Gallery of tribute as artistes fete WS@82 with forest theatre
Novelists, poets, academia and well-wishers converged on Abeokuta, recently, to celebrate and shower encomiums on Wole Soyinka, a renowned Professor of Comparative Literature, Nobel Laureate and one of Africa’s foremost writers as he clocked 82.Agozino Agozino, who witnessed the celebration, which included theatre-in-the-forest, reports.
It was a fast-paced one-day/night of literary fiesta, full of pomp and pageantry. Not anybody, except, perhaps, the organisers, believed that theatre-in-the-forest could be possible, but, with the Wole Soyinka International Cultural Exchange (WSICE), the precursor of Nigeria’s forest theatre, which featured star artistes, the organisers now believe that such things could be possible.
The venue of the theatre was the extensive pristine forest-home of the erudite Professor Akinwande Oluwole (Wole) Babatunde Soyinka at Kemta, Idi Aba, a serene rural community in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, where he has been living in ascetic solitude for many years and hosts his guests from all over the world.
A first-time visitor gets that chilling feeling that makes him wipe his brows intermittently as he walks through the bush path leading to his forest-home. Although, the neighbourhood accommodates a modern housing estate, with tarred road network, this terminates at the path to Soyinka’s forest.
The first-time visitor gets another shock, the lone house is without any form of discernible security. Unlike those of many influential Nigerians, Soyinka’s house is simplicity personified.
It is an abode where he wakes up to the incessant chirping of birds and goes to sleep, after sipping some cups of palm wine, by the soothing music of the birds.
It is an abode where he wakes up to the incessant chirping of birds and goes to sleep, after sipping some cups of palm wine, by the soothing music of the birds.
The wonder of the celebration was not only Soyinka, but the fairy forest theatre, purposely constructed on a recently cleared space in the forest which could only be assessed through a tiny road from Soyinka’s main house. The theatre was lightened with arrays of lights hanging delicately from the roof of the sitting section, making it a unique setting, spectacularly different from the regular theatre.
It was a galaxy of intellectuals and literary giants, in their own right, that graced the occasion. The elite guests included renowned playwright, Prof. Femi Osofisan, Prof. Omofolabo Ajayi-Soyinka, Prof. Segun Ojewuyi and vetern newspaper columnist, Mr. Tunde Fagbenle. There were also dancers and performing artistes, who all came to celebrate Soyinka.
The celebration kicked off with a colloquium held in Lagos and dovetailed into the night of theatre performances at the Ijagba forest. Aptly tagged Corruption: A Battle for the Arts, it was a night to remember, there was also a tall, well-designed symbol to remind the audience of the evil of corruption. From the sitting area, everything was designed to give the guests a comprehensive view of all performances.
In line with this year’s event, the night in the forest was opened with a presentation of the Lost Poetry of Soyinka by Yinka Ola Williams. The reading was an excerpt from a collection of poems written and first performed by Soyinka in Beyruth, Germany in 1973.
The poems were often not known or mentioned as part of Soyinka’s works and had gone, literally, into extinction since 43 years ago. Thereafter, Osofisan, Ajayi-Soyinka, Ojewuyi and Fagbenle, mounted the stage to shower encomiums on Soyinka for his courage and fearlessness as a writer and what he means to them, in particular and Nigeria, in general.
According to veteran dancer, Peter Badejo (MBA), there was no doubt that Soyinka, through his writing had impacted, positively, humanity over the years. Badejo, who said he benefitted a lot from Soyinka, described him as one man who continues to be a blessing to this generation.
The night was, however, not all about dancing and performances. Unarguably, one of the highlights of the night was a panel discussion with the theme, Corruption as it affects children, women and humanity anchored by freelance writer and industry critic, Sola Salako and the panelists were Kadaria Ahmed, Rose Moses and Hafsat Abiola- Costello. They all agreed that corruption is a bane that has destroyed the Nigerian society. It was the view of the panel that for Nigeria to move forward, all hands must be on deck to stem the tide.
However, those who know Soyinka, know very well that he is not always moved by praises, and this played out again as the veteran writer stood up and left quietly for his house, without making a comment. The event was rounded off with the cutting of the birthday cake by all the artistes, writers and academics.
