Additional gift options are available when buying one eBook at a time. [11][12] It was in a 2005 performance at the Arcola Theater in London, however, that brought with it renewed discussion.[13]. 2ND CHIEF: It is old age. Photo: NZ Herald. Please try again. Upon returning to Nigeria in the 1960s, Rotimi taught at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), where he founded the Ori Olokun Acting Company, and the University of Port Harcourt theater. "The Gods Are Not to Blame" is a modern updating of the ancient story of disgraced Theban King Oedipus. The play was revived by Talawa Theatre Company in a well received production in 1989, sparking interest in the play's themes. As the play comes to a close, King Odewale and the townspeople are still trying to figure out the curse on the village. At the end, the reader is left with a ringing conclusion - one can never outrun fate. Are you sure you want to cancel your membership with us? Stephen (Rasheed's version of Oedipus) has been raised in the USA and sent to fight in Afghanistan before he decides to travel to Nigeria in search of his origin story. Something went wrong. Odewale learns that there is a curse on the land, and in order for the sickness to stop going around the curse has to be purged. Odewale begins to make accusations of a plot being made against him, spearheaded by Aderopo, to one of the village chiefs in response to Baba Fakunle's silence. Line: 479 Line: 192 Ola Rotimi had an immense knowledge and interest in African cultures, as indicated in his ability to speak several ethnic languages, such as Yoruba, Ijaw, Hausa, and pidgin. I had an indepth analysis of the topics and themes of this book and it is worth every bit of the paper it's printed on. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Function: require_once. Aderopo is also accused of spreading the rumor that Odewale was the one who murdered the old king, Adetusa. Try again. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The Gods Are Not To Blame is a 1968 play and a 1971 novel by Ola Rotimi. Odewales character experiences different phases of confusion, almost painful in its helplessness, that the reader will become sympathetic to his plight, cursing fate for dealing him with such a heavy hand. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold. In the Yoruban culture, like many others, have symbolic. To this Rotimi argues that while some of the suffering may have been the result of attempted colonial conquests, the lingering animosity that is felt and dispersed among fellow Nigerians, by fellow Nigerians, cannot be blamed solely on an outside party. He has been called "a complete man of the theatre an actor, director, choreographer and designer who created performance spaces, influenced by traditional architectural forms.". Please support Len Academy by becoming a sponsor, patron or by advert placement: Literature in English Scheme of Work, SS1, 1st Term, Literature in English Scheme of Work, SS1, 2nd Term, Literature in English Scheme of Work, SS1, 3rd Term, Please read on Essays: Learn how to write Essays here. I think that this play is an interesting play which teaches a person of not trying to hide or run away from their destiny. Please try again. Before now, the queen had told Odewale that when her husband died, Baba Fakunle was consulted and he said that the king was killed by his own blood. Odewale: The king of Kutuje, who had risen to power by unknowingly murdering the old king, King Adetusa, whom, also not to his knowledge, was his father. [3] This article focuses specifically on the 1968 play. Ojuola: Wife of the late King Adetusa. Out of fear and respect, Aderopo having got answers from the shrine of Orunmila in Ile-Ife was reluctant to tell the king about the outcome of his findings in public. It reminded Nigerians of one of its most . It was launched again in February 2004, Bisi Adigun and Jimmy Fay's Arambe Productions presenting what Roddy Doyle described as an exhilarating and exciting version of the play to the O'Reilly Theatre. Rotimi, in response to the Nigerian Civil War, says that the root cause of the strife among Nigerians, of the bloodshed, was in their lingering mutual ethnic distrust which culminate in open hostility. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold. The story is a well-grounded literary piece on an unfortunate man named Odewale, the king of Kutuje. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we dont use a simple average. In 1965, he married Hazel Mae Guadreau, from Gloucester Massachusettes; Hazel also studied at Boston University, where she majored in opera, voice and music education. Rotimi seals Odewale's fate by having an omen placed over his life at birth. Later plays, such as If: A Tragedy of the Ruled (1983) and Hopes of the Living Dead (1988), premiered at the University of Port Harcourt and was a common play in OAU Drama Department. Odewale confesses that his life spiraled out of control when he killed a man. We additionally meet the expense of variant types and along with type of the books to browse. Odewale begins to make accusations of a plot being made against him, spearheaded by Aderopo, to one of the village chiefs in response to Baba Fakunle's silence. It had its first performance in Nigeria at the Ife Festival of the Arts in 1968, has since been staged with great success in other West African countries, and was awarded the first prize in the African Arts/Arts d'Afrique playwriting contest in 1969. Aside this amazing influence, it was basically Oedipus Rex, with some slight changes. Aderopo is also accused of spreading the rumor that Odewale was the one who murdered the old king, Adetusa. Publication date. First performed in Nigeria in 1968, The Gods Are Not To Blame was produced at the Arcola Theatre in Hackney, London, in 2005. It looks like WhatsApp is not installed on your phone. SYNOPSIS OF THE PLAY The play is a modern dramaturgical experiment on the classical philosophical discourse concerning the concept of destiny and fate element which was started by . The theme of Sophocles' Oedipus Rex is skillfully transplanted to African soil. Odewale narrated the story of how he killed a man who insulted the homeland he came from by calling them a bush tribe, while also attempting to steal from his farmland. Learn more. Who is to blame in the play? The comical character Alaka, for example, represents Odewale's childhood growing up in the village of Ishokun. Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations. Please Register here or Login here to contribute to this topic by commenting in the box below. All the messages conveyed, although bring the play together and provide the audience with insightful readings, the play may also serve as a symbol as to how some of the African societies model the structure presented in the play. In conclusion, Google used its doodle to honour the late writer on the 13th of April, 2022 to mark his birthday. Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video! Odewale is confronted by Gbonka, a messenger, who tells of the event that lead to King Adetusa's end. The Summary of the Gods are to blame is about boy who was born and was fore seen to end up killing his father as to marry his mother,but he wasn't aware of that fact,until he ended up killing his father in a bush part and married his own mother ,then calamity befell the village ,when he became the king and all his children fell sick at the verge of dieing. An adaptation of the Greek classic Oedipus Rex, the story centres on Odewale, who is lured into a false sense of security, only to somehow get caught up in a somewhat consanguineous trail of events by the gods of the land. A blind soothsayer, Baba Fakunle, is brought in to share with Odewale the murderer of the old king. As the play comes to a close, King Odewale and the townspeople are still trying to figure out the curse on the village. What really stricks me about this book now is the title Rotimi chose. Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. [2] SUMMARY gods are not to blame BY OLA ROTIMI GODS ARE NOT TO BLAME, a play written by Ola Rotimi and first published in 1971, is the tragic story of a prince who grew up to kill his father and marry his mother. The two plays were probably meant as an epilogue to both Rotimi's theatrical and comic careers, which span the entire spectrum of his career. Gbonka was present when King Adetusa was slain at the hands of Odewale. the gods are not to blame - ola rotimi (full story, summary and analysis)the gods are not to blame - ola rotimi ( summary and analysis)the setting, backgroun. He was born in Sapele, Nigeria; cultural diversity was a recurring theme in his work. A classical tale (play here) transposed onto African soil, as it were. 1220 KB. Rotimi seals Odewale's fate by having an omen placed over his life at birth. Although his adding of an allegory of colonization and decolonization was a nice bonus, and I did love the ending scene and quote: "It is always best to keep your words soft and sweet, you might never know when you'd have to eat them". But it is set at an undetermined time in the Yoruba culture of Nigeria. a very interesting novel, a story of a man who killed his father and married his mother, this is something which does not happen very often. The enemies of kutuje (which are the people of Ikolu) seized this opportunity to attack kutuje, but Odewale championed the war by leading the people of kutuje into battle. Line: 208 : Print length. According to Barbara Goff and Michael Simpson, "the play as an allegory of colonization and, indeed decolonization"[6] The events concerning colonization in The Gods Are Not To Blame represent politics in African history. Unable to add item to List. Baba Fakunle tells him that the source of the kingdom's ails lay with him. Page Flip is a new way to explore your books without losing your place. Odewale brings real facts to the people of the land. He comes to Kutuje to tell Odewale that the man he called father had passed two years prior and that his mother, though old, was still in good health. In fufillment to their custom, the son was taken to the priest of Ifa to tell what the boys future would be. "Proverbs deal with issues that border on the values, norms, institutions and artifacts of a society across the whole gamut of the people's experiences. Please try again. : Would have been a five if not that the ending wrenched my heart. [1] An adaptation of the Greek classic Oedipus Rex, the story centres on Odewale, who is lured into a false sense of security, only to somehow get caught up in a somewhat consanguineous trail of events by the gods of the land.[2]. An ending that really breaks one's heart. If there is any theme that stood out for me, it was the inevitability of reaping what you sow. : The Gods Are Not to Blame Book Review. Before the arrival of Gbonka, Alaka told Odewale of his fathers death. Olawale Gladstone Emmanuel Rotimi, best known as Ola Rotimi (13 April 1938 18 August 2000), was one of Nigeria's leading playwrights and theatre directors. Again, the old man insulted the village they both believed he had come from; but this time, Odewale would not accept such insult. Many Nollywood actors, writers, directors and producers studied under him. BABA FAKUNLE: This boy, he will kill his own father and then marry his mother (The gods are not to Blame, 2). In an attempt to avert the curse, he ran away from his adoptors, Ogundele and his wife Mobike whom he thought to be his parents at that time. Rotimi, a patriot who shunned the attraction of the West and Europe and returned home to contribute his own quota to nation building, was a rare breed. Aderopo: Brother of Odewale, and son of King Adetusa and Ojuola. , Publisher king odewale who told will kil his father to marry his mother, in his attempt to run away from this to happen, ran to fulfil it. Only few people knew that the child wasnt theirs, but little did they know concerning whom his true parents were. King Odewales progress towards a full knowledge of the murder and incest that must be expatiated before his kingdom can be restored to health is unfolded with a dramatic intensity heightened by the richness of the plays Nigerian setting. Indeed, culture is the way of life. His first plays, To Stir the God of Iron (produced 1963) and Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again (produced 1966; published 1977), were staged at the drama schools of Boston University and Yale, respectively. Odewale confesses that his life spiraled out of control when he killed a man. [nb 1]. Rotimi's play does so not only by dramatizing this myth with certain ironic instance, but also by juxtaposing this myth with a Yoruba model of cultural transmission. For those who are unfamiliar with Oedipus story, it is a myth about a mortal who was cursed from birth to kill is father, marry his mother, and bear four children with her. Viewed from a sociolinguistic perspective, Yoruba proverbs exemplified by those used by Ola Rotimi in The Gods Are Not to Blame and Kurunmi especially, reveal the values of good conduct, respect for elders, the place of royalty, cordiality and cooperation for peaceful co-existence among the Yoruba. Although a tragedy but still very entertaining .May the soul of Prof Ola Rotimi rest in peace, Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 20, 2019. During their time of sickness, the townspeople solely depend on the herbs used as an attempt to cure the "curse" put on the people. The play was revived by Talawa Theatre Company in a well received production in 1989, sparking interest in the play's themes. Your email address will not be published. Odewale closes the play by stating, the gods have lied Nathaniel. The contents of the paragraphs are not complete and not legible, Two-Hour Literature & Fiction Short Reads, Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon. The Epilogue: Two unpublished plays of Ola Rotimi. Gbonka: The former messenger of the late King Adetusa. InOla Rotimis version of the Greek mythology about cursed Oedipus, we see a relatable Yoruba man named Odewale a strong willed man who becomes the very thing he ran away from. Rotimi was the son of Samuel Gladstone Enitan Rotimi a Yoruba steam-launch engineer (a successful director and producer of amateur theatricals)and Dorcas Adolae Oruene Addo an Ijaw drama enthusiast. Function: _error_handler, File: /home/ah0ejbmyowku/public_html/application/views/page/index.php (1971) Ovonramven Nogbaisithe title character simply luxuriates in the grandeur of his office. However, he would not tell him whom his real parents were. Line: 24 He brings his sick children for the town to see, that way they know that his family is also suffering. King Adetusa: Former king of Kutuje. [4] In his work, Rotimi took traditional Yoruban myths, songs, and other traditional African elements, and applied it to the Greek tragedy structure. (1979) If: A Tragedy of the Ruledin If, the young firebrand Hamidu is nowhere to be found when a real commitment is required. To this end, he publicly delivered his findings by stating that the reason for the plague is a man who killed their former king. I believe this scholar is claiming to the idea that proverbs deal with issues in the Yoruban culture. I begin thinking of how the staging would be, the lighting and the like. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness. Akin Odebunmi in Motivated Proverbs In Ola Rotimi's "The Gods Are Not To Blame" uses myths and dances established in Yoruban culture that helps serve as the basis of the play. The Gods Are Not To Blame made its dbut in Nigeria in 1968. In the former, Laius (Oedipus father) was told by an oracle that his son, yet unborn, would kill him; whereas in The Gods Are Not to Blame, the revelation comes from Baba Fakunle, an Ifa Priest, who sees into the future of the new born baby in his arms. The self-styled 'Apostle' of the Destiny Church made the comments just days after the storm hit, dedicating a sermon to the topic and . Overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we dont use a average! Your books without losing your place get new release updates, plus improved.! Brings his sick children for the town to see, that way they know whom. 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