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A drama presentation of ‘Things Fall Apart’

Students of White Sands College, Ajah, Lagos, thrilled their audience to twice daily performances of a play adapted from Chinua Achebe’s ‘Things Fall Apart’ at the Pan African University, Ajah on the weekend of February 25 and 26.

According to Seyi Ogungbesan, the director of the play, it was staged to promote the cultural heritage of the students. “It’s in line with White Sand’s school of thought that the students learn the cultural heritage of where they come from,” he said. He added that the staged play was adapted from Chinua Achebe’s ‘Things Fall Apart’ because of its portrayal of the Igbo culture. “The students have acted both Yoruba and Hausa plays, so we decided to choose an Igbo text this time.” Although the play was basically performed by the Drama Club of the school, all the students were given the opportunity to participate. “It was an equal audition and everyone was given an equal opportunity,” Ogungbesan assured.

Okonkwo’s Achilles heel

The play ultimately portrays Okonkwo, a wrestling champion in Umuofia and the influences of British colonialism on him and his people. It is easy to blame the British invasion for all the problems faced in Umuofia. However, the central character, Okonkwo, is a hot tempered fellow whose hard-heartedness has been a cause of major concern, even from the very beginning. The first scene introduces the audience to this central character. Okonkwo’s role as a traditional Igbo man with a quick temper is well depicted. The actor is huge and tall, the tallest of all the actors on stage. His steps are almost menacing and his voice is authoritative and beckons all to listen to him. His friend, Obierika is similar, save for the fact that he is much calmer and not as rash. He is the voice of reason where Okonkwo isn’t.

Okonkwo’s rash behaviour results in three murders although they are not all deliberate. He gives an excuse for his killing Ikemefuna. “A child cannot be hurt by the hot yam given to him by his mother,” Okonkwo says. He is of the belief that he only ran an errand the gods sent him and he couldn’t disobey them. The importance of a male child to the clan is also well depicted in the play. “If only Ezimma was a boy, I’ll be much happier,” Okonkwo complains to his friend in one scenes. There are moments of merry making that brighten the otherwise serious mood of the play. The festival where there is much dancing, singing and drumming is an example, except that it ends in a death. This shortens the merry mood of the scene.

Another merry moment that easily comes to mind is the scene of the white missionary preaching with his Igbo translator. Everything, from the white man’s wig to the exaggerated protruding belly of his translator, seems funny and sends the audience reeling with laughter. However, the scene seems to go on endlessly and leaves the non-speaking Igbo members of the audience wondering what he is saying. The translator doesn’t seem to translate accurately. But his wild gesticulations, weird outfit and deep Igbo accent create a mood of humour.

Each scene is introduced by soft music accompanied by drumming and flute playing where necessary. The music rises to a crescendo and then falls until it completely fades before the curtain rises.

An assessment

It is safe to say that the acting was excellent for secondary school boys who are not professionals. The professionalism in the directing and choreography was apparent in the performance. There was an effective collaboration among the members of the crew. The students displayed a number of talents in addition to their acting skills; they danced well and a few of them even displayed their acrobatic skills.

The stage was designed to fit a typical village setting with the bamboo benches and fence, the plantain tree and the mud hut. All these were properly depicted on stage. The makeup was also on point. The young actors looked convincing in their roles as old men. Their moustaches and beards were believable. The boys who acted as white men also looked convincing in their character make-up.

The actors could be seen dressed up in the traditional Igbo attire, which spoke volumes. For instance, chiefs could be differentiated from those who weren’t by their attires. They all wore red caps but those of the titled chiefs were different. The characteristics of the Igbo attire which consist of red beads, wrappers and so on, were prominent on the stage. The holy priest was convincing in his red and black outfit and the white marks round his eyes. Sound effects were also well deployed in the play. Rather than holding microphones that would create awkwardness in their acting, the actors wore wireless microphones. They could be clearly heard. A powerful spotlight was focused on the stage; save for this, there wasn’t any other light in the room. The light introduced the beginning of a scene and signalled its end.

There were however a few shortcomings. The lightning sometimes didn’t come on as fast as expected. An actor forgot his lines at some point, but considering these are few shortcomings, they could be overlooked. The fact that the dead child was carried entirely back stage was quite impressive until one of the dead men had to walk back stage himself.

The use of the Igbo language during the course of the play was most impressive. The students spoke the Igbo language flawlessly. This is in accordance with the essence of the play. Tunde Olaifa, the co- ordinator of the school’s drama group said; “The essence of the play is to keep the boys abreast of our culture. It’s part of formation for them and if they can take part in these activities, they are on the way to being formed.” All in all, the play was a good adaptation of Achebe’s novel.