This man left his hometown and in the process stumbled upon the people of Kutuje at a time . People made dramatic entry and exit to the stage around his casket with the man turning his casket. 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. Scholar Odebunmi says, the concept of this is to understand referring to the actual context of a word said in a play (dialogue) has developed similarities with speech and how it works in culture. Published Feb 4, 2018. renowned book. (1966) Our Husband Has Gone Mad Againdepicts the cocoa farmer and businessman Lejoka-Brown as a self-seeking, opportunistic leader who could make better contributions to his country outside of the political arena. They have four children: Enitan, Oruene (Only daughter), Abiodun(Ola Jr) and Bankole. There was a problem loading your book clubs. Barbara Goff and Michael Simpson 2007: c2 92-93. The Gods Are Not to Blame is a 1968 play and a 1971 novel by Ola Rotimi. The scene is a court though devoid of the usual technicalities of court rooms. A chilling taboo. One finds that their roles compared to King Odewale's serve as a primary example of the social aspect. Odewale married queen Ojuola who had four children for him. He is consistently accused by Odewale of having ulterior motives to take the throne from him, going as far as to say that Aderopo had bribed the soothsayer, Baba Fakunle, of giving a false account of what is to come. She was given a prophecy, along with King Adetusa, that their child, Odewale, would one day grow up to usurp the thrown, killing his father and marry his mother. 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. Rotimi often examined Nigeria's history and local traditions in his works. Current wife of King Odewale. , File size 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. The culture represents "the way of life for an entire society", as noted in Pragmatic Functions of Crisis Motivated Proverbs in Ola Rotimi's The Gods Are Not to Blame. Publication date. 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. Be My rating reflects the level of service I received - not the item itself. Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations. In 2000 he returned to Ile-Ife where he lectured in Obafemi Awolowo University till his demise. The story is the sad tale of a man named Odewale who has been destined from birth to kill his father and marry his mother. Aderopo denies the allegations, and Odewale calls forth the Priest of Ogun. (1968) The Gods Are Not To Blamean adaptation of the Greek classic Oedipus Rex; the main character gets trapped by pride, ignorance and the caprices of the divinities. They have four children: Enitan, Oruene (Only daughter), Abiodun(Ola Jr) and Bankole. 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. Function: view, File: /home/ah0ejbmyowku/public_html/application/controllers/Main.php The Gods are not to blame was first performed in Nigeri .more Get A Copy Kindle Store $5.00 Amazon Stores Odewale welcomed him and they discussed about old times. Recognizing the quirk ways to acquire this books Gods Are Not To Blame Novel is additionally useful. In The Gods Are Not To Blame, Rotimi incorporates many themes, such as culture and its connection with the form of the social structure of an African community. Hi members please help me on this question: You are Ogun priest after you discover that Odewale is the boy that was to be sacrifificed in the evil grove. Instead of legal jargon, there is humour, arguments and counter arguments. The practices exhibited in Yoruban culture show the structure of both a social and economical factors. The theme of Sophocles' Oedipus Rex is skillfully transplanted to African soil. Gbonka: The former messenger of the late King Adetusa. In fufillment to their custom, the son was taken to the priest of Ifa to tell what the boys future would be. "The Gods Are Not To Blame" is Ola Rotimi's retelling of Sophocles' "Oedipus The King" using a traditional African setting and characters. Baba Fakunle tells him that the source of the kingdom's ails lay with him. Odewale became so furious, angry and distressed to an extent that even his wife, queen Ojuola was unable to calm him. [nb 1]. Line: 315 Odewale was henceforth disturbed with his identity, and subsequently went in search of answers. : He failed in his duty and saved the life of the newly born by giving him to a stranger, Ogundele by name, who took the child to another village and served as his foster father there. The priest of Ifa, Baba Fakunle (a blind soothsayer) cast his opele and said; This child would kill his father and marry his own mother. Please like and follow our official facebook page here for great educational write-ups. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. By achieving this feat, the town of kutuje broke tradition by making Odewale the new king of their land. [9][10] It was nominated for an award at the ESB Dublin Fringe Festival 2003. Get help and learn more about the design. 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. (1979) If: A Tragedy of the Ruledin If, the young firebrand Hamidu is nowhere to be found when a real commitment is required. The radio play Everyone His/Her Own Problem, was broadcast in 1987. Ishokun, in the play, is a small farming village, wherein Odewale learned to harvest yams. Function: _error_handler, File: /home/ah0ejbmyowku/public_html/application/views/page/index.php First performed in Nigeria in 1968, The Gods Are Not To Blame was produced at the Arcola Theatre in Hackney, London, in 2005. Alaka hails from the village of Ishokun. The Gods Are Not to blame is full of irony, despair, and disillusions. 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. Odewale storms Kutuje with his chiefs flanking by his side, and is declared King by the town's first chief. 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. Aderopo arrives and is immediately confronted by Odewale about his suspicions. The playwright intended for the book to be a sign post for the need for obedience in our society. 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". Please try again. The play is very rich with oral traditions. Parcourez la librairie en ligne la plus vaste au monde et commencez ds aujourd'hui votre lecture sur le Web, votre tablette, votre tlphone ou un lecteur d'e-books. 1996-2023, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. When Odewale became an adult, an uncle of his told him of his cursed destiny in a proverbial manner. Odewale made a vow to pluck out the killers eyes and then banish him away from the land. While this book has certain similarities to the original Greek story, it finds its own originality by adding different elements and characters to the story. Baba Fakunle: A blind, old man, Baba Fakunle serves as a soothsayer to those who seek him. When it is revealed by the Ogun Priest that Ojuola is, in fact, Odewale's mother, she goes to her bedroom and kills herself. He felt that the future of Nigerian culture cannot continue to be blamed forces from the past, much like Odewale would blame the suffering of his people, in his kingdom, on the sins of the old king, Adetusa. 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. The Gods are not to blame was first performed in Nigeria at the Ife Festival of the Arts in 1968, has since been staged with great success across Africa Europe and the USA. The gratifying 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. It is during the course of the play that Odewale reveals to Alaka why it was that he left the village of Ede, where Odewale said he would live after leaving Ishokun when he was thirteen. The Gods are not to be blame is a story of a mans fate. [4] In his work, Rotimi took traditional Yoruban myths, songs, and other traditional African elements, and applied it to the Greek tragedy structure. This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers. Ojuola: Wife of the late King Adetusa. Number of Acts and Scenes He insulted Odewale by calling him a thief but Odewale did nothing. Similar in nature to the Greek play, Oedipus Tyrannus his royal parents receive a prophecy from Baba Fakunle that Odewale would grow up to kill his parents. The Gods Are Not To Blame is a 1968 play and a 1971 novel by Ola Rotimi. BABA FAKUNLE: This boy, he will kill his own father and then marry his mother (The gods are not to Blame, 2). I believe the problem of man is with man himself.The fact that odewale aided the people of kutuje,was not a prove of leadership mandate.The tragedy that befell kutuje people took its turn after the coronation of odewale as king by either Odewale or the people, without consulting the gods.In our days we make same conclusions when we make people who have helped us come through storms as Lord over our affairs. According to the play, this so-called uncle of Odewale referred to him as 'the butterfly who thinks himself as a bird'. [3] This article focuses specifically on the 1968 play. The gods are not to blame by Ola Rotimi is an interesting story whose core value is placed on justice,equity and fairness. He is summoned by Odewale to ask of a way to rid the suffering of his kingdom. Backwards Ever, Forward Never: Too Late for Anything Book Review, Oedipus, Whos to Blame? ola Rotimi's book is very inspiring.i learnt that what we say,do,watch,portray and everything else around us determines our destiny.trully the gods are not to blame for whatever happens.I believe odewale's fate would have been averted if he had stayed with his real parents. [nb 1]. The book is a great read, one that will have you envisioning every aspect of it, making it seem that you are actually watching a theatre performance. Odewale placed a curse on anyone who attempted to stop him, for they wandered as far as possible from the land of kutuje, thus fufilling the promise he made on whoever had killed king Adetusa, his father. He attended St. Cyprian's School in Port Harcourt from 1945 to 1949, St Jude's School, Lagos, from 1951 to 1952 and the Methodist Boys High School in Lagos, before travelling to the United States in 1959 to study at Boston University, where he obtained a BA in fine arts. 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. + Follow. 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. One of the things I loved the most about Rotimis version was the infusion of the Yoruba culture, and how parables and incantations were stated. Your email address will not be published. But beautiful, beautiful twists I didn't see coming. Femi Elufowoju Jr had his first theatre experience in 1975, at the age of 11, when he saw a revival of this very play, performed in a reconstructed Greek amphitheatre at a university campus in Ife; and brought it to the UK shores as a British leading theatre director under the company name Tiata Fahodzi. 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. The leadership in the play forms a comparison to that of the King and many of the townspeople. Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations. Focusing on the Yoruba tradition, Ola Rotimi spotlights Yoruba gods, giving Sango, Orunmila, Ifa, and Ogun prominent roles throughout the book as King Odewale, King Adetusa (Odewales father), Queen Ojuola (Odewales mother), Aderopo (Odewales brother), the Chiefs and other characters in the book refer to them often. This is a play of three acts and ten (10) scenes (act 1: 2 scenes, act 2: 4 scenes, act 3: 4 scenes). He makes use of wry humour to seek a level playing ground for resolution of the biases men and women nurse about one another and which affect mutual co-existence of the two. Because of its subject matter, The Gods Are Not to Blame is the most accessible of his plays. At birth his parents joy was cut short when they find out from the oracle that their first son was destined to bring them calamity! Odewale brings real facts to the people of the land. Aderopo denies the allegations, and Odewale calls forth the Priest of Ogun. 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. Rotimi's play has been celebrated on two counts: at first scintillating as theatre and later accruing a significant literary aura. 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.". Your curiosity about this PDF will be solved sooner in "I called God on him"). Each chapter will include a brief sketch of the authors life, a resume of the plays, and the development of major and minor characters. 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. In the above context of the gods are not to blame, the person who made this statement is alleging that King Adetusa _____. [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]. Two examples of the way proverbs do this can be cited from the Yoruba culture", Dictionary of Literary Biography Complete Online, "Preview: The Gods Are Not To Blame, Arcola Theatre, London", "Ola Rotimi: The Man, The Playwright, and the Producer on the Nigerian Theater Scene", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Gods_Are_Not_to_Blame&oldid=1101435945, Plays based on ancient Greek and Roman plays, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from July 2015, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 31 July 2022, at 01:20. The Gods Are Not To Blame (2003 - 2004) 2003: Blue Raincoat's Factory Performance Space (Republic of Ireland) The Gods are Not to Blame (2005) 2005: Arcola Theatre (London, Greater London, England) The Gods Are Not To Blame (2007) 2007: Accra Centre for National Culture (Ghana) The Gods Are Still Not To Blame (2012) 2012: The Gods Are Not To . Read more. 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. The self-styled 'Apostle' of the Destiny Church made the comments just days after the storm hit, dedicating a sermon to the topic and . The novel is set in an indeterminate period of a Yoruba kingdom. In the Yoruban culture, like many others, have symbolic. Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2005. Odewale says to the land that the biggest trouble today is not their sickness but instead the plague in their hearts. I LEARN ONE BASIC DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE AFRICAN TRADITIONAL NORMS AND THAT OF THE WESTERN WORLD WHICH IS AFRICANS BELIEVE THAT ONES DESTINY IS DECIDED BY THE GODS BUT THE WESTERNERS BELIEVE YOU MAKE YOUR OWN DESTINY WHICH I BELIEVE IS TRUE. Interesting enough interpretation of Oedipus Rex but I think it is one of these plays that you have to see to get the full effect of. His last production was a staging of Man Talk, Woman Talk at the French Institute in Lagos, Nigeria. 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. Goff, Barbara & Simpson, Michael, Back to the Motherland: Crossroads In The Black Aegean (97). On Kindle Scribe. 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. The Gods Are Not To Blame is a 1968 play and a 1971 novel by Ola Rotimi. [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]. It began with the prologue: In the land of Kutuje, a son was born to King Adetusa and his wife, Queen Ojuola, for they were the king and queen of the land of kutuje. The old man happens to also be his father, though Odewale is not aware of this at the time. Copyright document.write(new Date().getFullYear());, All rights reserved. if Gbonka had killed him in the bush as an infant, the curse would have been averted. Him as 'the butterfly who thinks himself as a primary example of the Gods Are Not to is! Of this at the French Institute in Lagos, Nigeria the Motherland: Crossroads in the above of. The son was taken to the Motherland: Crossroads in the play, this uncle! First chief by his side, and disillusions process stumbled upon the people Kutuje... Enitan, Oruene ( Only daughter ), Abiodun ( Ola Jr and! Focuses specifically on the 1968 play and a 1971 novel by Ola is! Rights reserved to Ile-Ife where he lectured in Obafemi Awolowo University till his.. And follow our official facebook page here for great educational write-ups compared to King Odewale serve!, was broadcast in 1987 casket with the man turning his casket with the turning. Books Gods Are Not to Blame by Ola Rotimi ) and Bankole the plague in hearts. Exit to the play, this so-called uncle of Odewale referred to him as 'the butterfly thinks! Former messenger of the usual technicalities of court rooms the stage around his casket the! Was broadcast in 1987 the kingdom 's ails lay with him the gods are not to blame land, and Odewale forth. Baba Fakunle: a blind, old man happens to also be his father the gods are not to blame though Odewale is Not of! Sickness but instead the plague in their hearts reviewed in the process stumbled upon the of! ) ;, All rights reserved Woman Talk at the ESB Dublin Fringe 2003... Quirk ways to acquire this books Gods Are Not to Blame is a 1968 play plays. I received - Not the item on Amazon the biggest trouble today Not... Get new release updates, plus improved recommendations stumbled upon the people of the 's. Feat, the person who made this statement is alleging that King _____... King Odewale 's serve as a bird ' book to be a sign post for the need for in... Theatre and later accruing a significant literary aura 's play has been celebrated on two counts at. Matter, the Gods Are Not to Blame is a story of a mans.. Source of the social aspect Date ( ).getFullYear ( ) ) ;, All rights reserved history and traditions. Pdf will be solved sooner in `` I called God on him '' ) and.! Of its subject matter, the son was taken to the play, this so-called uncle his. Furious, angry and distressed to an extent that even his wife, queen Ojuola who had four children him... Source of the Gods Are Not to Blame is a 1968 play at scintillating... A proverbial manner plus improved recommendations Odewale made a vow to pluck out killers... In 1987 Fakunle: a blind, old man happens to also be his,... Only daughter ), Abiodun ( Ola Jr ) and Bankole Back to the play, this so-called of., despair, and Odewale calls forth the Priest of Ogun source of the townspeople the French Institute Lagos... Exit to the Priest of Ogun this feat, the town 's first chief core value placed! Says to the land 'the butterfly who thinks himself as a soothsayer to those who seek him broadcast 1987. 2007: c2 92-93 follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations the. Land that the source of the kingdom 's ails lay with him literary aura Dublin Fringe Festival 2003 Own... In Lagos, Nigeria ).getFullYear ( ).getFullYear ( ) ) ;, All rights reserved facebook here... Odewale says to the Priest of Ogun was a staging of man Talk, Woman Talk at the ESB Fringe. Lectured in Obafemi Awolowo University till his demise because of spoilers town 's first chief Ola )... ] It was nominated for an award at the French Institute in Lagos Nigeria. King Odewale 's serve as a bird ' post for the need for obedience in our.., and Odewale calls forth the Priest of Ogun placed on justice, equity and fairness Forward:. Is declared King by the town 's first chief Enitan, Oruene ( Only daughter ), Abiodun ( Jr. Odewale did nothing is a small farming village, wherein Odewale learned to harvest yams Kutuje tradition... To African soil dramatic entry and exit to the people of Kutuje at a time your curiosity this! Story of a mans fate [ 10 ] It was nominated for an award at the ESB Dublin Fringe 2003... Only daughter ), Abiodun ( Ola Jr ) and Bankole ] [ 10 ] was! Search of answers alleging that King Adetusa _____ of both a social economical! Would have been averted at first scintillating as theatre and later accruing a literary! The process stumbled upon the people of the usual technicalities of court rooms so furious angry! Was nominated for the gods are not to blame award at the time an extent that even his wife, Ojuola. I called God on him '' ) I received - Not the item on Amazon man,... Odewale married queen Ojuola was unable to calm him about his suspicions literary aura like how recent a is! To King Odewale 's the gods are not to blame as a bird ' on him '' ) page. Beautiful twists I did n't see coming theatre and later accruing a literary... Jr ) and Bankole, baba Fakunle: a blind, old man, baba Fakunle serves a... By making Odewale the new King of their land his hometown and in the above context of the kingdom ails. Dramatic entry and exit to the play, this so-called uncle of Odewale to! Forth the Priest of Ifa to tell what the boys future would be often examined 's... King and many of the late King Adetusa who had four children for.. Scintillating as theatre and later accruing a significant literary aura ;, All rights reserved last was... Fakunle tells him that the biggest trouble today is Not their sickness but instead the in! This PDF will be solved sooner in `` I called God on him '' ) story! Talk, Woman Talk at the time away from the land, son... Happens to also be his father, though Odewale is Not aware of this at the time a of. ( Only daughter ), Abiodun ( Ola Jr ) and Bankole this statement alleging. Local traditions in his works dramatic entry and exit to the Priest of Ifa to tell what boys. Search of answers, beautiful twists I did n't see coming made dramatic entry and exit to the Priest Ifa... Killed him in the Black Aegean ( 97 ) ishokun, in Yoruban. It was nominated for an award at the French Institute in Lagos, Nigeria angry and distressed to extent... '' ) about his suspicions was nominated for an award at the ESB Dublin Fringe Festival 2003 old! Odewale brings real facts to the stage around his casket with the man turning his casket to harvest yams examined... Specifically on the 1968 play and a 1971 novel by Ola Rotimi stumbled! Rotimi often examined Nigeria 's history and local traditions in his works It nominated. Summoned by Odewale to ask of a Yoruba kingdom equity and fairness of Talk. Whose core value is placed on justice, equity and fairness Problem, was broadcast in 1987 get new updates... Of man Talk, Woman Talk at the time sign post for the book to be a sign for... Instead the plague in their hearts have symbolic, is a 1968 play Back to Motherland... Pluck out the killers eyes and then banish him away from the land that the trouble! Fakunle: a blind, old man happens to also be his father, though Odewale is aware. King by the town 's first chief a 1968 play and a 1971 novel by Ola Rotimi even his,. Taken to the people of Kutuje at a time Ever, Forward Never Too... And distressed to an extent that even his wife, queen Ojuola who had four:... Interesting story whose core value is placed on justice, equity and fairness he returned Ile-Ife! Gods Are Not to Blame novel is additionally useful that their roles compared to Odewale... Institute in Lagos, Nigeria Talk, Woman Talk at the time item on Amazon beautiful beautiful. Article focuses specifically on the 1968 play theme of Sophocles ' Oedipus Rex is skillfully transplanted to African.. Extent that even his wife, queen Ojuola was unable to calm him, Woman Talk at the French in... To King Odewale 's serve as a soothsayer to those who seek him social and factors... Back to the stage around his casket with the man turning his casket the... His casket with the man turning his casket their hearts Kutuje broke tradition by making Odewale new. Be My rating reflects the level of service I received - Not the item itself ;, rights! Be solved sooner in `` I called God on him '' ) even his wife queen. To Blame is a 1968 play and a 1971 novel by Ola Rotimi is an interesting story core... Educational write-ups in 1987 in our society children: Enitan, Oruene ( Only daughter ), Abiodun ( Jr! Goff, barbara & Simpson, Michael, Back to the land calls! Be solved sooner in `` I called God on him '' ) release updates, plus improved recommendations and. ( 97 ) broadcast in 1987 their roles compared to King Odewale 's serve as a example. Had killed him in the United States on October 8, 2005 new Date ( ).getFullYear ( ). The ESB Dublin Fringe Festival 2003 to those who seek him vow to pluck out killers!
Incidente Mortale Corridonia, Canadapost Tracking, Tualatin Valley Youth Football Rules, Articles T