The “drama of existence”: sources and scope sentiment behind the following statement of affirmation of the legacy of
one particular hybrid form of theatre in colonial West Africa:
We will conclude with the ‘new’ theatre form which has proved the most durable;
hybrid in its beginnings, the ‘folk opera’ has become the most expressive lan-
guage of theatre in West Africa (ADO,)
And after documenting the ways in which “the (most) expressive language
of theatre” of this “folk opera” was often deployed to oppose the repres-
sive policies of both colonial and postcolonial regimes, Soyinka then gives
an account of how one particular dramatist – Hubert Ogunde – evolved
his own unique, powerful theatre form out of the diverse currents and
forms thrown up by the colonial encounter. This account could very
well serve as a profile of the impulses driving Soyinka’s own work as a
dramatist. For this reason, it is useful to quote from the account at some
length:
Hubert Ogunde exemplifies what we have referred to up until now as the sur-
vival patterns of traditional theatrical art. From the outset of his theatrical
career, Ogunde’s theatre belonged only partially to what we have described
as the ‘Nova Scotian’ tradition. His musical instrumentation was all borrowed
from the West, movement on stage was pure Western chorus-line, nightclub
variety. Nevertheless, the attachment to traditional musical forms (albeit with
Western impurities) gradually became more assertive. Encouraged no doubt by
the appearance of more tradition-minded groups such as Kola Ogunmola and
Duro Ladipo, Hubert Ogunde in the early sixties began to employ traditional
instruments in his music; his music delved deeper into home melodies, and even
his costumes began to eschew the purely fabricated, theatrically glossy, for rec-
ognizable local gear. Rituals appeared with greater frequency and masquerades
became a frequent feature – often, it must be added, as gratuitous insertions.
Ogunde’s greatest contribution to West African drama – quite apart from his
innovative energy and his commitment to a particular political line – lies in his
as yet little appreciated musical ‘recitative’ style, one which he has made unique
to himself. It has few imitators, but the success of his records in this genre of
‘dramatic monologues’ testifies to the chord it elicits from his audience. Based
in principle on the Yorubararastyle of chanting, but stricter in rhythm, it is
melodically a modernistic departure, flexibly manipulated to suit a variety of
themes. Once again, we find that drama draws on other art forms for its survival
and extension. It is no exaggeration to claim that Hubert Ogunde’s highest de-
velopment of the chanted dramatic monologue can be fixed at the period of the
political ban of hisYoruba Ronu. Evidently, all art forms flow into one another,
confirming...that the temporary historic obstacles to the flowering of a partic-
ular form sometimes lead to its transformation into other media of expression,
or even the birth of totally different genres. (ADO,)