Thoughts from a foreign land
‘A river that
forgets its source soon dries up’. This proverb could pass for the
central idea in Bisi Adigun’s play ‘Home Sweet Home’, which was
launched at the Agip Hall of the Muson Centre, Lagos, on October 30.
The play, centered around five friends, dwells on the workings of home
and exile in the lives of migrants.
The 6pm time
scheduled for the show to begin was adhered to and the actors began to
troop onto the stage decked in green overalls with matching caps.
Viewers also begin to stroll into the hall while those familiar with
one another exchanged greetings with some air-kissing among the elite.
At the sound of the
drums, the light goes out and everyone settles in. The actors sing and
do various dance steps to the accompaniment of the drum. They do some
synchronizing and then some free styling. It is amusing to watch
dignified personalities of the tube like Norbert Young and Tina Mba
letting go of their inhibitions and capering about on the stage.
The singing and
dancing session ends and the actors proceed to undress on the stage
taking off their green outfits, after which the once lighthearted Tina
Mba suddenly metamorphoses into a dour-looking Immigration officer who
endorses the boys’ entrance into England.
The setting is
Aso-rock, a miniature watering-hole in London. It’s a reunion cum 50th
birthday drinks party. Talkative Dapo, or Daps, played by Toyin
Oshinaike, is the birthday boy and he is accompanied by his friends:
the rotund, dismal and short-tempered Tayo (Olawale Obadeyi), the
indecisive and sensitive Peter (Kayode Idris) and the diplomatic Seyi
(Kris Ubani-Roberts).
They order beers
with the exception of Tayo who prefers a bottle of Malta Guinness and
they make fun of him to no end about it. Especially since it is because
he has a drinking problem which has made him turn his Jamaican wife
Francesca into a punching bag.
All kinds of
banter that would be expected among a group of friends who have known
each other for donkey years is displayed by these middle-aged men who
are still holding on to relics of a memorable youth.
They toast to a
happy birthday and a happy reunion as they wait for one more person,
who is expected to join them to complete the circle of friendship. They
argue about the differences between drinking, heavy drinking and
alcoholism, infusing their conversations with Yoruba and showing that
they still have a firm grasp of their roots even though they have been
away from home for some 25 years.
Visiting home
They turn to engage
Dapo when the issue of home arises. Tayo has been to Nigeria only once
in 20years. One of them boasts that he goes home to attend burials and
weddings and Dapo retorts that burials and weddings are obligations not
visits.
Ever one to
impress, Dapo believes that a visit to Nigeria from London must be
planned from start to finish. His plans are usually elaborate, he says.
He saves a thousand pounds and buys some designer outfits. When he
lands Nigeria, he goes from plane to Airport Hotel to Ile-Ife, in a car
hire of course.
He goes on a
rendezvous of the University; Moremi Hall and Mozambique Hall to boot.
He meets a few old friends and throws around some money; before heading
back to London after some days of fun. Tayo thinks it is all pretence;
pretending to be successful when in fact they are not. its been some
twenty odd years since they left Nigeria for England, hoping to work
and save a few pounds and then return.
They were fresh
from the University then. Twenty five years on, and they are still far
behind that dream. Dapo abruptly cuts in that he is going back to
Nigeria as soon as his investments mature. Tayo laughs again.
Peter, who is wont
to burst into rapturous singing of any kind depending on the prevailing
mood, is a security man in London, so also is the unmarried Dapo.
Peter, who came to London on a holiday visa, does not think he has
saved enough money to return. When he first arrived he was
overqualified for any job, so he had to downgrade his qualifications to
get a job as a porter with MacDonald’s.
Seyi who is a
cabbie says Nigeria has changed since the 1980’s when they left. “They
say Oshodi-Oke has disappeared,” Peter adds. Dapo thinks they should
all take advantage of the change. “They say Jonathan needs people with
Midas touch to help achieve his dreams”, he points out. “Well good luck
to him”, replies Peter offhandedly.
As they wait, they
wonder if their friend Juwon whom they are waiting for, will show up.
Juwon, played by Norbert Young, is half Nigerian and half Ghanaian. He
is their rich and successful friend on whom mother luck has smiled
since he arrived London. Among his friends, he is the only one who
seems to have had a fruitful sojourn in England. He is a business man,
who prefers hiring Pakistanis over Nigerians.
Like his friends,
the audience is left wondering if Juwon will really show up as he has
become this inaccessible businessman. When he eventually shows up, they
are excited.
Home vs Exile
There is a subtle
argument about which is best, home or exile. Juwon thinks that the new
Nigeria is a prime source for business opportunities. Seyi prefers the
familiar, namely London and his council flat. Dapo thinks London is no
place to raise children. They reminisce about their days as students at
the Obafemi Awolowo University and all the pranks they used to play.
Then comes the
unraveling of the mystery surrounding Poju’s death. He is like the
ghost haunting the group. Poju was a friend of the group and his death
was a big blow to all of them. Up until the revelation the audience is
kept in suspense as to the cause of his death and the circumstances
leading up to the tragedy.
Dapo’s false
bravado gives way to tears. “So what we never made it big, we are still
alive! Get me out of this shithole country, Pete,” wails Dapo. His
outburst represents the ambivalence and frustrations they all feel
towards a country where they never quite feel at home, and a home which
does not really care about them.
The play actually
ends on this ambivalent note. Dapo says to the others “Let’s go home”.
Peter asks, “Home where? Home sweet home”. We are left to deduce for
ourselves what choices these characters will make.
Acting and
characterisation shine through the play as each character is uniquely
portrayed. Their strengths, frailties and fears are laid bare
remarkably within two hours. There is an impressive use of suspense at
various points in the play, and also a good use of stage space.
There is enough
humour, wit and sarcasm in the production to diffuse some of the
tension which the theme is likely to evoke. The actors’ costumes aid
the element of verisimilitude in the play as we get the picture of
Nigerians living in London.
The overall feel of
the play is reminiscent of African American Playwright Je’Caryous
Johnson’s ‘Whatever She Wants’, featuring Vivica A. Fox and Boris
Kodjoe; and it would probably be great if the writer toed Johnson’s
line by recording the performance on DVD. Though ‘Home Sweet Home’ was
a bit long and began to drag at some point in the second act, it was an
impressive show.
The writer of the
play, Bisi Adigun, a 1990 graduate of Drama from the Obafemi Awolowo
University wrote the play out of an understanding of what it means to
be an ‘inside-outsider’, and the unfortunate brain drain problem facing
Nigeria.
Adigun who left
Nigeria for the UK in 1993 and then migrated to Ireland in 1996, says
that the play was influenced by an Irish emigrant play titled ‘The
Kings of Kilburn High Road’. In fact the first production of the play
was in 2006 at the Dublin Fringe theatre festival in Ireland
In a chat with NEXT, Adigun said that he had been abroad for a
reasonable period of time. “The play is really about letting people
realise what the other side is about”, he told NEXT. Reiterating the
fact that the play was also about celebrating Nigeria at 50, Adigun
pointed out that “in spite of all our challenges as a nation, we can
celebrate life”.
