28 Apr 2008 |
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I was a representative of our organization, The Heat Café at the Night of Griots, which took place at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, as part of the Things Fall Apart at 50 Anniversary. On the early, rocky morning of Wednesday, 23 Aril, 2008, I took the Next Available bus, down to the permanent site of the university. It was a lot of surprise when I got there and realized that the time for the Night of Griots event was slated for 3.pm. But here I was around 10.34 am. I didn’t know what to do, so I had to beat boredom by trekking round the campus with my camera, looking at the new buildings and structures, all spaced up through the acre of land meted out for the campus. Feeling tinged by hunger, I went into one of the local restaurants where students fill their bellies and ordered for a plate of white rice with ofe akwu (sauce made from ground palm kernel and spiced with salt and pepper). After eating, I gently walked to the Arts Theatre, near the Faculty of Law building and sat on one of the benches; trying to enact the kind of hours I was still going to spend to enter the hall for the event, finally. I brought out my phone and made some phone calls, calling the members of our organization and giving them tips on what was going on. They were impressed, I think. It’s just that they couldn’t make it, because of some busy schedules. Seeing a new face, absolutely like what they saw in school, as she told me later, a young woman walked up to me and wanted to inquire if I was a delegate of some sort. I grabbed the opportunity and told her, ‘Yes’. ‘Then, you should go into the auditorium’, she told me. ‘Thank you’. ‘The event would be starting in the next few minutes’. And I didn’t know that. I rushed into the hall with my bag. To me, it would be hell to miss that event for real. And I didn’t want to miss out, or even stay at the back of the hall, which would be hell for me and for my reportage. After about thirty minutes, people surged into the hall. I was amazed. The seats started getting filled up. Someone would walk in again. In the next few minutes. Someone would walk in again. Again. And again. I waited patiently as I arranged my camera for shots. The event started in a rocky mood. The student band started entertaining the audience. There were speculations that Chinua Achebe was probably not going to come. And I waited with my heart in my hands to get the awesome shots of the event. The hall became jam-packed, although it was a bit puny. There were students wearing shirts that bear the emblem and name of their great institution. Members of the band group were sported in white tops and black pants. A Master of Ceremony welcomed everyone and introduced a stage play, Wedding Anniversary, written by Mr. Charles Egbule. The play begins with two friends uniting. The visiting friend hands his host a wedding anniversary gift. They talk about the host’s wife who is said to have gone off to the university for a second degree. And then the host claims of his joblessness. He laments of the impenetrable corruption in the university. Being aside, he talks to the audience, claiming he was ganged up against by his colleagues. His visiting friend tells of his own tale. He had escaped from Spain to Tunisia, after the racism he had to face in Spain. He tells of the horrible life Nigerians in Spain live. He’s introduced by his host as the son of an Anglican Bishop, when he said he had to turn to Islam while in Tunisia. Then, the wife comes in screaming blissfully. She rambles about her college tussles. She gets angry when the husband informs her that he’s resigned from his post as a lecturer. She rattles more on the husband’s incompetence to keep a job. ‘In a country of abject poverty, you don’t read The Ten Commandments’, she tells her husband, Ike. Her name is Ije. Later, Ije greets Nnaji and when he is introduced, she remembers Nnaji was supposed to be their Best Man during their wedding. They settle that and Ije begins to scribble around to celebrate their wedding anniversary. His friend, Nnaji leaves. Happiness thrills. (‘Nwa amuru amu’, Ike praises his wife). She becomes emotionally struck. When the husband still gets adamant as to not celebrating the anniversary of their wedding, she calls him names, like ‘social misfit’ and ‘failure’. In the middle of the brouhaha, one Mr. Uzo Ibegbelam, the Human Resources Manager of a company comes in with an appointment and demands for N50, 000 to let him have the job, which he claims is his ‘legitimate’ position. Ike weeps at the wife’s reaction towards his rejection to give any bribe. Mr. Uzo finally gives out the appointment. And it is discovered after all that Ike attempted suicide and is carried to the hospital by Nnaji. The play ends with the EFCC whisking Mr. Uzo away. At the beginning of the event, I thought it was predictable. But the playwright had his own cliché on how to get things done right. There was never a time the audience was dulled. Each scene of the play was hilarious that the audience burst into laughter each minute. And the most natural of all the characters of the play, was Mrs Ije, Ike’s wife. She definitely beats any Nollywood or Hollywood actress. Her acting stemmed up from the lower part of her heart and she gave the audience the kind of performance that was needed of her. After the stage performance, the band played, while the national members of ANA were ushered in. ANA President, Dr. Wale Okediran, sported in a long purple-coloured dress was with Mr. Hyacinth Obunseh, publisher of Hybun Books. The Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Ilochi Okafor and his DVC (Administration) walked into the hall and headed for the high table. Also joining them was Dr. Joy Enyishi, who needed no introduction. An anthem was sung in honour of the Vice Chancellor by the band. And followed by the national anthem and the school anthem. The event started with Dr. Wale Okediran giving his speech. He remembered Dr. Ezenwa Ohaeto with a minute of silence. He recommended the VC for the improvements in the school and swore that the school anthem was better than any other anthem he had ever heard. He promised that ANA is ready to discover new young authors. Dr. Okediran mentioned the presence of Gabriel Okara and Elechi Amadi. Later on, the VC was called up to read his address. After some few minutes, while he was in the middle of his note, Gabriel Okara, author of The Voice, walked into the hall. The cameramen who were facing the VC turned against him towards Mr. Okara. The students rose to their feet. There was a great applause. Students screamed. I was fast to tell the students who were sitting near me that that was Gabriel Okara, not Chinua Achebe. Elechi Amadi was led in as well, with his wife. The students clapped and screamed, thinking Mr. Okara to be Mr. Achebe. A dance performance from the Music Department students brought the hall to frenzy. The male dancers kept the audience dumb-founded after which the female entered. Then, it was after the dance that Mr. Okey Uba was given a podium to read an excerpt from his Igbo translation of Things Fall Apart. A dance group from ANA Imo led the stage and made the audience scream. Another dance group led by Prof. Oby Okonkwo entered the stage. It was a beery affair. Ujubuonu Odili, author of The Pregnancy of the Gods, took up the stage as the Master of Ceremony. He called upon Gabriel Okara to read. And that was when the students realized this was not Achebe. Before now, the VC had left the hall. Gabriel Okara read his poem, ‘Before I Say Goodbye’, which he wrote after his travel to India. He also read, ‘The Dreamer’, in honour of Abiola’s presidential campaign/dreams. Mr. Ebika from Ibadan, broke the jinx, with his clownish act on stage, enacting a story of one Tanko. Mrs Abdulwaheed, the first Hausa writer, read her story, The Wise Khalid, about three brothers with one name, Ado. Captain Elechi Amadi confessed that Things Fall Apart inspired their writing. He read the opening paragraphs of his novel, The Concubine. Prof. Ossie Enekwe (Ossy Melody) played on his guitar a song he said was composed during his isolationist world of the Biafran war. Chief Charity Ada Onwu performed her story, ‘The Night Bus’. The night was full of story-telling. There was chaos in the hall when refreshment was served. I gently walked down to meet Hyacinth Obunseh, who gave me a copy of ANA Review. And on getting to Gabriel Okara I was able to discuss India with him and got his image and that of Elechi Amadi and the wife. The UNIZIK Night of Griots ended blissfully and I was on my way back to Nsukka immediately.
Onyeka Nwelue is a student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. His novel, The Abyssinian Boy is forthcoming. He can be reached at onyeka.nwelue@hotmail.com
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