts with Fatai Rolling Dollar. which leads him to others such as Alaba Pedro. SF Olowookere. Ayinde Bakare and more. Their musical styles range from highlife. juju to afrobeat. Their story starts in 2009 and follows them to their New York performance in 2011 where tragedy strikes. Undeterred by the setback they perform one last time in Lagos. ends up being their last.
FAAJI AGBA IS A COMMENT ON LAGOS HISTORY. CULTURE AND MUSIC FROM 1940 TO 2014

dir. Remi Vaughan-Richards

Nigeria. 2015. Feature

FAAJI AGBA 3min promo 2015 from Remi Vaughan-Richards on Vimeo.

Key Cast
Fatai Rolling Dollar
Sina Ayinde Bakare
"Tejebaby" Tejuoso
S.F. Olowookere
Prince Eji
Y.S Akinibosun
Kokoro the blind minstrel
"Oguns"

Director Statement

When I first started filming on Faaji Agba in 2009, I had no idea where it would take me. It was finally finished in 2015. I am amazed that I actually finished the film.

Faaji Agba has been a passion project for me, a 6 year journey. It was pretty much a one-woman show. I was doing 95% of the filming and we did it on a shoestring budget - Kunle and I would put together whatever we had to make it work, then finally I managed to get financial support from various sources for the post production and trip to New York. I finished it on the morning of the premiere for Lights Camera Africa film festival in Lagos. October 2015.

It was Kunle Tejuoso of Jazzhole Record's passion for the music and his search for these great Yoruba master musicians that ignited my interest. I would come and film him working with the guys and of course over time - 6years later I got to know them very well to the point where they even forgot there was this "yellow" woman following them around constantly with a camera and headphones attached to her ears. I fell in love with these guys and their stories, their insight into the history of the music and culture of Lagos. When they started dying on me it was very painful because they had become part of my family, like uncles to me and each time I watch the film, I have such incredible memories and feel very privileged that I was part of their world for 6 years.

I have one major problem with the way Lagos and Nigeria is generally going…there is a rush to be ‘western' and lack of pride in our rich culture. They say you can tell the history of a country through it's architecture and music. The old Brazilian quarters hardly exist now, it is almost like Nigerians are not proud of their legacy…this is the message I wanted to pass on in Faaji Agba - if we lose our identity, we lose our culture and sense of who we are.

It has been an amazing journey, a moment in time that can never be repeated and I thank Kunle Tejuoso for allowing me to be part of his journey with Faaji Agba.

Faaji Agba is a raw, honest heartfelt film that touched my life deeply.


Film Type: Documentary
Genres: Music, history, culture
Runtime: 1 hour 30 minutes 31 seconds
Completion Date: September 30, 2015
Production Budget: 40,000 USD
Country of Origin: Nigeria
Country of Filming: Nigeria, United States
Film Language: English
Shooting Format: Mixed format. Final format HD
Aspect Ratio: 16.9
Film Color: Black & White and Color
First-time Filmmaker: No
Student Project: No


Director: Remi Vaughan-Richards

Producers: Remi Vaughan-Richards, Kunle Tejuoso

Screenings / Awards
Lights Camera Africa
Lagos, Nigeria
September 30, 2015
local screening