Collected Plays 1

One of the first things I noticed about "A Dance in the Forest" is that it is not not very nationalistic, even though it was performed for the celebration of Nigerian independence in October 1960. If anything it seems like a warning to move forward rather than get stuck in a past mindset.

There are also some pretty serious critiques of some of the changes due to modernization. Rola comments that "this whole family business sickens me," to which Obaneja responds, "it never used to be a problem" (9). From my experience in Ghana this summer I noticed that there is a serious tension between the traditional family (extended family, cousins, uncles, etc) and the nuclear family that has been introduced. Disputes over land and inheritance and the whole view of family life have been in flux due to Western influences.

The passenger lorries, such as the "Incinerator" and "The Chimney of Ereko" (17) are also frequent sights in Ghana. A tro-tro is something between a bus and a taxi service that looks like a gutted out van. They are supposed to have a passenger limit, but I have seen people stacked on top of each other more than once. If you ever get the chance to ride in a tro-tro, also known as a lorry, you are in for a real treat. They all have names painted on the back for identification, but everyone knows that not all lorries are created equal. In our case, "Big Ben" was the one that could get you to the city the fastest and the safest, which is saying a lot.

I also had the opportunity to read "The Road." I have a few questions about this play, and in general I think I had troubles understanding it compared to some of the other books in African Literature I have been exposed to. There is definitely something about this God of the road that they mention throughout the story. I saw something similar reading Nigerian author Ben Okri's the Famished Road, a great read if you are more interested in these subjects. The road seems to represent something more, something about life but also about death, and we see that in the ongoing discussing with Samson and Salubi, who life long friends who have worked together for years until Salubi has decided it is too risky and wants to open up a shop. The "mate," Sampson in this case, is the man who sits in the back of the tro-tro/lorry with the passengers who knocks on the top of the van to let the driver know when to stop and let them drop. They are a partnership, and you cannot drive without one.

This Professor, an educated pretentious ex-preacher, hired to forge a drivers license for Samson and Salubi, is an enigma to me. For most of the play I spent the time loathing him, but at the end when he starts to speak the truth about the "Word," which seems to be more about death than life, that is when he is killed. I would love to hear more about this if anyone has any insights on him or any other themes in this collection of plays.

In general I would say these are difficult reads, especially if you are unfamiliar with the context. I would prefer to read this in a classroom or where discussion was available.

Wole Soyinka, a Nigerian, was the 1986 winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature; he was the first African, and so far the only Black African, to win the prize. Although he has written poetry, fiction and non-fiction, he is best known as a playwright.

A Dance of the Forests [1960] 77 pages

This was written for and first performed at the Celebration of Nigerian Independence, thus for a Nigerian rather than as with the earlier plays a British audience. While those were fairly straightforward, this one is very difficult and symbolic or allegorical, making use of elements of Yoruba religion and mythology. The situation is that a village is hosting a rare reunion of "all the tribes"; it has prevailed on the "Forest Father" to bring back some dead ancestors, but instead of the heroes they were expecting he has brought back a soldier who was killed for refusing to fight an unjust war and his pregnant wife (the other characters accuse him of "thought", so there is allegory working here also). The village council tries to drive them away, and they are welcomed by the supernatural Forest spirits.

There are three human "witnesses" who participate, a wood carver, a courtesan, and a "council orator" (sort of a traditional equivalent of a lawyer?). The play is divided into two parts; the first part seems at times like a fairly random (and occasionally comic) dialogue among the "witnesses", and the second part with the actual welcoming ceremony is very clearly allegorical, with characters representing "the End that justifies the means", "the Greater Cause for which the present must sacrifice" and "Posterity" fighting over a "half-born" child (I think standing for the newly independent Nigeria, though I may be wrong.) There is much byplay involving Eshuora (a sort of Satan or tempter figure) and Ogun (both figures of Yoruba religion) which would make more sense to someone who knows the religion, although the general idea is apparent enough. I think that the play is commenting on the celebration for which it was written, and making points about the direction in which Nigeria was headed, but I can't go beyond that general idea.

The Swamp Dwellers [1958] 34 pages

Soyinka's first play, this was probably written in 1958, first performed in London in 1959, and published in 1964. The entire play takes place in one room of a hut in a swamp over one day, so like many of his plays it observes the classical "unities". The play begins with an old man and his wife arguing; we learn that they have had two sons, who have gone to the city to seek their fortunes; one has just returned, but gone out again to see his farm, which has been destroyed by flood. They are waiting his return; in the meantime they are visited by a blind beggar and the local priest of the swamp deity, the Serpent. The play has a serious, almost poetic tone, and deals in a short compass with themes of rural vs. urban life, superstition and religion, and family. It is in the first volume of the collection.

The Strong Breed [1964] 34 pages

Another difficult play based on religious customs. I can't summarize this one without giving away information that is introduced piece by piece.

The Road [1965] 86 pages

Literally, this is a play about a passenger truck or "bus" driver who has given up driving after witnessing a fatal accident, his "tout" who wants him to go back to driving, and a possibly mad person called the Professor who gives them shelter. There are also several other characters with various connections to "the road". In the course of the play, we find out more information about the main characters pasts. It is clear that there is much symbolic meaning in the play, though as usual in Soyinka's plays it is not always obvious what the meaning is -- in some ways the play seems to resemble the "theater of the absurd". The Professor throughout talks about his quest to find the Word; he uses the term sometimes to refer to the Bible (he was expelled from the church in front of which the play takes place for reasons which are explained differently by different characters), sometimes to literal words, but usually in a sort of cabbalistic sense as a word of power over death. The other characters are ambiguous in the way they relate to him; they all think that he is crazy and yet they appeal to him for advice. The literal theme of driving and road safety is not simply an excuse for the symbolism; Soyinka himself was an activist for road safety in Nigeria after having many of his students killed in highway accidents. Also as usual in Soyinka, even the most obscure metaphysical or religious dialogues are mixed with political satire on the corruption of the country's institutions. As with the previous three plays, there is an ambiguous -- not to say bizarre -- ending alluding to religious ritual.

The Bacchae of Euripides [1973] 75 pages

This is not the Bacchae of Euripides; the two plays have nothing in common except the main characters and the general plot outline. It is actually a play about oppression, economic and psychological, and the use of joy as a way of fighting against it; the spirit of it reminded me of Ishmael Reed's novel Mumbo Jumbo. Dionysos here is very similar to Soyinka's version of Ogun, and in fact lines are reused from his poem Idanre.

story of it

A thoroughly confusing piece of work upon a initial reading. IIt is only when one delves into the play itself and does an in dept of the political and economical state of Nigeria at the time and Soyinka's position in it all does one begin to comprehend the genius the Wole Soyinka is, a prophetic writer if there ever was one!

These plays are very visual. There’s a lot of use of movement and dance, of the placing of groups of people and interesting staging, so reading the scripts in a book definitely isn’t the best way to experience them. I also suspect that their metaphorical elements are best experienced by letting them happen to you without intellectualising, which is also more difficult from the page.

I have a vague memory of seeing a production of the Swamp Dwellers as a child, with very atmospheric set, lighting and sounds. And I studied both the original and Soyinka’s version of The Bacchae as a student (over 30 years ago). So I had some familiarity with both those plays, more trouble following the others. I found The Road particularly confusing and can’t really parse any meaning from it, though some moments and characters from it are among the particularly memorable aspects of this collection as I look back on reading it.

Soyinka writes with a simple, natural but spiritual poetry in even his prose passages. I don’t know enough about Yoruba religious rites to be able to tell properly, but they do seem to feed interestingly into what he has created in these plays. I wasn’t always absorbed or comprehending as I read, but given the chance to see productions of his work I would definitely take it as I feel that would be a completely different experience.

The Road **** -- A winding, rambling work complete with holes and turns and twists and hills and drops. I can’t say I made sense of nearly all (or half) of this richly imaginative, beautiful play.

It revolves around a truck driver, Kotonu, who wants to stop driving after escaping an accident, and Samson, his partner, who wants him to resume. The road and its many dangers is a metaphor for life, for late-1960s Nigeria, for truck drivers, etc.

The Professor, the keeper of an establishment for truckers, is a fascinating character. I’m not sure at all what he means, but he is captivating when he speaks. The pidgin English also adds an exotic flavor. (Was this originally written in English? It’s not clear in anything I’ve read. I think it was.)

I’d love to see this performed. Not just because I liked reading it, but because the stage directions in this edition are so vague. At times I was totally confused by what was happening and who was on stage.

Still, a fascinating and rich play. I highly recommend it to those who love drama and those interested in African culture and history.

The Bacchae of Euripides *** -- Although Soyinka makes references to Christ and the Yoruba god Ogun, the play sticks pretty close to Euripides’ original. I may simply be missing it, but I don’t see all the contemporary links/references that the critics see.

Soyinka focuses on the destruction of mankind by the gods, but his Dionysius is a little more proportional in his punishment. The cruel punishment of Kadmos and Agave is not mentioned.

This is not a translation, but it’s not really an adaptation. It stays close to the same entrances and exits of the original work. The language is very good. I’d like to see how the ending would be done on stage when “instantly, from every orifice of [Pentheus’] impaled head spring red jets, spurting in every direction.” Now that’s a big finish.

the writing is absolutely gorgeous, the rage sincere, and the themes poignant. Like reading 'the wretched of the earth' in some lyrical, dramatic incarnation

i'm sure i would've liked it better if I was like 10x smarter (and had some historical knowledge) because the first one was borderline incomprehensible. the best was bacchae of euripides, then the road