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Nigerian-American Playwright Seeks Government’s Support For Cultural Heritage
Caption:
Scenes from “The Noble Warrior” a theatrical performance of Eni Ogun as part of activities to honour Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka at 90 at Muson Centre on Saturday night in Lagos.
Cash Onadele, a Nigerian-American philosopher has appealed to the Federal Government to promote ethnography and honour indigenous promoters of the nation’s rich cultural heritage with awards.
Onadele, a poet, also urged Nigeria’s political leaders to lead the revolution for cultural emancipation and value re-orientation through the consumption of local goods, services and technology for rapid growth and development.
He made this call on Saturday night in Lagos during the stage performance of “The Noble Warrior,” a theatrical production of Eni Ogun, as part of activities to honour Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka at 90.
The stage play, which premiered in Abeokuta on July 15, was showcased and sponsored by First Bank at the Muson Centre, Lagos on Saturday night.
“The Noble Warrior – Eni Ogun”, written by Aiye-ko-ooto, directed by Oriade Adefila and produced by Cash Onadele, was performed in collaboration with Wole Soyinka International Cultural Exchange (WSICE) to honour Soyinka’s 90th birthday. The play featured the protagonist Oluwole ‘Lowo, a noble warrior likened to Wole Soyinka, with similar personality traits as a fighter and a humane warrior.
The play interrogated several issues at different levels, including love, leadership crisis, education as an important ingredient for development, and culture and tradition, with the British trying to understand the events.
Cash Onadele, who writes under the name “Aiye-ko-ooto” and is the author of “The Noble Warrior,” appealed to the Federal Government to reward Nigerians who genuinely promote the nation’s rich cultural heritage and values with honours.
“If you write stories about something abroad, you should not win a prize. They should give grants to people writing about this country, homegrown,” he said.
Onadele called on politicians to stop frequent travelling to abroad, stressing the need for value re-orientation for young Nigerians to appreciate their uniqueness and rich cultural heritage.
According to the playwright, there is loss of identity among the younger generation have become confused because the older generation did not guide them right to appreciate themselves, local goods and culture.
Speaking on the significance of his production, Onadele said it meant “that every soul has a shell, and that shell means first, every soul has a birthplace, which is your identity.
“And every soul is nurtured, which is your culture, and that every soul is loved, which is passion, and that every soul has a noble purpose, which is your tribal citizenship, and that every single soul when troubled, finds the courage of its character. And finally, every soul has a message, and the message is your inheritance.
“We are all souls, and the message to all of us is this: if you don’t find your identity and you do not claim your citizenship and you do not believe in who you are and fight for your courage in troubled times, you’ll leave your children no inheritance,” he said.
He explained how he drew inspiration from one of Soyinka’s books, “Death and the King’s Horseman”, and wrote the play based on the persona of Wole Soyinka, whom he described as brave.
Onadele described Soyinka at 90 as “an ambassador of culture, an enigma, a literature cult hero, a fighter for freedom, an uncompromising man when it comes to justice.”
Mr Tosin Adewuyi, Executive Director of Corporate Banking, First Bank Ltd., said the bank had been woven into the fabric of society and had been ensuring success in the creative industry value chain through its First@arts initiative, with “The Noble Warrior – Eni Ogun” being another milestone.
He noted that the 130-year-old bank had a history of supporting all sectors in the nation, including the arts industry, adding that FirstBank’s sponsorship of “The Noble Warrior” – Eni Ogun was to celebrate Soyinka’s contributions and project Nigeria’s culture to the world.
“It’s also a way of supporting what is ours, a lot of history, a lot of stories, a lot of moral teachings coming through. It’s a representation of what we really are as a people. This is where you see First Bank doing what it does best, supporting,” he said.
Speaking on the play, Adewuyi explained how the British Major still required a Nigerian Chief to implement his agenda and plan.
“And in the end, the new king ascended the throne because the community came together and agreed that certain things weren’t done in the right way and decided to put their foot down.
“This is just life, this is just social; at the end of the day, everyone has a role to play – individuals, institutions, the history – it all comes together,” he said.
NAN.
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