For two days last month, the serene Velocity Global Event Centre, Ile-Oluji, resonated with theatrical and cultural activities in a very special way, as it played host to scores of students from various secondary schools (both public and private), teachers, educationists, scholars, and several dignitaries.
Prominent among these include Oba Olufaderin Adetimehin, the Jegun Oluekun of Ile-Oluji Kingdom; General Manager/CEO, Prof. Sunday Ododo; who was represented by Charles Ukpong; President, Culture Creed, Nigeria, Adefehintola Akinyosoye; Culture Creed and Programme Chairman, Adesanola Oladiran; and the Programme Director, Dr. Abayomi Agboade Adegbamigbe.
The event was the maiden edition of the Ile-Oluji School Drama Contest (ISDRACON) organised by Culture Creed as part of its Community Consciousness programme. It was a brilliant showcase and celebration of talents, creativity, culture, and artistic productions.
Ile-Oluji is a historic town in Ondo State, with a rich history of theatre productions and patronage.
No doubt, the place of drama as a veritable tool of education, promotion, and propagation of the culture of the people, and self-discovery for secondary school students cannot be overemphasized. But given that dramatic and cultural activities have plummeted in our schools and drama is almost non-existent, the coming of the Ile-Oluji School Drama Contest (ISDRACON) was happily welcomed.
The zeal and enthusiasm that followed with the participation and attendance at the grand finale held on December 2 and 3, 2022, featuring drama presentations by the five schools out of 10 schools that started the race by picking ballots.
The ten schools ended up with the following plays: Abari Comprehensive College – The Gods Are Not to Blame by Ola Rotimi; The New Era High School – Rere Run by Oladejo Okediji; Holy Saviour’s High School – Once Upon Four Robbers by Femi Osofisan; Baptist High School – Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again by Ola Rotimi; C. A. C. Grammar School – Efunsetan Aniwura by Akinwunmi Isola; Gboluji Grammar School – The Song of a Maiden by Zulu Sofola; Akinyosoye Model College – The Trials of Brother Jero by Wole Soyinka; Gloryfield International School – The Black Hermit by Ngugi wa Thiong’o; St. Francis Catholic School – Yemoja by Ahmed Yerima; and Orere Grammar School – Esu and the Vagabond Minstrels by Femi Osofisan.
Thus, at the end of the first round, five schools, namely, Gloryfield International School; Akinyosoye Model College (AMC); Gboluji Anglican Grammar School; The New Era High School; and Abari Comprehensive College qualified. It was a rich showcase of talents and creativity that abound in the schools as demonstrated by the students featured in the five plays that were presented.
Speaking at the opening of the event and in an interview, Oba Olufaderin Adetimehin (Jimoko II), The Jegun Oluekun of Ile-Oluji Kingdom, commended the organisers of the drama contest, adding that it will bring further development to Ile-Oluji Kingdom.
“I cannot explain it all. It is marvellous, and as I said in the hall, this is bringing further development to Ile-Oluji Kingdom. We are starting with our children, the future leaders of tomorrow. This is in realisation that there is nothing anybody can achieve or become in life if you don’t have a sound education. And all that we are doing here is to practicalise all the theories, research findings, and attributes of a good education through this drama contest. So we all can appreciate that. This informed why I have to go all out to be here and appreciate the organisers,” he said.
On sustaining the programme, he said: “I can assure you, as the Lord liveth, the programme would be sustainable here. We have platforms that have been established to support programmes of this nature.”
Gloryfied International College set the tone for the drama presentations with the performance of Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s The Black Hermit. Thereafter, New Era High School performed Oladejo Okediji’s Rere Run, followed by Abari Comprehensive College’s performance of The Gods Are Not To Blame by Ola Rotimi. On the second day the audience was treated to pulsating and engaging performances of Zulu Sofola’s The Song of a Maiden by Gboluji Grammar School, and Wole Soyinka’s Trial of Brother Jero by Akinyosoye Model College.
Given their experiences, the performances were no doubt, top-notch, and bring to the fore, the array of talents that abound in the schools. For the students, it was not just to play their various roles in the plays, they were also aware of the prizes at stake.
Thus, the need to also impress the adjudicators comprising veteran theatre practitioners, and led by the Director, Technical Theatre Ser-vices, National Theatre, Biodun Abe, who was represented by Charles Ukpong; Chief of Staff to the GM/CEO, National Theatre, Steph Ogundele; Haji Omonoba Bello; Dr. Olusakin Oluniyi, a lecturer at Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), Ondo State.
After engaging theatrical presentations, Gboluji Grammar School emerged winner with its presentation of Zulu Sofola’s The Song of a Maiden, 2nd Position: Akinyosoye Model College, and 3rd Position: New Era High School. Olajide Miracle emerged as the winner of best actor for his role as Brother Chume in The Trials of Brother Jero, while Atinuke Adebayor was declared Best Actress for her role as Yetunde in The Song of Maiden.
Mistura Jimoh emerged as Best Singer/Chanter, and the principal of Abari Comprehensive College, Mrs. Oredolapo Olubowale emerged as the Most Committed Principal; while Mrs. Akinsiku of New Era High School was announced as the Most Committed Drama Coordinator.
Explaining the idea behind ISDRACON, Dr. Adegbamigbe, who is a notable theatre practitioner and lecturer at Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba- Akoko (AAUA), Ondo State, noted that “the impact of cultural and artistic production in society is subtle but irresistible, being at once an apparatus and a weapon. While it is a tool for development and enculturation, it also functions as a weapon of emancipation from the shackles of poverty, backwardness, and oppression. This aspect of drama is hardly ever noticed. It is all about the glitz.
So the question is, ‘for what purpose do we deploy this twin concept of drama and theatre?’” According to him, a major goal of Culture Creed is to revamp and rebrand Drama as a most veritable tool of education and self-discovery for secondary school students in Ile-Oluji.
“It is also pertinent to note that Ile- Oluji, some decades ago, had played host to the likes of Hubert Ogunde, Moses Olaiya (Baba Sala), Duro Ladipo, Jimoh Aliu, Kola Ogunmola, I-Show Pepper, Funmilayo Ranco and other prominent theatre practitioners in our two theatre halls: Road House Hotel owned by Late Chief R. A. Akinfemiwa and Gloria Hotel owned by Late Baba Olorunmodimu.
This generation of itinerant theatre practitioners earned their living from the stage. Ogunde, particularly, made the typically cynical public accept the theatre as a noble profession. Beyond that, travelling theatre constituted a formidable socio-economic bloc that functioned to formulate and regulate public opinions with critical comments on social and existential issues like aso ebi, crimes, poverty, death, birth, love, inheritance, character, etc. “Ile-Oluji surely had a rich history of theatre patronage.
Even as secondary school students, between the late 70s and early 80s, we had our fair share of theatre experience both on stage and in the audience. Travelling theatre was a special attraction for those of us in the boarding house.
Ishola Ogunsola (I-Show Pepper) was a regular caller and he never failed to live up to his billing. He was fantastic on stage with his Talking Drum or in his eponymous role as Alaafin Aganju or Itawuyi in Efunsetan Aniwura. Funmilayo Ranco, in her tradition of playing male/masculine roles, was superlative, especially in her last production of Gongoso at Gboluji Grammar School Hall.”
He recalled that even as students in those days, they produced and directed plays like ‘Basorun Gaa’ by Adebayo Faleti, ‘The Gods Are Not to Blame’ by Ola Rotimi, ‘Agbalowomeri’, ‘Gbekude’, ‘The Clashes of the Gods’, and other plays.
“Our audiences extended beyond Gboluji Grammar School as we toured other schools like St. Joseph Ondo, St. Louis Ondo, St. Louis Owo and Isero Grammar School Odigbo, in our famous Black Maria truck, which had, by then, been painted white. Reminiscing on the past now makes one think we probably did not apprehend the experiences as a most sublime form of education that has molded us into what we are today. “It is all history now.
Dramatic and cultural activities have ceased to function in our schools, except perhaps, in a few private schools around us. Cultural activities have plummeted in our schools and drama is almost non-existent.
Sadly too, this has also adversely affected some integral aspects of education, that is, our reading culture and character development which have gone comatose. Coming in to revive this culture intersects and underscores the philosophy of Culture Creed which has graciously provided the funding for this Programme: Ile-Oluji School Drama Contest.
“Our vision of a school drama competition in Ile-Oluji interprets and projects the values of Culture Creed to help rebuild a community that thirsts after organic and genuine growth. This project is therefore conceived to engage secondary schools in Ile-Oluji in theatre to help revive cultural and artistic events from their declining state.
The contest is instituted to achieve the following aims: to meaningfully engage the minds of the youth in the area of drama/ theatre; to help in the preservation and conservation of the cultural heritage of Ile-Oluji Kingdom and Yoruba nation at large; to revive theatre-going tradition among residents of Ile-Oluji as evident in the hay days of Road House Hotel and Gloria Hotel which hosted Ogunde and his contemporaries; to initiate and cultivate the art of using theatre as a tool for the intellectual development of Ile-Oluji people; to deploy theatre as a tool for instruction and social mobilisation; to provide an avenue for relaxation, recreational activities and quality entertainment in Ile-Oluji; to promote a healthy intellectual and artistic rivalry among the youths in secondary schools around; to make Ile-Oluji a centre of attraction within the state on account of the event; and to use the competition to ignite the interest of Ile-Oluji youths in drama and theatre.”
He further stated the project was conceived in December 2021 at the reception given by Adesanola Oladiran, having just bagged the prestigious Ile-Oluji Merit Award. Speaking with New Telegraph, Ayannusi Ayomide who played the role of Lawuwo, said he was happy to be part of the contest.
“The drama contest is a good one, to bring out the best in students. Before we started rehearsal I was initially afraid but when I came on stage the boldness came, and I was able to play the role of Lawuwo. I am happy that I acted well,” he said. On what he learnt from the performance, he added, “We should put more effort in what we are doing; we should be hardworking, and we should not relent.”
Also, for Akingbolaga Favour Simioluwa, an SS3 student of New Era High School, who played the role of Morenike, it was an opportunity to show her talent through this contest. “I am happy for the opportunity. I was initially scared but when I saw a lot of people, especially my fellow student it encouraged me and gave me the boldness to do my part.”
New Telegraph
