IT was an evening of music performances and a recollection of the past at the Wole Soyinka Theatre, University of Ibadan, when playwright, Professor Bode Sowande, brought together theatre stakeholders to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Odu Themes, the theatre company he established half a century ago.
Odu Themes was a child of circumstance, as it came to be after an incident occurred when a stray bullet shot by a policeman hit Kunle Adepeju, a University of Ibadan student at that time, which resulted in his death.
That incident in 1972, therefore, made Adepeju the first student victim of police brutality in Nigeria.
Following the killing, there were protests by students and it was during that time that Sowande, a student of the University of Ife at that time, was at the University of Ibadan on a visit.
Running down memory lane, Sowande said he was always spending his weekends with friends at the University of Ibadan, so the death of Adepeju inspired his first play in 1974.
“The Night Before Graduation,” was initially written as a short story before it was changed to a play.
On how he assembled the first set of artistes, Professor Sowande said he was always at the front of the Arts Theatre, as it was known then and approached some of the students who were there about his plan and fortunately, they all accepted.
Among the students approached by Sowande was Duro Oni, who was a student of the University of Ibadan at that time.
Professor Oni, who was once a deputy vice chancellor of the University of Lagos, corroborated Professor Sowande’s recollection of the past.
Professor Oni said as a student in the School of Drama, University of Ibadan then in 1972, he was always hanging out around the Arts Theatre with his friends, “and it was during the Kunle Adepeju crisis that a young man, slightly older than us, approached that he wanted to do a play.
“So about six of us came together, gathered on the stage and began rehearsing the play. When the play was staged, it was an instant hit, to the extent that we also went to the University of Ife to perform the play.
“After the first year of forming the group in 1972, Bode went to Sheffield, United Kingdom for his MA and PhD, and I was tasked with managing the team in his absence.
“During his absence, we went on with our performances and made so much money that by the time he returned, we had so much money in the bank.
“I am grateful for what I contributed to Odu Themes and I am happy that it is still surviving now,” Professor Oni, who would be retiring from the University of Lagos in December after clocking the mandatory 70 years of age, said.
Professor Sowande immediately recollected the period he was away from the group and only visited during the holidays from the United Kingdom.
“While I was away, the group was well managed and there was no issue about trust, unlike what we have today.
“I want to say that Odu Themes was a venture of faith and I am happy with the people I surrounded myself with, as we wouldn’t be talking about 50 years of the group today without those with me then.”
A member of the group who joined in 1973, popular Nollywood actor, Chief Akin Lewis, also ran down memory lane on how he joined Odu Themes.
“I just finished secondary school then and a friend of mine brought me to the Arts Theatre to see a play and that was how I got hooked. I was in the Dramatic society in secondary school, so that showed I have always loved performances, but when I came to see a play at the University of Ibadan, it was a different experience altogether.
“Someone then introduced me to Odu Themes, and that was how I joined. When I joined was the period Professor Sowande was in the United Kingdom and only met him when he came home on holiday’s, so he encouraged me.
“It wasn’t easy convincing my parents that I wanted to do theatre because my father was an engineer and I had siblings who were accountants, and it was really tough for me, but in the end, I got admitted to the University of Ife, but because of Odu Themes, I was always at the Arts Theatre, and people thought I was a student of the University of Ibadan.
“It was through my performances that I was employed to join the drama department of the WNTV when it was established, and I want to say that everything I have achieved as an actor boils down to my membership of Odu Themes.
“Odu Themes gave me the push I needed, and I performed in most of its plays like Kurunmi, Wedlock of the gods, Mammy Water’s Wedding, among others.”
Others who also spoke about how Odu Themes has had a positive impact in their careers include actor, Taiwo Ibikunle; directors, Mr Kayode Shomoye, Kenny Ayeni; Pastor James Johnson, Dr Chuks Okoye, Dr Tony Marinho, cinematographer, Dr Yemi Amodu, among others.
One of the highlights of the anniversary was when Kayode Shomoye, who composed about five songs for performances, rendered one of the songs to the delight of the crowd.
In fact, Shomoye declined to render the song from Mammy Water’s Wedding, which he said was almost possessing him years after the performance.
Shomoye said: “I want to say that the theatre is powerful. When I compose the song from Mammy Water’s Wedding, it took several years for it to leave me.
“I remember when I was working as an editor in a publishing firm, the song would just be coming to me to the extent that I would stop whatever I was doing and move out before that ‘thing’ would leave me.”
Shomoye’s observation was also shared by Dr Okoye, a lecturer at the University of Ibadan, who was also a member of Odu Themes, who said during some performances, especially Mammy Water’s Wedding, one of the maidens of Mammy Water became possessed and she had to be taken out of the stage.”
Professor Kunbi Olasope then supervised the cutting of the anniversary cake with the spelling of Odu Themes.
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