For two days last week, theatre lovers in Lagos had the time of their lives with the Yoruba comedy, ‘Yeepa! Solaarin Nbo!!’ courtesy Mufu Onifade’s Ara Studios.
WHEN ‘Who is Afraid of Solarin’, the English version of the Yoruba comedy, ‘Yeepa! Solarin Nbo!!’ written by prolific playwright and academic, Professor Femi Osofisan, was first staged in 1972, nobody knew that corruption, which the play deplores, would become so pervasive.
In fact, by 1999 when Yeepa! was translated into Yoruba by the same author alongside Professor Dotun Ogundeji, no one knew corruption would become an insidious social problem to the extent that a major political party and its presidential standard-bearer, would make its eradication part of their manifesto. Indeed, Nigerians didn’t expect that agencies including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission and Code of Conduct Bureau, would exist to confront it frontally.
That the then irritant Osofisan saw and highlighted 46 years ago has become such a divisive and emotive issue signposts the abysmal depths our nation has plumbed. Integrity has become scarce, while deceit, graft, and theft have become the new normal. It is against this background that the decision of the Mufu Onifade-led Ara Studios to bring back the play as an advocacy against corruption is welcome.
For two days last week, the National Theatre, Iganmu and MUSON Centre, Onikan were sent agog with the play. While Wednesday’s command performance at the National Theatre was in honour of the new Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Otunba Gani Adams, that of the MUSON on Sunday was for the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi. And while the crowd at Wednesday’s show was so much that several stood throughout the duration of the comedy, things were calmer on Sunday at the MUSON.
The playwright, Osofisan and his wife, Adenike; renowned soprano and Nigeria’s first female federal permanent secretary, Francesca Emmanuel; the Ooni’s representative and the Elejesi of Ejesi Ife, Oba Tokunbo Awosunle and chair of the occasion, Chief Alex Ajipe were among those who enjoyed the interesting comedy produced by Onifade and directed by SegunAdefila.
While the folk songs by Edaeto Agbeniyi served as the appetizer, the opening glee featuring Adefila’s Crown Troupe of Africa in Ifaara could have served as the main dish. The deeply cultural mix of music, dance, heavy drumming and chants, saw the actors raining curses on corruption and propitiating the gods to return goodness and equality to the land.
Going from what transpired in the play featuring a tested and talented 50-person cast, including Smart Adejumo (Siaman), Michael Okorie (Edukesan), Adiyeloja (Mayuwon Ogun), Wale Macaulay (Dokita), Sunday Afolabi (Adajo), FeyikemiTaiwo (Kaokudi) and Nike Ayodele (Tolu), the imaginary local council and indeed Nigeria could do with a cleansing. Other actors who highlighted how elected officials loot the treasury and attempt to hide their crimes by burning the evidence include Taiwo Ibikunle (Pastor Nebu), Aishat Onitiri (Cecilia), Art Osagie Okedigun (Isola), FataiA detayo (Baba Fawomi), Muri Amulegboja (Lamidi), Habeeb Awoko (Lemomu) and Wale Ayodeji (Polycap).
The local council is in turmoil following news that Solarin, the upright and much-dreaded Public Complaints Commissioner is coming to town to examine the books. Siaman, the rabid thief who can’t control his subordinates and the first to be aware of the development, is clearly the most agitated. He tells the others and they all get into a state of funk; fearful that their deeds would be exposed.
Adiyeloja, the rosary holding, secondary school drop-out, who lies to the others that she’s a graduate and has been to Jerusalem, has plenty to hide, as does Edukesan who has stolen all the money allocated to build schools and provide instructional materials for pupils. The Judge is no better, as he collects bribes to decide cases and even sends an innocent man to jail in order to snatch his wife. Dokita is another rotten one. The public hospitals are dilapidated, the mortuary is overflowing with corpses and there are no medicines but he won’t be bothered; all he cares about is smoking his pipe.
Kaokudi, coordinator of the market women is another damaged goods as is Baba Fawomi, the Ifa priest played by Nollywood actor, Lalude. He forgets that there is no deceit in Ifa but preys on the fears of the looters to get money from them. Even Pastor Nebu, Cecilia’s father has secrets to hide.
Following Siaman’s announcement, the corrupt officials start plotting how to save their skins with suggestions, including burning the files, telling Solarin that a snake swallowed the missing monies and that no one must henceforth take a bribe without informing Siaman. Compounding the Siaman’s woes is his retarded wife, Tolu, who interrupts the strategy session by bringing various wares from her shops for sale. Mo ti be, meaning “I want to explode”, the agitated Siaman would say to calm himself whenever Tolu interrupts or the other looters are not agreeing with his points.
The Siaman eventually explodes after an impostor, a sharp Lagos boy called Isola, pretending to be the dreaded Public Complaints Commissioner cleaned them out and the real Solarin arrived. The rascal who also professes love to Cecilia and goes as far as agreeing to marry her had fled his debtors and arrived at the council. He gets to know that the officials are expecting Solarin and decides to pretend as the commissioner. Isola collects various amounts of money from the looters but Baba Fawomi discovers his secret by stealing his diary and handing it over to the panicky thieves.
The announcement from Lemomu and Lamidi, two men who pretend to be beggars but are actually spies for the Siaman, that Solarin has arrived, ended the play with Siaman exclaiming Mo ti be (I have exploded).
In choosing Adefila as the play’s director, Onifade must have expected some innovations and he got this aplenty with the director introducing contemporary events into the plot. These include the naira swallowing snake as well as street lingo-like ladugbo mi, ti n tiyo among others. The actors too didn’t drop the ball while the set was spot on.
Happily, Onifade plans to continue his advocacy against corruption by taking ‘Yeepa!’ on a tour of the southwest states and the English version on a national tour.
and then