21st Century Nigerian Drama: Futuristic Prospects

Abstract

Nigerian society is plagued with problems of socio-economic, leadership, poverty, corruption and religious charlatanism that stimulate and give impetus to the country‟s dramatic output. Indisputable and decisive Nigerian dramatists have voiced the unpleasant situation in various forms of drama. At an earlier time from pre-colonial, pre-literate day‟s drama has been in existence reflected in the people‟s festivals, rituals, mythology and other forms of social engagements. Beyond entertainment it courts the supernatural world and certain phenomena of life in order to transcend them. Colonial contact obliged playwright to correct certain Eurocentric notions about her people and eulogize her culture. As early as 1944, Hubert Ogunde paved way for modern drama tradition in Nigeria. He was closely followed by University based James Ene Henshaw. Then, roared the colossus and Nobel laureate winner, Wole Soyinka, J P Clark, Ola Rotimi and others. Next in emergence were Soyinka‟s admirers who saw drama as the vanguard of search for solution to social problems and as propaganda machine designed to achieve this purpose; they were Femi Osofisan, Bode Sowande and others. While Osofisan and contemporaries have not given way and do not intend to do so, new wave of dramatic playwrights is brewing in the country. There is intimidating harvest of plays Bakare Ojo Rasaki, Effiong Johnson, Duruaku Toni, Sam Ukala, Ahmed Yerima, Emeka Nwabueze, Nwosu Onyebuchi and a host of others. This treatise attempts an analysis of growth of drama in Nigeria and holds that the future is very bright; that Nigerian drama is forward looking and future oriented as they repudiate the boisterous festivals of the past, make problems of tomorrow the center of their focus, since outstanding breakthrough in technology for instance have been possible for societies that made futuristic problems the center of interest today.