Dance, Improvisations Enliven Drama at MUSON Festival 2022 Yinka Olatunbosun One of the most difficult tasks for any theatre director is to recreate a frequently performed play with a tinge of freshness. J
One of the most difficult tasks for any theatre director is to recreate a frequently performed play with a tinge of freshness. Julius Obende took on the challenge headlong with this year’s edition of the Chevron Festival Drama featuring Wole Soyinka’s 1987 comedy, Childe Internationale. Performed at the Agip Hall, MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos, the play revives the theme of culture clash through a family-united by blood, divided by values.
To deepen the context of the play, the director introduced a few lines from contemporary culture, dance and a popular street anthem, ‘Zazoo Zeh’ to an audience largely drawn from well-heeled neighbourhoods. Starring Tunji Sotimirin in the lead role, the use of language to delineate characters was prominent throughout the play as its overarching element of humour.
Still, the play holds more relevance today as it serves as a social commentary on the long-term consequences of western education on African values in this era of mass student migration from Nigeria to higher institutions in UK, Europe, America, North America, Asia and Australia.