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The performance
justified the hype. Filmmaker, Tunde Kelani and Mufu Onifade, chair,
Lagos State chapter of the National Association of Nigerian Theatre
Arts Practitioners (NANTAP), producers of ‘Yeepa: Solaarin Nbo’, had
assured before it opened that it would not be jejune.

“It is a total
performance that is taking theatre back to the basics,” Kelani said of
Dotun Ogundeji’s Yoruba translation of Femi Osofisan’s ‘Who is Afraid
of Solarin’ staged as part of events organised by the Lagos State
Government to mark Nigeria’s 50th Independence anniversary.

As promised by the
duo, there was no dull moment at the first public staging of the play
at the National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos on Tuesday, September 28. The
full house that saw it obviously enjoyed the play, going by their
raucous laughter and ripostes to the lines and antics of the actors on
stage.

The opening glee, a
two-in-one performance by the Lagos State chapter of the Dance Guild of
Nigeria (EKO GOND) and Crown Troupe of Africa, was the appetiser before
the audience was served the main course. Dancer, Dayo Liadi and members
of Eko GOND who performed 9ice’s ‘Petepete’, decrying the stagnation of
Nigeria 50 years after Independence, were outstanding. Their movements
were in synch with the mournful tone of the music and Liadi,
choreographer of the piece, got the extra applause he deserved when he
rolled himself several times over towards the exit as the song ended.

The Crown Troupe of
Africa’s performance of the late Hubert Ogunde’s classic, ‘Yoruba Ronu’
was no less interesting. Alabi Ademola, who spotted the trademark white
wrapper, cap and ‘shaki’ (fraternal shawl) of the late doyen of
Nigerian theatre, gave a good account of himself as Ogunde.
Unsurprisingly, members of the audience familiar with the chorus of the
reflective song, sang along with the troupe. The themes of the two
performances, fittingly, cohere with that of the satirical play on
corruption and the tragedy of small minds in big positions in Nigeria.

United by graft

Siaman, played by
Ropo Ewenla, bursts in on his colleagues in the local government and
informs them that Solaarin, the much feared public complaints
commissioner, is set to pay them a visit. The mere mention of Solaarin,
a forthright man, leaves the group including Edukesan also known as
Force is Force (Toyin Oshinaike); Adajo (Oladejo Adegboyega);
Alafowosowopo (Lara Akinsola); Dokita (Yinka Aiyelokun) and Adiyeloja (
Bukky Ogunnote- Ogunade) trembling in fear.

Like most public
office holders, their hands are not clean and they dread Solaarin for
reasons which become clear as the play progresses.

Edukesan who is in
charge of the Education Ministry is a rotten official who does nothing
other than embezzle money. Apart from collecting bribes to pervert the
course of justice, Adajo (Judge) is also a chronic womaniser who jails
the husband of a woman he fancies and turns the courthouse into a
poultry. Dokita is a pipe puffing and coughing layabout who has allowed
the hospitals to completely run down. The two women in the cabinet,
Alafowosowopo and Adiyeloja, are as rotten and immersed in corrupt
practices as the men.

Solaarin’s imminent
arrival throws them into a quandary and they start looking for ways to
avoid the perceived disaster. The half-educated Siaman suggests they
burn the records to hide their atrocities and sends his houseboy,
Polycap, to fetch Baba Fawomi, an Ifa priest, to rescue them.

Underscoring how
deeply corruption has eaten into the moral fabric of the society, Baba
Fawomi played by Bayo Ogundele, is also a dupe. He tells the terrified
officials that, among other things, Ifa wants five cows, 10 local
goats, 10 Hausa goats, 16 fowls and seven yards of white cloth as
sacrifice to hide their sins from Solaarin. Any doubts the audience
might have about Baba Fawomi’s integrity is soon erased when he does a
break dance while singing “ifa ki paro” (Ifa doesn’t lie). He also
requests schnapps to enable Ifa speak fluently. Siaman sends Polycap to
fetch the drink from his bedroom but the bumbling fool brings toilet
cleaner which Baba Fawomi quaffs thirstily before realising he is
drinking poison.

The arrival

The satire, which
more than adequately reflects the sordid state of affairs in Nigeria,
takes an interesting turn when Lemomu and Lamidi – two charlatans who
spy for Siaman while pretending to be beggars – return with news that
Solaarin is in town. Like the others, the duo don’t render assistance
except they are sorted. They disclose that Solaarin is staying in the
Pastor’s house; and Siaman heads there. The Pastor, sadly, is also
tainted. He not only helps himself to offerings, he also trusts more in
Baba Fawomi’s power than the God he professes.

It’s a different
scenario in the Pastor’s house where he is seen quarrelling with his
daughter, Cecilia, for taking too quickly to the guest (Kayode Idris)
from Lagos. Pastor is angry with the guest for finishing the bottle of
sacrament wine and taking liberties with his daughter.

The continuously
twittering daughter whom the guest affectionately calls ‘Cicily Misa
Misa’, however, doesn’t mind the attention. She, in fact, basks in it
and strongly defends him against her father’s accusation. The street
wise Lagosian wins the Pastor over with a yarn to promulgate a decree
that will elevate him into a Bishop.

Pastor becomes
afraid when Siaman later tells him his guest is Solaarin. Pastor leaves
immediately to see Baba Fawomi lest Solaarin discovers his own
atrocities too.

The play climaxes
with the rotten officials falling over themselves to offer ‘presents’
to the guest in Pastor’s house so he doesn’t report them in Lagos. But
is he really the upright Solaarin, the bane of corrupt officials?

Current theme

Though set in a
rural Yoruba town of the 60s and 70s, ‘Yeepa: Solaarin Nbo’ reflects
the current Nigerian society where elected officials don’t understand
the meaning of service; where contracts are awarded at exorbitant
prices but shoddily executed; where nothing works. Siaman, whose full
name JDG Gbonmiayelobiojo hints at graft, typifies the half-literate
official in a position of power. Playing Siaman, Ropo Ewenla
entertained the audience endlessly with his excellent portrayal of the
thieving chair. The icing on the cake was his bad pronunciation of
words like ‘emergently’; ‘gentlemens and ladies’; ‘incongnito’; ‘tomati
puri’ and “o si ro pe o prosper lati wa so fun mi” (You didn’t deem it
proper to inform me).

But a tree does not a forest make. Ewenla was good but so were the
others. Oshinaike who played Edukesan; Adegboyega, the corrupt judge;
Aiyelokun, the doctor and Idris, the scoundrel who pretended to be
Solaarin, also handled their roles excellently. Toyin James who played
Tolu, Siaman’s mentally retarded wife, and Bunmi Mapelujo, the besotted
Cecilia didn’t fail to add to the play. They were completely at home in
their comical but significant roles in the fast paced satire directed
by Niji Akanni. That careful planning went into the production of
‘Yeepa: Solaarin Nbo’ was also evident in the choice of costumes. The
characters were appropriately dressed while the stage was functional.
The audience had no cause to complain when the play ended.