Moremi the Musical: How the Ugbo warriors were defeated
The Ugbo people which should not be mistaken to Igbo nation of Nigeria are the proverbial bush men of Yoruba extract that clads on raffia twists.
The dreaded and fierce warriors noted to possess a magic that is the main source of their prowess in wars, were humans after all, and can be defeated in a war if one discovers the intrigues behind their assumed unbreakable power.
Capturing Moremi Ajasoro, wife of the then Ooni of Ife and daughter of Offa hunter in a fierce battle that saw many Ife people as slave captives was their greatest undoing, especially as the King of Ugbo who could not resist her beauty fall for it.
In the process of being carried away amourosly and savouring his assumed slave captive Moremi, he (the King) threw caution to the wind by devulging the source and secret of their unbeaten power in exchange of one night romance.
Not that it was so easy for Moremi to achieve that but with the power of beauty, wit, intelligence and coded intent, it became a compelling factor for Moremi to grab the needed one word “Fire.” …and yes, fire does it. The raffia cladded warriors were then defeated with fire lits which was assumed to raze their dried and inflammable raffia clads during wars. Thus, goes the enthralling storyline in the stage drama that has been described by audience as one musical with a historical background ready to change the theater narratives. Moremi became a heroine having outwitted the dreaded Ugbo King and led the Ife hunters to an epoch war that brought freedom, peace and unity among the Yoruba race till date. More so, it is worthy to note that great success does not come that easy. Moremi sacrificed this victory with her only son. The river goddess played by Omotola Jolade in the drama came heavy with her promised demand after war, and the pleads, rants and cries of Ife people could not change her mind as she reminds Moremi that agreement is agreement. Moremi eventually conceded to the request to save the entire people from another doom. The House of Oduduwa foundation and Rejuvenee in collaboration with Bolanle Austen-Peters Production produced the drama. However, it was noted that stage performance in Nigeria today has became a renewed phenomenon looking at what the like of Austen Peters has done with it. With the musicals like ‘Fela and the kalakuta queens’, ‘Saro’ and ‘Waka’ among others, BAP has redirected Nigerian audience focus from cinemas that shows mostly foreign films to the nation’s forgotten cultural and historical heritage through live performances, and has upped it with this classical drama -Moremi the musical. An enthusiast, Funke Arabalashe, retired civil servant and intellectual property rights expert remarked: “From the onset, theatre has been it, but was not seriously developed due to lack of funds and support. To say that people are returning to theatre is true. The concept of theater was on the decline for a long time until the likes of late Ogunde and recently, Bolanle Austen-Peters changed it. People want leisure and they embraced what was readily available to them then which was cinema. I am glad that people are looking inwards not only on politics but also arts and culture to develop our huge potentials for posterity,” she said.
This was also corroborated by some theater lovers who expressed joy for attending live performance shows. According to them, the human elements, stage arrangements and opportunity to interact with casts after show brings unprecedented bond between the casts and the audience. This according to them, is termed as never seen before performance ranked in the category of Shakespeare’s stage plays. Moremi the Musical is one particular stage-drama, okayed by a respected custodian of peoples heritage, Ooni of Ife, and makes its debuts at Terrakulture arena. It was premiered on Friday December 21 and runs till January 2, 2019. The musical, heavily supported by Rejuvenee and initiated by House of Oduduwa foundation and produced by BAP has used modernity to redifine historical tales. The mix of celebrated Nollywood icons and regular theater actors however, rekindle the new age understanding of the storyline coupled with the fussion of ancient and modern gadgets, as explored by BAP. A lot of modern soul music and the traditional enchantments were skewed for modern appeal. The costume was right suited to reflect age and time, the characters at every step depicts the ancient, while the audacity and counter audacity as reflected in the Ugbo king and warriors, the Ife hunters and the awed demeanor of the river goddess, all made every plot enthralling.
Meanwhile, ever since the premiere of the, Queen Moremi the Musical on December 21, every conversation in Lagos has been about the heroic queen warrior of all time. After the casts hit the stage kicking off a spectacular run that has made the musical play one of the sold out theater shows of all time.
Not only did the premiere offer more untold stories of the Queen Warrior, it also put a spotlight on Tosin Adeyemi, who plays the role Moremi.
The command performance for the Father of the Yoruba’s, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwunsi held on Sunday December 23.
In attendance were several dignitaries that include the Honourable Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; Her Excellency, Mrs Olufunso Amosun; Hon Abike Dabiri Erewa, Mr Jimi Agbaje, Erelu Dosunmu, Chief Onikepo Akande and others. By Chris Onuoha
Not that it was so easy for Moremi to achieve that but with the power of beauty, wit, intelligence and coded intent, it became a compelling factor for Moremi to grab the needed one word “Fire.” …and yes, fire does it. The raffia cladded warriors were then defeated with fire lits which was assumed to raze their dried and inflammable raffia clads during wars. Thus, goes the enthralling storyline in the stage drama that has been described by audience as one musical with a historical background ready to change the theater narratives. Moremi became a heroine having outwitted the dreaded Ugbo King and led the Ife hunters to an epoch war that brought freedom, peace and unity among the Yoruba race till date. More so, it is worthy to note that great success does not come that easy. Moremi sacrificed this victory with her only son. The river goddess played by Omotola Jolade in the drama came heavy with her promised demand after war, and the pleads, rants and cries of Ife people could not change her mind as she reminds Moremi that agreement is agreement. Moremi eventually conceded to the request to save the entire people from another doom. The House of Oduduwa foundation and Rejuvenee in collaboration with Bolanle Austen-Peters Production produced the drama. However, it was noted that stage performance in Nigeria today has became a renewed phenomenon looking at what the like of Austen Peters has done with it. With the musicals like ‘Fela and the kalakuta queens’, ‘Saro’ and ‘Waka’ among others, BAP has redirected Nigerian audience focus from cinemas that shows mostly foreign films to the nation’s forgotten cultural and historical heritage through live performances, and has upped it with this classical drama -Moremi the musical. An enthusiast, Funke Arabalashe, retired civil servant and intellectual property rights expert remarked: “From the onset, theatre has been it, but was not seriously developed due to lack of funds and support. To say that people are returning to theatre is true. The concept of theater was on the decline for a long time until the likes of late Ogunde and recently, Bolanle Austen-Peters changed it. People want leisure and they embraced what was readily available to them then which was cinema. I am glad that people are looking inwards not only on politics but also arts and culture to develop our huge potentials for posterity,” she said.
This was also corroborated by some theater lovers who expressed joy for attending live performance shows. According to them, the human elements, stage arrangements and opportunity to interact with casts after show brings unprecedented bond between the casts and the audience. This according to them, is termed as never seen before performance ranked in the category of Shakespeare’s stage plays. Moremi the Musical is one particular stage-drama, okayed by a respected custodian of peoples heritage, Ooni of Ife, and makes its debuts at Terrakulture arena. It was premiered on Friday December 21 and runs till January 2, 2019. The musical, heavily supported by Rejuvenee and initiated by House of Oduduwa foundation and produced by BAP has used modernity to redifine historical tales. The mix of celebrated Nollywood icons and regular theater actors however, rekindle the new age understanding of the storyline coupled with the fussion of ancient and modern gadgets, as explored by BAP. A lot of modern soul music and the traditional enchantments were skewed for modern appeal. The costume was right suited to reflect age and time, the characters at every step depicts the ancient, while the audacity and counter audacity as reflected in the Ugbo king and warriors, the Ife hunters and the awed demeanor of the river goddess, all made every plot enthralling.
Meanwhile, ever since the premiere of the, Queen Moremi the Musical on December 21, every conversation in Lagos has been about the heroic queen warrior of all time. After the casts hit the stage kicking off a spectacular run that has made the musical play one of the sold out theater shows of all time.
Not only did the premiere offer more untold stories of the Queen Warrior, it also put a spotlight on Tosin Adeyemi, who plays the role Moremi.
The command performance for the Father of the Yoruba’s, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwunsi held on Sunday December 23.
In attendance were several dignitaries that include the Honourable Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; Her Excellency, Mrs Olufunso Amosun; Hon Abike Dabiri Erewa, Mr Jimi Agbaje, Erelu Dosunmu, Chief Onikepo Akande and others. By Chris Onuoha
