Theatre Review: The NbariNbajo Art Centre’s “Fall of a King” is a brilliant rendition of an age-long tale
The NbariNbajo art centre, the modern-day variant of the ancient adult theatre group, Mbari Mbayo, is full of talented children who immersed themselves in theatre, relishing its joy and sorrow, beauty and ugliness. The art centre was founded in 2014 by a community organizer and dancer Ayodeji Adewale to create a lasting solution to address juvenile delinquency. Over the years, the centre has actively engaged the children from the Bariga Community through art, thus becoming a recognized platform for youth empowerment. The Art Centre, with the help of its subsidiary, Kings and Queens Art Foundation, offers a thrilling performance at the Alliance Francaise/Mike Adenuga Centre, Ikoyi.
Written by the playwright and theatre director, Prof Ahmed Yerima, “Fall of a King” tells the story of the struggle for power and the fall of the King in the Animal Kingdom. An age-long folktale about the Tortoise and the Elephant, the play, as described by a note on the Alliance Francaise promotional Facebook page, “could be interpreted as an Africanized version of Gorge Orwell’s “Animal Farm”: a political satire using Africa’s folk story to address Nigeria’s present political tussle”. The folk opera merges dance and music, idiomatic sayings and pop culture slang, poetry and chant to driving the story. The children provide a hybrid, scintillating performance.
As a prologue, a girl dances into the stage. She struts right and left, and begins singing. As she sings and dances, her honeyed voice sweetens every ear; the spring in her steps makes every heart cheerful. A moment later, other characters sway into the stage, singing and dancing. The narrator introduces the different tribes of animals in the animal’s kingdom. The play begins.
A hunter wanders into the forest. As he looks and walks around, he hits a leg on a stone. He stumbles, sprains a leg. He is writhing in discomfort. A troop of monkeys finds him. One of them says the hunter looks like them. They all agree. They take the hunter to the other animals. The animals treat the hunter kindly. They feed him properly and help him fix his sprained leg. A few days later, the hunter recuperates. Surprised and bemused by the unity in the animal’s kingdom, the hunter suggests that the animals should have a leader. At first, the animals reject advice. Later, some of the animals — Mr Lion and Mr Elephant, especially — are contending for the kingship position. The Elephant becomes greedy; he threatens and kills the other animals, even plans to make the Kingship position his family tradition and business. The Lion goes berserk, he ransacks the jungle, killing and maiming the smaller animals. But the disdained Tortoise has a bigger, tricky plan. What follows is interesting. See the play to find out.
The director, Ayodeji Adewale, also the narrator, does a great job, not just as a narrator but as a coordinator. As a choreographer and drummer, Kalu Ifeanyi is proficient. Watching the children dancing on the stage shows that they are well-trained by an adept choreographer. He also beats the drum with the skillfulness of a master drummer. The children deftly do justice to his works.
It’s interesting how the play blends some pop culture references into an age-long narrative. An example is how it aptly uses ‘Soro Soke’, a slogan derived from the recent nationwide protest against police brutality, to tell a character to speak louder. It subtly uses ‘Berekete’ as an advert plug for Glo, one of the leading telecommunication companies in the country. Even Mayorkun’s break-out song, ‘Eleko’ finds its way into the elegant tapestry of the play.
The characters bring the role to life. There is this small, brilliant boy who plays Mr Tortoise. The boy gives a brilliant performance by showcasing the cunning, despicable nature of Tortoise — his petite figure, blood-and-guts, and stump speeches make him a memorable character. And there is this girl I called the heartbeat and live-wire of the production. She gives all her best to make the performance a success.
The performance was blighted by high-energy and languidness. It’s because the majority of the casts are children. There is the problem of overacting and underacting by some members of the casts: Some are self-conscious, they underplay their roles; some are elated, overconfident, they overplay their characters. There is this little girl who seems not to know why she is there. And there is a boy who feels as though he is playing with his friends. Even so, they’re still growing and learning the art. One can’t pan them like one would an adult production.
Just as there was a problem in the animal kingdom; there is a problem with the NbariNbajo Art Centre. In August 2020, NbariNbajo Art Centre was closed after receiving an order of eviction. The Art Centre was demolished, it’s now operating from small studio space, waiting to relocate to a better-equipped environment. Now the children are in dire need of a new place to continue their practice sessions. They need you to support their dreams in whatever way you can.
With time, age, training, and adequate support, these children are going to be the new faces of Nigerian theatre. But they need our collective support. The children of Kings and Queens Art Foundation are brilliant: You need to see them, you need to support them.
To support NbariNbajo Art Centre (and the Kings and Queens Art Foundation, you can donate to their bank accounts: GTBank account: 0002847738; Access Bank: 1408950090.
You can call this number for more information: 08136959248. You can also reach them through any of these email addresses: kandqartacademy@gmail.com or wayodeji@yahoo.com
