A Dance of the Forests
Using dead characters and flashbacks, Soyinka examines Nigerian society across precolonial and postcolonial histories and warns against idealizing the past as the country approaches independence.
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Using dead characters and flashbacks, Soyinka examines Nigerian society across precolonial and postcolonial histories and warns against idealizing the past as the country approaches independence.
A political satire stages a gathering of dictatorial African leaders at their New York embassy, where their attempts at cooperation expose vanity, insecurity and the absurdity of authoritarian power.
A retired butcher, Alaba, offers a vantage point for satire on Nigerian politics; the play also explores human relationships with the environment and environmental justice.
In colonial Nigeria, Elesin, the Yoruba king’s horseman, prepares for ritual death after the king dies, but colonial administrator Simon Pilkings intervenes. Elesin is blamed for failing his duty; his son Olunde returns from Europe and dies in his place, after which Elesin also kills himself. The community’s ritual order and future remain uncertain.
In a nation under military rule, prison life exposes the regime's injustice when authorities retroactively declare that an offense once punished by imprisonment now warrants summary execution.
Under a military regime, the opportunistic prophet Jero seeks control of religious services at public executions on Bar Beach. He brings rival prophets together in a uniformed church and appoints himself General, reshaping spiritual authority in the image of the rulers he hopes to exploit.
Using dead characters and flashbacks, Soyinka examines Nigerian society across precolonial and postcolonial histories and warns against idealizing the past as the country approaches independence.
A political satire stages a gathering of dictatorial African leaders at their New York embassy, where their attempts at cooperation expose vanity, insecurity and the absurdity of authoritarian power.
A retired butcher, Alaba, offers a vantage point for satire on Nigerian politics; the play also explores human relationships with the environment and environmental justice.
In colonial Nigeria, Elesin, the Yoruba king’s horseman, prepares for ritual death after the king dies, but colonial administrator Simon Pilkings intervenes. Elesin is blamed for failing his duty; his son Olunde returns from Europe and dies in his place, after which Elesin also kills himself. The community’s ritual order and future remain uncertain.
In a nation under military rule, prison life exposes the regime's injustice when authorities retroactively declare that an offense once punished by imprisonment now warrants summary execution.
Under a military regime, the opportunistic prophet Jero seeks control of religious services at public executions on Bar Beach. He brings rival prophets together in a uniformed church and appoints himself General, reshaping spiritual authority in the image of the rulers he hopes to exploit.
After a coup, General Basha Bash trades his military uniform for royal robes and crowns himself King Baabu, ruling through an absurd and oppressive regime that satirizes dictatorship and political power.
Dictator Kongi seeks a ceremonial yam from deposed King Danlola to symbolize abdication, while Danlola's heir Daodu grows the prized crop and tribal resistance challenges Kongi's efforts to unify the nation.
Set in Nigeria in 1969, the play contrasts “madmen” and “specialists” amid war and political oppression. Corrupt Dr. Bero imprisons and torments his physician father, exposing the human cost of authority detached from reality.
Soyinka's adaptation adds an enslaved chorus that reflects civil unrest in Nigeria and transforms Pentheus's sacrifice into a communion rite: his blood becomes wine, and the community drinks it to share his power and be renewed.
In a Lagos shopping plaza preparing for an elite wedding, security officer Sanda faces upheaval when the bride Miseyi chooses him over her intended groom, provoking conflict among the families and the military governor.
Seven South African men attempt to devise a foolproof method of identifying race.
In Ilujinle, schoolteacher Lakunle and chief Baroka compete to marry Sidi, the village beauty. Their courtship brings into conflict modernizing ambitions, traditional authority and women’s autonomy; after Baroka outwits Sidi, she chooses to marry him, leaving Lakunle stunned.
At the roadside Aksident Store, drivers and assistants discuss their experiences, while the Professor tries to comfort the dead at collision scenes and Kotonu, a former driver, helps him salvage parts from wrecked cars. The Professor also sells palm wine, and unemployed drivers gather there for political security work.
In a village that chooses an outsider as an annual scapegoat, Eman takes the role to spare Ifada, a mute boy, from exile and violence. As the community pursues him, Eman's memories of his own family history and the carrier tradition culminate in his death.