QUEEN
AMINA OF ZAZZAU OPENS 7TH JOS
FESTIVAL OF THEATRE 2013
The
7th Jos Festival of
Theatre 2013 opens on Saturday 23rd February in the city of Jos with five
plays spread into one week. The plays carefully chosen by a panel of writers,
arts enthusiasts and journalists depict some of the challenges of human
frailties and aspects of human behaviour that we all grapple with.
Wale Ogunyemi’s
epic play Queen Amina of Zazzau opens the festival on Saturday 23rd February and it tells the story of the
legendary Queen of the ancient Empire of Zazzau, her administrative skills, her
love for her people, her
formidable spirit in war and her love life which proved to be a fatal flaw in
her greatness. The play had a successful run recently in Abuja.
This will be
followed by August Wilson’s Jitney which is one of the festival plays
dedicated to the annual African-American History month. The play set in a taxi
(jitney) park is the story of a father’s bitter disappointment with his son and
his inability and unwillingness to forgive his son before his own death. His
son had shot and killed his white girlfriend in circumstances that could have been
avoided.
The Audience by Vaclav Havel comes next with the
collaboration of the Czech Embassy and it is the story of life in the former
Soviet Republic when workers and neighbours were not sure of who was an agent
of the police or the Soviet KGB. It will be recalled that Vaclav Havel was the
first President of former Czechoslovakia and later the Czech Republic. This is
a true life story told through his alter ego, Vanek.
The second American play of the
festival, Tennessee Williams’ Cat
On A Hot Tin Roof will
feature next within the festival. Another play dedicated to honour those men
and women who have always been concerned with human dignity and human
advancement within the annual African-American History Month, the play is the
story of a dysfunctional family with a very sick patriarch who meet to possibly
share his property while the man was dying. One of his sons, a lawyer believes
that he should be the rightful heir while the son favoured by their father is
an alcoholic who does not care for anything except his drink.
The final play of
the festival is Femi Osofisan’s Midnight
Hotel, a metaphor of a sick nation ruined by greed, waste and addictive
corruption. It is midnight and the cover of darkness gives room for all sorts
of vices and arrangements.
The festival with
the theme ‘Challenge Perceptions’ will be preceded by a pre-festival play, Banana Talks on Sunday 17thFebruary
where two characters meet to examine their previous lives and compare these
with their present existence. This is in addition to the workshops on arts
management, salsa dance and directing that will feature within the festival
which will also be introducing the songs of Joy Okeshola.
The 2013 festival
with the generous support of the US Mission, Nigeria and logistic support by
the Alliance Francaise, Jos will employ over 100 theatre workers and actors in
the seven days festival which moves to Abuja starting March 8th and where for three weekends there
will be nine performances at the Merit House, Maitama, Abuja of three plays
from the Jos Festival.
@Ropo Ewenla
