Excellent play describing the interplay between the colonizer's interpretation of indigenous culture and the native culture's insight on Eurocentrism.
Soyinka's play reminded me a lot of Nietzsche's Madman Aphorism and his "The Birth of Tragedy."

Excellent read of post-colonial enthusiasts provided that they are willing to be receptive to rumination on cultural concepts.

OLUNDE: You white races know how to survive; I've seen proof of that. By all logical and natural laws this war should end with all the white races wiping out one another, wiping out their so called civilisation for all time and reverting to a state of primitivism the like of which has so far only existed in your imagination when you thought of us. I thought all that at the beginning. Then I slowly realised that your greatest art is the art of survival. But at least have the humility to let others survive in their own way.
JANE: Through ritual suicide?
OLUNDE: Is that worse than mass suicide? Mrs Pilkings, what do you call what those young men are sent to do by their generals in this war? Of course you have also mastered the art of calling things by names which don't remotely describe them.
JANE: You talk! You people with your long-winded, roundabout way of making conversation.
OLUNDE: Mrs Pilkings, whatever we do, we never suggest that a thing is the opposite of what it really is. In your newsreels I heard defeats, thorough, murderous defeats described as strategic victories. No wait, it wasn't just on your newsreels. Don't forget I was attached to hospitals all the time. Hordes of your wounded passed through those wards. I spoke to them. I spent long evenings by their bedside while they spoke terrible truths of the realities of that war. I know now how history is made.
JANE: But surely, in a war of this nature, for the morale of the nation you must expect ...
OLUNDE: That a disaster beyond human reckoning be spoken of as a triumph? No. I mean, is there no mourning in the home of the bereaved that such blasphemy is permitted? (...) Don't think it was just the war. Before that even started I had plenty of time to study your people. I saw nothing, finally, that gave you the right to pass judgement on other peoples and their ways. Nothing at all.

European and African culture clash over the impending ritual suicide of a chief. Characters from the two cultures consistently show a desire NOT to understand one another. Ideas about death saturate the play and reveal deep roots to the cultural differences. In the end, though, I felt that the Yoruba culture was striking in its similarities to the world's better known cultures. The play left no doubt that the Yoruba culture is a patriarchy unconcerned about denying rights and choices from women so high-ranking men can enjoy a sexual conquest. And its religion, pressing its adherents to hurry toward a nonexistent spirit world, insists on the familiar false hope for eternal life.

This play was very poignant and cleverly crafted. The context was understandable; however, it was a difficult work to grasp. I wanted to connect the theme to all the assertions that Soyinka refuted as the underlying meaning of the text. I am glad I read it and I hope to return to it someday with a better understanding.

A favorite play of mine as a piece of literature. Soyinka is an incredible writer. I've never seen it in production but I really hope to some day!

The ending is interesting but without more background on Yorubian culture the play is very hard to follow.

A very interesting play that explores the states of life, death and the unborn in the context of colonial Nigeria. Characters can frustrate, entertain and despair the audience, all in one scene. I really loved the use of energy throughout the play and I'd love to see it performed.

I'm sure this is a wonderful play and a superb description of African culture and history, but due to my lack of knowledge about Africa and its makeup I feel I missed some of the best parts of this.

will be thinking about the exchange between elesin and pilkings in act 5 for a long time.

Another text read for my World Literature class. Set in British-ruled Nigeria, Soyinka's play depicts a tradition in which the king's horseman must commit suicide to escort the deceased king into the afterlife. When the British colonial officers prevent the suicide from happening, it brings shame on the horseman and causes tragedy to unfold.

The play brings up an interesting question about cultural sensitivity. The horseman's suicide seems barbaric to the British, and their interruption of the ritual seems barbaric to the horseman and his companions. It also draws into question the place of ritual in theater. As theater has been inspired by oral storytelling and other ritualistic traditions, what is the place of rituals represented in plays? Given the interruption of the suicide and the interruption of the British ball ritual, it seems to say that they cannot exist in theater, which makes sense, given that theater is only imitation.

This major theme I detected in this play is emasculation.
In act I, Elesin Oba is being celebrated in the market place with song and dance, because it is his last day to live. The women of the marketplace crowd around him and dance for him, when he notices an alluring woman he doesn’t recognize. He demands that he take her to bed before he dies, despite the fact that she is engaged. The mother of the marketplace, Iyaloja, reminds him not to be distracted from his responsibilities and to not cause issues for the people who will stay alive. Iyaloja prepares the bridal bed while the other women get the young woman ready to be Elesin’s bride.tttt

In act II, on the same day, Simon Pilkings, a british officer, and his wife Jane are wearing traditional clothes intended for the egungun ceremony which they took away from the leaders of a local religious cult. Amusa, a native policeman, comes and sees them in the robes and is appalled. Although he is Muslim, Amusa won’t talk to Simon until he has taken off the robe, out of respect for the cult and its traditions. Joseph, the servant, and Amusa tell about Elesin’s ritual suicide that will take place that night. The king of Elesin’s people died a month prior, and due to the native law, Elesin must take his life in order for the king to not be alone. Simon and his wife decide that the native’s custom is fatuous and reminisce over sending Elesin’s son to medical school in Britain, despite Elesin’s wishes. Simon and Jane have on the robes because they want to wear them to a ball, and Simon divulges that the prince of England will be in attendance. In order to avert any trouble from occurring while the prince is in town, Simon orders to have Elesin arrested before he commits suicide. tttttt


In the third act, Amusa and two other guys go to the marketplace to arrest Elesin while the women encircle them and emasculate Amusa for working for the white man. They seize the men’s batons and hats to do an impression of British officers and send them away. Elesin brings Iyaloja bloodied cloth to show that his bride was really a virgin. He then listens to the drumming and dances along in a trance, knowing that his time to die is approaching.


In act IV, the prince admires Simon and his wife’s ensembles and dances. Amusa confronts Simon and Simon informs his superior of the issue. Simon leaves in a rush for the marketplace and while Simon is gone, Elesin’s son Olunde approaches Jane. Olunde must speak with Simon and requests that Jane helps locate him. Olunde wants to prevent Simon from interfering with his father’s suicide and does his best to explain to Jane that the ritual is sacred and keeps the world in order. Olunde then hears his father outside, spouting off allegations against the white men. They see each other, but native law is that they are not to see each other after the death of the king. Olunde is perturbed by his father’s dereliction and says that he has no father before walking away.
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During the final act of the play in Elesin’s prison cell, Simon remarks that the night is peaceful and Elesin informs him that the universe will never be peaceful again since the ritual had not taken place. Simon fails to understand the significance of the event. They converse about Olunde’s future and Simon expresses his certainty that Olunde will carry on with his education in England. Elesin is glad that his son had rejected him, because it made up for the fact that Olunde seemed to have turned away from his own background. Iyaloja arrives and brings up what she had discussed with Elesin earlier. She places blame on Elesin for not following through with his suicide and says he failed because he became distracted by the woman he took as his bride. She tells Elesin that she has brought the body of Olunde, who had committed suicide. Once Elesin sees Olunde, he asphyxiates himself with his chains. The bride covers his eyes with dirt and leaves with Iyaloja, who tells her to focus on not he dead or the living, but the unborn.
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I enjoyed the play and I really appreciated the Yoruba proverbs throughout the story. Basically all of the native characters make use of a proverb at some point in the play, mainly as a way to fortify their ideas and sway others to agree with their point of view. Elesin, who had the duty of taking his life at midnight, could not muster the strength to resist Simon’s men and fails to transition from one stage into the next - which will doom his people with disarray. Iyaloja, when she is advising Elesin to let go of his material fetters and pursue his duty, says this proverb to him “Eating the awusa nut is not so difficult as drinking water afterwards.” What bothered me about this play was that the bride Elesin took was taken without her consent - she was essentially raped. Ultimately, this led to Elesin’s great failure, which is fitting.

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