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Osofisan's African Antigone AKIN TAIWO Power Tussle and This Play Was 'To Look at the Problems of Civil Dissent

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Osofisan's African Antigone AKIN TAIWO Power Tussle and This Play Was 'To Look at the Problems of Civil Dissent The African e-Journals Project has digitized full text of articles of eleven social science and humanities journals. This item is from the digital archive maintained by Michigan State University Library. Find more at: http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/africanjournals/ Available through a partnership with Scroll down to read the article. Osofisan's African Antigone AKIN TAIWO power tussle and this play was 'to look at the problems of civil dissent. A political freedom against the background succinct narration of the present turmoil in Nigeria where of the script runs various military governments have been EMORY thus: 'On the bent for decades now on thwarting the morning of her people's desire for democracy, marriage to a happiness and good government.' British officer, Princess Tegonni The play, replete with traditional Yoruba is stopped in her music and dance, is a celebration of bridal procession African creativity characteristic of An African by soldiers Osofisan's productions. guarding a corpse. Antigone It is Tegonni's In addition to this production, was a brother who, since forum in the Munroe Theatre auditorium Ch :<>hcr '*.'\ through 29 he fought on the in which Osofisan participated. Other -^*&W* losing side in a eminent academics on the roll included recent civil war, is Biodun Jeyifo, formerly of the Obafemi to be denied Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, now t was not the first honour abroad. traditional rites of burial at the order of professor of Literature at Cornell Femi Osofisan, professor of the colonial governor. Tegonni's University; Folabo Ajayi-Soyinka, Theatre Arts at the University of I consequent struggle between her loyalty professor of Women's Studies and Ibadan, Nigeria's 'poet of the votile to her brother and her love for her fiance verse' now in residence at Emory Theatre Studies at University of Kansas; is intensified by the clash of cultures and University, a centre of professional and Sandra L. Richards, associate the struggle for power that surrounds theatre activities in Atlanta, Georgia, professor of African-American Studies her.' had last October a series of performances and Theatre at Northwestern University. of a dramatic adaptation co-sponsored by Emory's Institute of African Studies. As customary with the poet and In residence at Emory this last fall, performer who has produced close to Osofisan presented his adaptation of fifty plays for the stage, television and After an impressive showing in the 1992 Antigone originally by the classical radio, this particular drama, Tegonni, National Black Arts Festival during Greek dramatist Sophocles at Emory as went beyond the mundane or cosmetic. which his company played to 'sold-out part of a ' brave new works project'. The It got fundamentally to the very roots of houses,' he was to re-enact the same play ran in the evenings of October 21, race relations and personal courage in feat, for no less than one week, at Theatre 22, 26, 27, 28 and 29, mediated by a their diverse manifestations, albeit in a Emory where he adapted and directed a single matinee on October 23. The latest world full of proclivities and prejudice. workshop production of Tegonni, an adaptation brings to three the adaptations And like the blacksmith in his forge, he African Antigone. of classical Greek drama related to continually struck the conscience of Yorubamythology and culture. The first humanity, a fraction of which was in the For the play, he presented a Yoruba was an adaptation of Euripides' The audience, provoking their thoughts and village as a microcosm of the African Bacchae by Wole Soyinka in 1972 presenting a viewpoint of universal world where men remain because of commissioned and produced by brotherhood based on equity and other men. It was a world where you London's Royal National Theatre mutuality. were distraught by the death and edified modestly titled The Bacchae of by the progress of the other fellow. A Euripides .The second became the very The sociological basis of the play was world where the words of elders prevailed popular play, especially with Nigeria's pungent and cogent. For 'life in our and offered direction and guidance to secondary school pupils, adapted by country,' the playwright said, 'is a series the young and upcoming generations. Nigeria's other highly acclaimed of episodes in a grandiose melodrama.... This atmosphere of 19th century dramatist, Ola Rotimi, titled The Gods Everything is acted out to the screaming Yorubaland provided the setting for this Are Not to Blame, which was adapted pitch of hysteria.' Above all other classical drama woven around apolitical from Sophocles' Oedipus Rex. considerations therefore, his concern for 32.
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