Towards True Democracy emphasises the perceived developments introduced by the British in Nigeria. This is highlighted through the commentary, which contrasts modern Africa with a pre-colonial model – ‘Not very long ago instead of fine docks and harbours, good roads and bridges, there was a malaria ridden swamp’ – and also through the lengthy aerial shots of modern Lagos. British architecture and buildings are highlighted – ‘churches, hospitals, schools and offices. All fine buildings of which the people of Lagos are justly proud’ – while the voice-over reiterates the influence of the British here, stating, for example, that ‘It’s difficult to believe that there was a time when the only buildings that existed were huts of mud and sand. The African who buys his stamps at this post office is indeed a lucky man’. The ‘wonderful engineering achievement’ of Nigerian Railways represents a further ‘change from the days when the only method of travel was on foot’. 

The perceived developments stretch beyond the material and modern – ‘the ships, the motor cars, the buildings’ – as the film also highlights the role of the British in educating and ‘civilising’ the Africans. ‘Here too are people taught to be good citizens’, the commentary states, ‘and to lead a useful, intelligent life and to pass on their knowledge to their friends and countrymen so that everywhere in Nigeria there has been a change’.

This British education is presented as a move towards independence for Nigeria – ‘Africans are taught to be good doctors and nurses for themselves’ – and the establishment of the legislative council represents a further move towards self-government. The commentator notes that ‘Nigeria is taking a long stride in the direction of self-government with the establishment of this new constitution’, but this is presented as a gradual step (a ‘steady development’). The commentator explains, over the lengthy, uninterrupted film inside the council, that this is an opportunity ‘to learn and gain experience so that when the great moment comes to assume complete leadership they will be all the wiser’, while earlier, the commentator refers to the ‘great task … [of] … training Nigeria to take her place in the world as an independent power’.

The film, in acknowledging a move towards self-government, indirectly responds to the criticisms labelled at the British administration, but there are few direct references to this opposition. The commentator does briefly mention the elected members from Lagos ‘who do not see fit to appear’ and, states that the Governor was ‘aware of the claims of some Nigerians for immediate self-government’. However, the Governor contends that the Africans are ‘as yet inexperienced in positions of authority’ and to transfer power to ‘untried hands’ would produce a ‘sham democracy’.

For the most part then, the film presents a united Nigeria, positioned within the Empire. It highlights the role of Nigeria within the war – ‘Lagos has its war memorial too. For Nigeria has played its part in two world wars. Here, in peace as in war, African and European people work side by side towards a common goal’ – and later shows the Nigerian regiment ‘which played its part valiantly with the Allies during the war’. In highlighting the unity between Africans and Europeans, the film repeatedly emphasises that ‘racial discrimination is a thing of the past’. The hospitals are ‘open to anyone of whatever race’. It highlights the Africans represented within the council, noting that the clerk is ‘himself an African’ and quoting the Governor who states that the ‘Nigerian government was entirely opposed to racial discrimination in any form’. The film acknowledges the issue of racial discrimination, but, in discussing the Africans and Europeans, it does not consider the equally prominent divisions within a Nigerian society, divided by class and in particular by region. Instead Towards True Democracy seeks to highlight the ongoing role of the British within Nigeria, providing a mouthpiece for the Governor and ultimately a historical record of a short-lived, unpopular constitution.

Tom Rice (May 2008)