DAY 7, Sunday August 6
And finally, ETC 2023 cruises to a blissful end this weekend!
1 play.
1 venue.
2 days.
DAY 7, Sunday, August 6
TIME: 3pm&6pm.
MENU : MOREMI RSV.
CHEF: Crown Troupe of Africa.
VENUE: Glover Memorial Hall.
…About MOREMI RSV
‘Since first staged a decade ago, Moremi RSV has attained a somewhat iconic status on the Nigeria theatre circuit, in that it challenged quite a lot of storytelling and staging conventions, some of which indeed awed and shocked practitioners, and even critics’
Synopsis: “The play takes many liberties with the original legend, the key one being that it addresses the crisis which sees Moremi offer her child as a sacrifice to save her people, from that child’s perspective.
“Based on the legend of Moremi (The Yoruba Queen who through bravery and personal sacrifice liberates her people from external oppression), and drawing exciting inferences from the theme, adapting the tale to contemporary sensibilities, designed for family entertainment but with particular regard for youthful fantasies and energies.
“Arigbabu’s stage adaptation makes a parody out of the original legend, taking liberties with characterisation and plot interpretation. A near musical thriller/comedy is enacted in line with the original operatic interpretation done by the late theatre legend, Duro Ladipo. However, succinct communication is maintained on issues of responsibility, and choice, albeit in an irreverent fashion.”
Since first staged a decade ago, Moremi RSV has attained a somewhat iconic status on the Nigeria theatre circuit, in that when it was staged, it challenged quite a lot of storytelling and staging conventions, some of which indeed awed and shocked practitioners, and even critics.
Wrote Deji Toye, the lawyer, and multidimensional literary activist – playwright, poet, cartoonist, and frequent commentator on national and global affairs:
“In the RSV, Moremi, lately widowed queen consort of Ife, displayed a passion for social causes early enough in the play when she led the successful rebellion of the market women against the extortionist excesses of their leader, thus earning herself the position of the new leader. But it is a joy short-lived as the Ugbo marauders choose the occasion of her installation ceremonies to once again raid the town, with the market being, as usual, their main target. Wares and women are despoiled in the process. The Ifes are no sissies, only maybe a little superstitious, for they have never really resisted the Igbo who, covered in grass, are unfathomable spirits to them. Perhaps for the personal turn that this social disgrace has now taken, Moremi soon vows to take action.”
….Why Eko Theatre Carnival
IT is that time of the year again when artists of diverse backgrounds come together under the aegis of the annual Eko Theatre Carnival to make a communal offering of committed arts. This edition being the 8th after ETC took off in 2016, promises to be as exciting, if not more exciting than the past editions.
To borrow a well-worn but contextually appropriate cliche, Eko Theatre Carnival is by all means an art festival of the people, by the people FOR the people. It is a festival of life that parades a fine array of soul-stirring works of arts in their simplest but honest and down-to-earth form by artists in different stages of their careers.
Apart from a rich lineup of spectacular performances, ETC 2023 in line with its tradition will also feature enriching seminars headlined by prominent theatre scholars from the academia thereby creating the much-needed interface between scholarship and practice. Though mutually exclusive, we believe strongly that a symbiotic relationship needs to exist between scholarship and the practice of arts in order to foster sustainability.
The first Seminar which takes place on Day 1 is titled The Eloquence of the Unspoken: Communitas and Children’s Voice in Eko Theatre Carnival and shall be led by Dr. Rasheedah Aliyu Liman, Associate Professor in the Department of Theatre and Performing Arts, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria.
The second Seminar on Day 2 is titled Contemporary Nigerian Theatre as Public-Facing Praxis to be led by Dr. Chucks Okoye, Associate Professor of African Theatre and Performance, Department of Theatre Arts, University of Ibadan.
Other features include a fashion show, music concert, traditional Masquerade performance, film screening, poetry party, and lots of fun.
We urge you to brace yourself to savour a cultural event that would hit you in pleasant places.
SEGUN ADEFILA, Festival Curator.
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