Postcards simply passed as a fascinating series, with the writers (Ekenem Mowah-Eboh, Tiger Fire Rose) doing an amazing job at culture observation and dialogue placement. It must really feel good to see that we didn’t transport crime as a culture this time. Postcards did us perfect.
Postcards would have been a big flop if Hamisha Daryani Ahuja did not properly observe the cultures of the two different countries the story was being told from, who of course have the same colonizers. It would even be soothing to say that the collaboration between Nigeria and India is one of the best and smooth things to happen, which of course we also witnessed in Namaste Wahala.
First Culture check: Yemi’s (Tobi Bakre) arrival at his rented apartment in India. The confusion and disappointment was so spot on and real. In Nigeria, anywhere asides Ghana is abroad, and it is expected that “abroad” is stunning and has no trenches. A living room, a bedroom, and a kitchen in the same room? Yemi obviously looked like he would had given the agent a proper decking. That didn’t end, the multiple roommates? Well, something good can still be found in between rubbish; he found a best friend.
Second Culture check was Olumide’s (Richard Mofe-Damijo) typical Nigerian behaviour of not wanting family to his home in India. In fact, the writers of Postcards made it so well to give a proper backstory about Olumide refusing to answer phone calls from home (Naija). Whether or not many families have this person, it is a Nigerian thing, and it has been going on for as long as anyone could notice. It is usually caused by the fear of being over billed or carrying the entire family’s burden.
Third Culture check: Food! How come Yemi had it easy just eating anything in the streets of India? No way that’s possible. Nigerians have it in them, they will spit that food out! They can’t just jump on foods, there is ought to be a reaction at first, that is not even excused.
Fourth Culture check: Did you see how Aunty Bunmi (Sola Sobowale) jumped into her Naija mood while on the hospital bed overhearing Siddharth (Rajneesh Duggal) and Kareena (Leika Prajapati)? Trust Nigerian aunties/mothers to come through with the advice. That was another well done to the writers for a brilliant depiction.
Fifth Culture check came right on time when Yemi showed his true Naija boy persona, even Aarti(Gurleen Grewal) had to testify to it and applauded him for giving Ronny (Chiraj Bajaj) the beating he deserved. Not to say that Nigerians are violent people, but a Naija boy is always going to be a Naija boy anywhere.
The most beautiful part came at the end, so much for the saying “leaving the best for the end”. These are take home quotes from Olumide (Richard Mofe-Damijo) to Yemi (Tobi Bakre) “There’s nothing wrong with a man finding his way, it is who we are. It is what our people are. But what our people are not is a man using finding his way as an excuse to disrespect his elders” “It is okay to pursue your passion, but passion cannot replace education”
As a Nigerian, this is who we are, Postcards indeed portrayed the Nigerian and Indian cultures so well without putting either cultures on anyone’s face
Presently, among us, you can attest to seeing and/or witnessing Nigerians-and-Indians marriages or relationships around. In fact, all round, I approve of a Nigerian-Indian collaboration. The ability to marry the two cultures without making it look awkward or too sharp on either edge is a thing to applaud.
