Giving the founding fathers a fair hearing

A focus of Odia Ofeimun’s dance drama, Nigeria the  Beautiful, recently staged in honour of former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to some recent events in the country.

 The dream called Nigeria has continued to be so much enmessed in troubles that anyone who has played an active part in modelling it can be said to be on trial.  While founding fathers such as the late Ahmadu Bello, Obafemi Awolowo and Nnamdi Azikiwe may not be exempted, they got a fair hearing recently when Odia Ofeimun’s poetic dance drama, Nigeria the Beautiful, was staged.

Invoking the country’s history, culture and other political events that shaped its existence, the drama passes for a special national conference where the living and the dead discuss their communal desitiny in artistic spectacles. It is this character that made the choice of the dance drama relevant when it was staged as part of the celebration of the 60th birthday of former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who has been a champion of true federalism and national conference, which Odia seems to have also promoted in the production.

Beyond the dances collected from different parts of the world, and surprise appearance  of Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Nigeria the Beautiful is a high art, loaded with parables and metaphors. But the audience must also be up to the task as they included Tinubu’s friends and associates such as Aremo Segun Osoba, Mr. Fola Adeola and a daughter of Awolowo, Tokunbo Awolowo Dosunmu.

 In the recreation of the struggles that define the country’s political past and present – which is the theme of the drama – Ofeimun remains stylishly critical. Indeed, the beauty he tries to bring out lies in the tenacity of the nationalists who demanded independence from Lord Lugard and his co-colonial adventurists, the oratory power of the characters representing the first generation politicians and – most important – the carnival of dances with which the director, Felix Okolo, interpret the struggles.

It is these artistic ripples, completed with the inspiring acts of the actors draped in brilliant costumes, that gave the audience a beautiful experience. Indeed, Tinubu acknowledged this in his remarks at the end of the performance. According to him, the dance drama is revealing, and gives everyone cause to reflect about the future.

The Egba United Government recreated the stuggles of legendary women who, like architects of the 1929 Aba Women’s Riot, openly challenged the colonial government on its tax policies. Terrorised by the native activists, Lugard said, “I think they suffer from the arrogance of their race”, while lambasting another set of dancers in rebellious steps that ‘sedition flows in their brains’.

Sowing the seed of partiality, he added, ‘We will not allow North to be contaminated by rabble-rousers in Lagos, Ibadan and Abeokuta.”

Nigeria the Beautiful also puts in the principal characters’ mouths, words that reflect what the likes of regional leaders such as Ahmadu Bello, Awolowo and Azikiwe stood for as the symbols of their peoples.

One of the characters who can stand for Queen Amina says, “We are not kafiris (pagans). We are not lawless. But we wish to have our tradition respected. We shall be partners where our humanity is not compromised.”

Azikiwe, whose oratory power is loud and clear in Nigeria the Beautiful, emphaises unity in diversity when he notes “We are moving if need be. Let us bridge bridges over this chaos.”