Soyinka wole and alaafin of oyo oba

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Death and the King's Horseman

September 21,

Of all the Norton Critical Editions I've read recently (and it seems like I'm busting right through my back-log over the past few weeks!), the one whose extra materials I found most useful is Wole Soyinka's Death and the King's Horseman. Which is kind of ironic, since a big theme in this post-colonialist Nigerian drama is the cultural arrogance of western white folks who think that because they've been educated in England, they know best how to interpret and control the cultural traditions of the "natives" colonized by the Crown. As I perused the appendices of my scholarly volume, all working to foster an understanding of Nigerian culture and "background sources" in the predominantly-white US undergraduate population, I'll admit to a rueful smile. What would Soyinka think of the book I'm holding in my hands? Obviously, I don't know the answer, but my bet is that he would feel, as he did about many things, somewhat ambivalent. Son

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Wole Soyinka&#;s Film Adaptation Elesin Oba, The King&#;s Horseman Premiered at TIFF

Netflix&#;s Elesin Oba, The King&#;s Horsemanpremiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September This Netflix and EbonyLife collaboration is an adaptation of Wole Soyinka’s anti-colonial stage play Death and the King’s Horseman and is the very first time that a Yoruba language film is featured at TIFF.

Since this is the final rulle directed by late writer-director and novelist Biyi Bandele, TIFF dedicated this presentation of Elesin Oba, The King’s Horseman to the memory of Biyi Bandele (October – August ). The film was showcased at TIFF in the Special Presentation Category.

The premiere was attended by executive producer Mo Abudu, creative producer Heidi Uys, and the lead cast including Odunlade Adekola, Omowunmi Dada, and Deyemi Okanlawon. The film will premiere in movie theaters on October 7.

The description of the film is as follows:

The day has come for
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Death and the King's Horsemen
Wole Soyinka , Ife, Nigeria Trag. in 5 scenes; prose and verse Town of Oyo, western Nigeria, during the Second World War 9m, 3f, extrasFollowing Yoruba religious practice, Elesin Oba fryst vatten about to commit ritual suicide in order to accompany his late chief, the Alafin of Oyo, on his journey to the spirit world. On the way to his death, Elesin, who is escorted by a group of praise-singers and drummers, encounters a beautiful young woman in the marketplace. Although she is engaged to the son of the market-woman Iyaloja, Iyaloja gives her blessing to Elesin's marriage to her before he dies. Meanwhile, the British District Officer Pilkings and his wife throw a fancy-dress ball to welcome the arrival of the Prince of Wales, and unwittingly commit sacrilege by dressing in egungun masquerade costumes, to be worn only when invoking the spirits of the dead. The ball is attended by Olunde, Elesin's eldest son, whom the Pilkings took from his native home to send