A stage play on Ola Rotimi’s classical novel “The gods are not to blame” will debut in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Oct. 21, the organisers have said.
Mrs
Doyinsola Odumosu, the Chief Executive Officer of Mellis Copia,
organisers of the event told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday
that the play was to rekindle people’s interest in Nigerian literatures.
She
said that there seemed to be a declining interest among Nigerians,
especially the younger generation in indigenous literatures that “tell
the African story by Africans”.
“Mellis Copia wants to use this
play to be staged at the Transcorp Hilton to bring to Nigerians the
play: “The gods are not to be blame”, especially to those who did not
read the novel.
“We therefore hope to take our audience, both
young and old, on a journey back to ancient Nigeria using the stage play
to tell our story.
“The initiative is also to revive and showcase
stage play as a strong tool for education, information and
entertainment, because it makes the message more real to people,“ she
said.
According to Odumosu, the cast for the epic stage play
include Nollywood stars like Rotimi Fakunle, Ajayi Akorede, Finian
Sylvia and Osunsanya Funmilayo, among others.
She said that iconic Nigerian comedian ‘Chuks D General’ would be featured on the stage play.
NAN
reports that the “The gods are not to blame’’ is a 1971 novel by
Nigerian Playwright, Ola Rotimi, an adaptation of the Greek classic
Oedipus Rex.
The play is set in an ancient Yoruba community and centred on ‘Odewale’,
a king of Kutuje, who had risen to power by unknowingly murdering the
old king, ‘King Adetusa’, who was also his father.
The manner in
which Odewale killed his father was revealed in a flashback, as it was
foretold at his birth that Odewale will kill his father, the king, and
marry his mother the queen.
To prevent this from occurring, King Adetusa ordered for Odewale to be killed.
However, the messenger had pity on the child, wrapped him in a white cloth and left him in a bush far from Kutuje.
The
young Odewale was found and picked up by a farmer hunter, who raised
him, and the series of events that unfolded thereafter led to the
‘justification’ of the gods.