ABSTRACT
Drama originated from the Greek word "dran" (to do). It is the
imitation of action in performance. In Africa, Nigerian dramatic
enactment started from ritual worshipping; which is a theory of the
origin of drama.
Ritual is a traditional doctrine that has to do with the validation
of myths or historical events which has been passed from one generation
to another. This is a ceremonial or customary act in every tribe in
different forms, the process of which contains songs, incantations,
recitations, dance, wrestling and music. The flow of human life is
re-enacted by speech and actions involved. It is then necessary to
carry out this research to examine how Africa especially Nigerian
writers reflect this theoretical origin of ritual impulse in their
writings with a particular case study of Wole Soyinka's Death and the
king's horseman and Ola Rotimi's "Kunrunmi". This Research projects is
arranged to throw more light into traditional concepts in some writings
of " Wole Soyinka" death and the Kings Horseman and Ola Rotimi's
"Kunrunmi".
It is therefore necessary to carryout this research to highlight the
importance of ritual and dance activities to include traditional
influence on writers.
It would also focus on related literature review that could consult in form of journals, novels and unpublished dissertations.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION:
1.1 AN OVERVIEW OF THE CONCEPT OF RITUAL, MUSIC/SONG, DANCE IN NIGERIAN DRAMA
RITUALS:
The word ritual is commonly used as ceremonies or customary acts
which are often repeated in the same form. Rituals can be re-enactments
of Myths or historical events that have been passed down from
generations to generations.
The process of which contains songs, incantations, recitations, fights, dance and music.
Ritual has two other forms known as 'rite' and 'passage'. Rite concerns itself on
religion. Yoruba traditional life is religion oriented. Eldred D. Jones believes that
some knowledge of Yoruba culture is necessary for any study of plays
based upon Yoruba ideals. 'Kunrunmi' together with 'Death And The Kings
Horseman' have elements of Yoruba religious beliefs and cosmology.
Cosmology refers to the creation of nature and existence of supreme
beings, for which these rites are circle of the 'Old plantain' and
opening up a new lease of life both for himself and his society? This is
exemplified by Elesin himself when he tells his new bride:
"Our spirits shall fall in step
Along the great passage" ----[pg2]
"Rites of passage" in tradition terms can be the naming ceremony of a new born child, circumcision, marriage, coronations.
DANCE:
The idea over the years has varied in African literary circle. There
is this confusion between western identification/definition of dance
and African traditional dance in plays. Dance in western terms means
adjustment of bodily movements to music. The movements can exist
independently of dramatic coherence in the play. For instance a play
where there is a court scene and dance is evident; would seem highly
inappropriate in relation to the seriousness of a law court. But if
expressions are done by words of mouth, in form of a song there would be
some measure of seriousness passed across to the audience. In most
African plays the dance is an integral of the voiced action.
African dance according to 'Demas Nwoko' is an artistic language
which the people already speak when the movements are stylized,
structured, acrobatic, carried out. The Yoruba are surrounded by spirits
with whom the lives of mortals interact. A rough estimate was given by
Soyinka to be a thousand and one.
In these plays, we have the likes of Obatala, Oya, Ogun, Sango, and
Sopona etc. as supreme beings; who are invoked and consulted to take
charge of their lives. 'Elesin' refers to Ogun when he remarks:
"No, not even Ogun ---of---the farm toiling
Dawn till dusk on his tuber patch-----
Not even Ogun with the finest hoe ever
Forged at the anvil"---[pg1]
The poetic language of 'Elesin' in the play gives credence, to the
high esteem with which these demi-gods are held. 'Kunrunmi' and 'Elesin
Oba', conjure the help of their ancestors to enable them accomplish
their tasks. Kunrunmi as an upholder of his tradition and Elesin on the
other hand, serves as a cleansing medium for the spiritual ills of his
society, once he dies with the Oba.
There is also ritual as 'passage'; which is a ceremony marking a new
stage in one's life. The new stage of life that Elesin's society
expected was that once he carries out the ritual, the end would be
suicide. This would serve as a sacrifice and companion for the dead
Alaafin to the world beyond; thereby completing the gymnastic, and
structured into music or mime. The importance of dance is presented in
Soyinka's 'Death and the Kings Horseman' .In the market scene that marks
Elesin's last public appearance, the praise singer sings for Elesin. He
falls into a trance. The dance movement of Elesin implies his
attachment to his tradition and bears out the importance of his
impending suicide. We as readers identify with his impending act,
because we feel how important or how deep this aspect of custom is to
Elesin's people. The dance motive in this play is extensive as
exemplified by Elesin's animated movements in the midst of women, to the
praise singer's songs and drumbeats. The dance done by the women in
celebration, while dressing Elesin up in the first scene; the tango of
Pilking and Jane or the descriptions of the ballroom scene.
MUSIC AND SONG:
Music has a definition that refers to the arrangement of sounds in
patterns to produce a pleasing effect. This effect only comes about as a
result of reception by our auditory sense or sense of feeling. But in
textual context which we are concerned with, our senses come "to ply and
the written songs or recitations, produce a degree of pleasing effect;
hence we can identify them.
John Mbiti, a professor in Makerere University from his lecture on
"Oral traditions" during Festac 1977 summarizes music under African
traditional poetical item. He further states that these
include -songs, lullabies, ballads, recitations etc. He points out that
African poetry is expressed in form of songs and these are very common.
There are songs of love, songs of praise to leaders, warriors, friends,
animals and events. There are songs used while people are working
together in fields, at home, rowing boats, parties, hunting expeditions
and satirize. For instance in 'Kunrumi'; Fanyaka and the warriors
express publicly their annoyance in Kurunmi's tyranny as they render
these sarcastic lines.
Fayanka: land property
Warriors: Kurunmi
Fayanka: The air we breathe
Warriors: kurunmi
Fayanka: The gods of our fathers
Warriors: kunrunmi
Kurunmi
Kurunmi
Abah! [pg4]
Elesin's dedication to the bird in Death and the Kings Horseman
depicts dedication to animals as Mbiti points out above. The dirge
rendered by the women for Elesin Oba is a song done for the passing on
of an important person.
B.W Andrzezewski and J.M. Lewis [oxford 2001] in Somali poetry, point
out that African life is empty without songs and music. A person is
constantly confronted with songs from birth to death. Songs sound in the
air to celebrate the birth of a child, song mark his initiation rites,
marriage, bridal greetings, death and burial.
1.2 A CONCISE BACKGROUND OF WOLE SOYINKA AND OLA
ROTIMI
WOLE SOYINKA:
He was born in Abeokuta of Ijegba parentage in 1934. He attended the
University College Ibadan and the University of Leeds; where he
obtained a Bachelor's degree in English.
From 1954 to 1959, Soyinka was involved in the production and writing
of plays and presenting radio programs in England. His first major
plays are "Swamp Dwellers" and "The Lion and The Jewel" produced in
England. He returned to Nigeria in 1959, took up a lecturing job in
Ibadan and formed the 1960 "Mask Drama Company.
Between 1960 and 1980, he wrote and produced a number of his other
plays in England, America and Nigeria. "Trials of Brother Jero" was
first produced at the Greenwich new theatre U.S.A.; "Kongi's Harvest",
"Camwoodon the Leaves"-
March 1965 and "Detainee" -September 1965
The whiting drama prize was presented to him in 1967. The same year
he was detained by the Federal Military Government of Nigeria, following
his attempts to a peaceful resolution to the Nigerian Civil War.
Between 1969 and 1973, he wrote some of his novels and poems; while
as a visiting professor in Yale, some of his plays were published in
1973 and 1980.Among which is "Death and the Kings Horseman" in 1975. He
was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in October 1986. He became
the first Nigerian and
African literary artist to receive this award.
OLAROTIMI:
Emmanuel Gladstone Olawale Rotimi was born in Sapele in present day
Delta State, to a Yoruba father and Ijo mother. He attended Methodist
Boys high School Lagos from 1952 to 1957. He went to the United States
of America where he did his undergraduate studies in drama, at Boston
University from 1959 to 1963. During which he took a three year course
and ended up with a master's degree in Fine Arts at Yale University. He
returned to Nigeria in 1966. He was a research fellow from 1966 to 1969,
at the institute of African Studies within this time; he wrote and
published two major articles: "The Drama in African Ritual" and
'Traditional Nigerian Drama". His play "The Gods Are Not To Blame" is a
sensitive adaptation of the "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles in the Nigerian
conception of basic drama.
Over the years, Ola Rotimi has gained the reputation of being a
director, playwright, and actor. He is also a competent theatre critic,
scholar, and teacher. He has written other plays like "Our Husband Has
Gone Mad Again", "Ovieranmwen Nogbaise" and "Kurunmi".
If going by the description of Soyinka's and Rotimi's plays as being
an overall design of a festival, then the efficiency of ritual,
music/song, and dance can be understood as their plays are essentially
an imitation of life. An imitation of Yoruba traditional life is what
these men have taken a deep scholarly interest in. This has endowed them
with a range of ideas mingled with a wide experience outside their
culture. And this has contributed in no small measure to the subject
matter of their plays.
1.3 TRADITIONAL INFLUENCES ON THESE WRITERS
The basic tennets of farming [clearing, hoeing, sowing, reaping of
harvest]. This is evident in Soyinka's plays. He uses harvest as an
aspect that dictates the larger pattern of Yoruba life style. When
harvest is bountiful, it is believed that the positive forces of life
are in motion; while a bad harvest suggests negation of life. There are
also crops and trees which are traditional Yoruba crops -yams, kola, oil
palm, pepper. These crops are used during festivals and most of the
time; they are part of the items used as libations d ring rites. Palm
wine which is a product of the palm is a very important influence
especially for Soyinka who Alain Ricardo pays tribute to, in
"Salutations to the W ne Lover", an article in Dapo Adenugba's edited
dedication "Before Our Very Eyes”.
Dapo Adenugba in his article "Dramatists In Search Of a Language"
points The Nigerian dramatist is not far from the above mentioned
influences as these are all part of their traditional African heritage
that is merged with western ideals in their dramatic creations. These
influences to mention a few, ranges from out that Nigerian dramatists
like Soyinka and Rotimi tried to create a new theatre language which
borrows effectively from indigenous oral traditions; sensitively used
within the scope of modern drama.
The Yoruba culture which is a major influence in the artistic lives
of Soyinka and Rotimi, is rich in ceremonies especially festival and a
range of simple ceremonies of regular worship of deities, through family
ceremonies like naming, marriages, death etc. Oyin Ogungba comments
further that "by far the most significant traditional elements in these
plays "Kogi Harvest, Kurunmi, Death and the Kings Horseman, The Gods Are
Not To Blame" are the overall design of a festival. The prevailing mood
is that of a preparation for an event, which produces so much
excitement or tension in the whole populace that everyone thinks of no
other thing but that events and the resources of the whole society is
geared towards that event. Take the preparation of Elesin oba for the
world beyond, the whole society is involved, in such a way that no one
dares refuse.