Thread: Film on dreams of African immigrants shattered in the UK

FILMMAKER Olumide Fadeyibi arrived in Glasgow expecting to find his fortune but instead has struggled to stay afloat.

Film tells how dreams of African immigrants are shattered when they arrive in the UK
24 Oct 2012 00:01

FILMMAKER Olumide Fadeyibi arrived in Glasgow expecting to find his fortune but instead has struggled to stay afloat.
Olumide Fadeyibi Olumide Fadeyibi

WHEN Olumide Fadeyibi finally got a visa to come to the UK from Nigeria he screamed with joy.

“Welcome to the millionaires’ world,” he shouted. Like many immigrants to the UK, he expected to be drowning in riches instead of struggling to stay afloat.

He said: “I know people who apply for a visa to come here, thinking that will give them the break they need. When they get off the plane, they kiss the earth.

“I have been here six years and I still don’t have money.”

What he does have is an appreciation of the generosity of the country he now calls home.

Olumide, who lives in Glasgow, has made a film about the experiences of immigrants in Scotland, aptly named Misconception.

It is a story of delusion and *disappointment but also reflects on the benevolence of Scots.

The 34-year-old is married with two children and in Nigeria he always wanted to be a filmmaker but his pharmacist father wanted him to be academic.

He studied a masters in quantity surveying at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh but, despite his expertise, now works as a cashier for a bookmakers.

His movie is testament to his tenacity and ingenuity. With no formal training, Olumide has studied film through books and watching videos.

Film tells how dreams of African immigrants are shattered when they arrive in the UK - Daily Record