Playwright advises script writers to accept criticisms

The Artistic Director of Renegade Theatre, Wole Oguntokun, on Monday, urged script writers to allow their works to be criticized by the public.

Oguntokun, also a playwright, told journalists in Lagos that they should also open their minds for criticisms of their play so that they could learn from others.

He spoke against the backdrop of many writers in the country that were not always pleased when their works were criticised by others.

The playwright said that the country did not have enough script writers, but the existing ones should raise their games and allow for criticism.

“It is done abroad, and it helps to improve on people’s works to become better because no one knows it all.

“The country needs more script writers for the theatre to feature good plays, so the existing script writers have to allow other people to comment on their works,’’ he said .

Oguntokun also advised them to always ensure they had presence of the minds when writing their scripts for them to produce good plays.

“We have people who can write but I guess maybe the encouragement is not there because of our clime,’’ he said.

Oguntokun said that if script writers did not want the public to criticize their works, they should not venture into either literature or be in the arts.

He said “Literary criticism is about people having different opinions about an individual’s work of art. It is not literature if other people cannot touch it”.

He appealed to the Federal Government to always fund the arts as it was being done in Europe and in other places.

He said that would facilitate the country’s cultures and traditions to be well established.

He said, “There is no way you can propel a country without the culture, tourism and arts behind its existence.

“Culture is always a vehicle that drives arts; government has to take very positive steps to grow the sector.’’

Oguntokun graduated from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, with a Bachelor degree in Law, and later attended the Nigeria Law School.

He also obtained his Masters of Laws as well as in Humanitarian and Refugees Studies, both from the University of Lagos.

His past plays are: “Family Inheritance and Greed’’; “Anatomy of a Woman’’; “Death and the Kings Horseman’’ and others.

He was honoured by British Council in 2014.