Oya:Tale of love ruined me

The recent performance of
Lekan Balogun’s Oya by the
Department of Theatre Arts and
Music, Lagos State University
(LASU), Ojo sounded a warning
to warmongers that they may
end up losing their invaluable
possessions.
Produced by 200 level students
as a Play Production Workshop,
the play dramatized the intricate
but revealing story of Yoruba
myths and legends, including
Oya (Olokodona Toyin) goddess
of the River, Ogun (Azeez
Abiodun Saheed) the god of Iron
and Sango (Smith Oluwaseun)
the god of thunder.
Using the medium of total
theatre, with the combination
of dance, drama and music, the
marriage between Oya and
Sango was consummated after
Oya divorced Ogun, her first
husband. As the drums rolled by
to usher in the players on stage,
there was no dull moment. An
appreciable tempo was
maintained from the beginning
to the end of the play. This
added to the overall aesthetics
of production.
The play opened with Oya telling
Arewa (Egbemode Toun) how
she dreamt of a wedding.
Meanwhile, Sango who had
earlier lost his wife sent Omiran
(Fidelis Victor) to woo Oya on
his behalf. But Oya insulted
Sango’s messenger and asked
him to tell Sango that she is not
a flirt. As Sango, son of
Oranmiyan went to Oya himself,
he demanded that both of them
become friends. He
subsequently vowed to get
Oya’s hand in marriage. Oya
warned him not to attempt
what he could not complete.
Even with her refusal, Oya too
was worried about her
childlessness and how her
husband, Ogun was maltreating
her. When Ogun returned from
war and Oya emotionally
complained “every farmer
knows that to have a good
harvest you must plant on the
soil,’’ Ogun gave her attention.
Soon Ogun received signal that
he was needed at the warfront.
He suddenly abandoned Oya,
telling her that “a soldier has his
war to fight.’’
All the efforts Oya made to
persuade him to stay back and
give her attention was futile, as
Ogun insisted “They have called
me to the war front.’’ This
prompted Oya to vow, saying
“another man may enter.” But
the warmonger Ogun insisted “I
will not succumb to a woman’s
miserable emotion and leave
war.’’ With this as Ogun left, Oya
vowed that she would willingly
meet the man who wanted to
steal her heart. She visited Sango
and implored him to teach her
how to dance.
As Ogun returned, he was
furious that Oya was not in the
house. As he learnt that she was
in Sango’s house, Ogun vowed
to fight Sango, but he eventually
realized that Oya has truly fallen
in love with Sango, and said he
would fight no more.
The constant use of drum on
stage enhanced the tempo of
the play, though most of the
songs that accompanied the
drums were not in harmony. All
the same the songs portrayed
the atmosphere of Yoruba war
situation, which the play was
out to dramatize. The use of rich
costumes and make up portray a
true Yoruba setting, except that
more research could have been
done to discover the suitability
of periodic costumes.
The use Aso Oke in the play was
more contemporary than the
one expected in the historical
play.
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Good Morning! Friday
February 26, 3910
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