{"id":269,"date":"2019-05-14T11:10:10","date_gmt":"2019-05-14T11:10:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/engp06.epgpbooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=269"},"modified":"2019-05-15T07:10:45","modified_gmt":"2019-05-15T07:10:45","slug":"wole-soyinka-kongis-harvest","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/ebooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/engp06\/chapter\/wole-soyinka-kongis-harvest\/","title":{"rendered":"Wole Soyinka, Kongi\u2019s Harvest"},"content":{"raw":"<div><span style=\"float: right\"><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/rGE6JZW7jNQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img class=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/epgpbooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/download.png\" alt=\"epgp books\" width=\"51\" height=\"51\" \/><\/a>\r\n<\/span><\/div>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><strong>Coontent<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li>African Theatre<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Brief History of Nigeria<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Introduction of the Playwright\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Short Bio<\/li>\r\n \t<li>List of Plays and Themes<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Overview<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Characters in the play\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Oba Danlola<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Daodu<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Secretary<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Kongi<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Segi<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Others<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li>About the play Structure of the play\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Hemlock<\/li>\r\n \t<li>First Part<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Second Part<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Hangover<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Interpretation of the Play\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Comic Tragedy<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Political Satire<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Myth Orientation<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Film Adaptation<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><strong>1.\u00a0\u00a0 African theatre &amp; Drama<\/strong><\/p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Besides providing entertainment, drama in Africa serves many purposes socially, politically and aesthetically. Africa has many indigenous performance traditions which have become an integrated component of their drama. Modern African drama seeks to combine indigenous elements such as oral narration, mime, music, and dance with the western form and content. This combination gives rise to a new kind of drama which is unique in its composition.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\" style=\"text-align: justify\"><strong>2.\u00a0\u00a0 Brief History of Nigeria<\/strong><\/p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">British influence in Nigeria began in early nineteenth century and the period 1800-1960 is regarded as the British or colonial period in Nigerian history. Nigeria became an independent country on October 1, 1960 and a Republic on October 1, 1963. After 1965, the country went through a period of political turmoil with several coups, counter-coups, and failed coups. From 1967-70, the country was ravaged by a civil war, known as the Biafra War, which resulted in nearly three million civilian casualties.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\" style=\"margin-right: 122.45pt;line-height: 115%;text-align: justify\"><strong>INTERESTING FACT -Nigeria has more than 250 ethnic groups Map of Africa and\u00a0Nigeria<\/strong><\/p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-273\" src=\"http:\/\/engp06.epgpbooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/242\/2019\/05\/Untitled-7.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"312\" height=\"329\" \/>\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\" style=\"line-height: 115%;margin: 2.25pt 69.5pt 0.0001pt 7pt;text-align: justify\"><strong>INTERESTING FACT \u2013Nigeria is the twelfth largest producer of crude oil. INTERESTING FACT \u2013Christianity and Islam are the two major religions<\/strong><\/p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li><strong>Introduction of the playwright Wole Soyinka<\/strong><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-274\" src=\"http:\/\/engp06.epgpbooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/242\/2019\/05\/Untitled-8.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"498\" height=\"304\" \/>\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><strong>Bio Note<\/strong><\/p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Akinwande Olu Wole Soyinka was born on July 13, 1934, in Abeokuta, Nigeria. He is popularly called Wole Soyinka. He belonged to the Yoruba tribe. After graduating in 1958 he founded an acting company. Soyinka directs his own plays in performance. His decades of political activism included periods of imprisonment and exile. Soyinka was the first African writer to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986. In all he has published 27 plays, 2 novels, 3 short story collections, 5 memoirs, 12 anthologies of essays, 3 screen plays, and 2 translations. His plays are called \u2018protest plays\u2019 since they oppose autocratic power of all kinds.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><strong>List of Plays and Themes<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><strong>Theme: Nigerian Independence<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li style=\"text-align: justify\"><em>A Dance of the Forests <\/em>(produced 1960; published 1963) Theme: Making fun of pompous, westernized Intellectuals<\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"text-align: justify\"><em>The Lion and the Jewel <\/em>(first performed in 1959; published 1963) Theme: Mocking the preachers<\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"text-align: justify\"><em>The Trials of Brother Jero <\/em>(performed in 1960; published 1963)<\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"text-align: justify\"><em>Jero\u2019s Metamorphosis <\/em>(1973)<\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"text-align: justify\">Theme: Opposition to African Authoritarian Leadership and Disillusionment with Nigerian Society<\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"text-align: justify\"><em>The Strong Breed <\/em>(1963)<\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"text-align: justify\"><em>Kongi\u2019s Harvest <\/em>(opened the first Festival of Negro Arts in Dakar, 1966; published 1967)<\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"text-align: justify\"><em>The Road <\/em>(1965)<\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"text-align: justify\"><em>From Zia, with Love <\/em>(1992)<\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"text-align: justify\"><em>King Baabu <\/em>(performed 2001; published 2002)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<strong>Other plays<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><em>Madmen and Specialists <\/em>(performed 1970; published 1971)<\/li>\r\n \t<li><em>Death and the King\u2019s Horseman <\/em>(1975)<\/li>\r\n \t<li><em>The Beatification of Area Boy <\/em>(1995)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<div style=\"text-align: justify\"><strong>INTERESTING FACT - The designer of the national flag was Michael Taiwo Akinkunmi, a twenty three-year-old student. The two unique sea-green\u00a0<\/strong><strong>bands represent the forests and abundant natural wealth of Nigeria while the white band represents peace.<\/strong><\/div>\r\n<div><\/div>\r\n<div><\/div>\r\n<div><img class=\"size-full wp-image-275 alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/engp06.epgpbooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/242\/2019\/05\/Untitled-9.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"331\" height=\"457\" \/><\/div>\r\n<div>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">OverviewIn 1986, Wole Soyinka became the first African writer to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Although Soyinka has written poetry, fiction, non-fictional prose, he is best known for his plays. His plays can be seen as \u2018protest plays\u2019. Taking a critical look at Nigerian independence; exposing the pompous, westernized intellectuals; mocking the religious impostors; opposing authoritarian leadership; and expressing disillusionment with post- independence developments in Nigeria are some of the major themes of Wole Soyinka\u2019s plays.<\/p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">His play <em>Kongi\u2019s Harvest <\/em>(1965) is set in post-independent Nigeria. It revolves around the character of Kongi a modern dictator of an imaginary African country called Isma. Kongi has usurped the power of the traditional ruler, Oba Danlola, who along with his wives and advisors is imprisoned. Kongi tries to use the traditional harvest festival to establish the legitimacy of his rule. However, his attempt ends in chaos and the play ends with everyone fleeing the country fearing the reprisal of the dictator. Although Kongi\u2019s character is said to have been inspired by two African politicians of the time, Soyinka\u2019s satire on modern dictators has a much wider relevance.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\" style=\"text-align: justify\"><strong>5.\u00a0\u00a0 Characters in the play<\/strong><\/p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><strong>Oba Danlola<\/strong>: The traditional ruler of the Republic of Isma. He is a man who is imprisoned by the dictator Kongi in an attempt to overthrow him.<\/p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><strong>Daodu: <\/strong>Son to Sarumi, and heir to Danlola\u2019s throne. He is sought by the secretary to mediate with Kongi, on behalf of Oba Danlola.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Secretary: <\/strong>Kongi\u2019s man, who organises the Harvest Festival. He represents<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Kongi: <\/strong>The dictator of the Republic of Isma, who is very obsessed with his image. He wants the traditional ruler to peacefully pass on the baton of the Republic of Isma into his hands.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Segi: <\/strong>She owns a club, a strong woman, is the daughter of Oba Danlola\u2019s<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<strong>Others<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li style=\"text-align: justify\">Sarumi \u2013 A younger Oba \u2013 Father of Daodu, a loyal friend to the traditional ruler. Wuraola \u2013 Oba Danlola\u2019s favourite wife.<\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"text-align: justify\">Ogbo Aweri \u2013 Head of a conclave of elders. Dende \u2013 Oba Danlola\u2019s servant.<\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"text-align: justify\">Superintendent \u2013 The jail superintendent, where the traditional ruler is imprisoned. Members of the Old Aweri \u2013 Six members who form the conclave of elders Members of Kongi\u2019s Aweri \u2013 Six members who form Reformed Aweri Fraternity.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<strong>6.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 About the play<\/strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">The new dictator of the Republic of Isma Kongi has taken over power by force from the traditional ruler and has imprisoned him. The traditional rulers though critical of Kongi\u2019s rule are not in a position to retaliate. The people of Isma have a tradition of celebrating a harvest festival at which the best yam produced by the farmers is awarded a prize. The prize yam is then offered to the king in a show of acceptance of his rule. Kongi now plans to use this traditional festival to establish his rule. He wants the traditional ruler, Oba, to hand over the prize yam to him to symbolize as a peaceful transition from a traditional ruler to a modern one. What happens to this plan forms the plot of the play.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><strong>Structure of the play<\/strong><\/p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe play has four sections, Hemlock, the First Part, the Second Part, and Hangover.\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><strong>Hemlock<\/strong><\/p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">This is the opening scene of this play. It starts with the rolling of drums and the playing of national anthem, prompting the audience to stand up. When the curtain goes up the audience sees the traditional ruler Oba Danlola and his people with a retinue of musicians in a jail. They now sing the parody of the national anthem. The juxtaposition of the national anthem of a new nation and the traditional ruler in jail sets the tone of the play.<\/p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Hemlock is a poisonous conifer. The scene in front of the audience is far from poisonous. It is of a group of people who are singing and dancing to the music. They are showing their dissent to the governance of the present dictator through a song. The group is reprimanded by the jail superintendent. Oba Danlola continues singing supported by Sarumi, the younger Oba. The songs are a satire on the political situation of Nigeria. For example:<\/p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<div class=\"textbox shaded\">\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\">The ill effects of amassing wealth of the dictators<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><em>The pot that will eat fat<\/em><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><em>Its bottom must be scorched<\/em><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\">Exploitation of natural resources by force<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><em>The sweetest wine has flowed down <\/em><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><em>The tapper\u2019s shattered shins<\/em><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\">One-way discourse of the government which is insensitive to people\u2019s response<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><em>With government rediffusion sets <\/em><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><em>Which talk and talk and never <\/em><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><em>Take a lone word in reply<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">The superintendent finds the Nigerian national flag wrapped around Oba Danlola and quickly pulls it away in horror. Oba Danlola being the traditional elder of the clan and the superintendent being a younger man makes fun of him in a genial way. The jail superintendent respects the Oba but has to obey the dictator Kongi. The elders through their dialogue with the superintendent inform the audience about the harmony their order has with nature. The true essence of a symbiosis between the traditional rule and nature, as opposed to the exploitative policies of the colonial power, is reminded to the viewers.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><strong>Sarumi says<\/strong><\/p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px\"><em>We lift the King\u2019s umbrella<\/em><\/p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px\"><em> Higher than men<\/em><\/p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px\"><em>But it never pushes<\/em><\/p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px\"><em> The sun in the face<\/em><\/p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 60px\"><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">This part of the play ends with a clear depiction of the colonial power and the host country as a child and a mother respectively.<\/p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px\"><em>Soon the head swelled <\/em><\/p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px\"><em>Too big for pillow<\/em><\/p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px\"><em> And it swelled too big <\/em><\/p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px\"><em>For the mothers back<\/em><\/p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px\"><em>And soon the mothers head<\/em><\/p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px\"><em> Was nowhere to be seen<\/em><\/p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px\"><em>And the child\u2019s slight belly <\/em><\/p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px\"><em>Was strangely distended<\/em><\/p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><strong>First Part<\/strong><\/p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">The first part opens in Kongi\u2019s palace, a \u2018retreat in the mountains\u2019 with his own Aweri, who unlike the traditional king\u2019s advisors are now fashionably called Reformed Aweri Fraternity. The dialogues of the second part start with \u201cWe need an image\u201d which is repeated five times. All of them accept the statement at its face value and try their best to come up with an answer. They neither question nor debate the need for an image. They try to create an image of Kongi which makes him more acceptable to the people.<\/p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">One interesting option is that of an idyllic image of a youthful leader: <em>\u201c...children handing the patriarch his pipe at evening, crouching at his feet to sip raindrops of wisdom\u201d<\/em>. The discussion ends almost nonsensically, <em>\u201cIf the square of XQY (2ab) equals QA into the square root of X, then the progressive forces must prevail over the reactionary in the span of\u00a0<\/em><em>.32 of a single generation.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">They define the aim of organising the harvest festival as,<em>\u201cTo replace the old superstitious festival by a state ceremony governed by the principle of enlightened ritualism.\u201d <\/em>The scene now shifts to the club owned by Segi. Daodu and Segi are dancing when Kongi\u2019s Secretary and his spies enter the club. Kongi\u2019s Secretary befriends Daodu, and tries to pry information out of him about his uncle, the imprisoned traditional ruler. The secretary wants to tie up all loose ends so that the harvest festival he is organising should go on smoothly. In\u00a0spite of the secretary\u2019s repeated requests through all possible channels, including through Daodu, the secretary is not sure that Oba Danlola will surrender amicably before Kongi.<\/p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">The scene moves to Kongi and his Aweri, who along with him are fasting before the festival. The feverish discussions about the upcoming harvest festival continue. The secretary is bribed by Kongi\u2019s Aweri into bringing them food. In return, they suggest a way out of the standoff between Kongi and Oba Danlola. Kongi is to be persuaded to issue the release of all the political prisoners if the Oba and his loyalists agree to surrender before him the next day at the festival. Kongi agrees to the plan.<\/p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Meanwhile news comes that one of the imprisoned men has died by hanging himself and another man, who is Segi\u2019s father, has escaped from the prison. Kongi becomes infuriated and calls back the release of the prisoners.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><strong>Second Part<\/strong><\/p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">The day of the harvest festival, Oba Danlola comes back to his palace and is very excited to dress up for the festival. We now understand that the remaining three prisoners were released as an agreement to surrender before Kongi. Danlola demands a new robe, a head gear and a sword. Dende, Oba Danlola\u2019s servant, runs all the errands the king demands. Daodu is to represent Oba Danlola and his Aweri and handover the yam to Kongi as a token of appreciation for the release of prisoners. Daodu, asks Oba Danlola not to come to the festival, fearing the disruption of peace. Oba Danlola insists on his presence. Daodu is then told that a search is going on for the escaped prisoner, Segi\u2019s father, to bring him back dead or alive.<\/p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">The much discussed and planned harvest festival begins. The secretary, who knows that Segi has been Kongi\u2019s lover once, is shocked to find her as a part of the dance group. He does not want anything to disturb the proceedings. He wants her to leave, but, she doesn\u2019t. Dende, Oba Danlola\u2019s servant joins the carpenter brigade. Kongi, being the carpenter of the country and the brigade are those who will help him with this mission.<\/p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">During the dance, loud gunfire is heard. An assassination attempt is made by Segi\u2019s father, the escaped prisoner, on Kongi. Daodu and Segi learn that Segi\u2019s father is hunted and killed. They learn about it under the watchful eye of Kongi, who is waiting to see Segi, his former lover, break down. Segi does not show emotion, whispers to Daodu, walks away from the dance to return with her dead father\u2019s head and present it to Kongi as a new yam. Kongi is shocked and terrified on seeing the decapitated head of an elder in front of the whole crowd gathered there. A traditional symbol of offering the best yam to the clan leader in a show of harmony is now turned into a cannibalistic symbol, when instead of yam, Segi\u2019s father\u2019s head is offered on a copper salver.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\" style=\"text-align: justify\"><strong>Hangover<\/strong><\/p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">The last part of the play opens at Kongi Square, littered with debris from the harvest festival and the panic that followed. The secretary and Dende can be seen on the stage, both of them weary and looking lost. The secretary uses his authority to take away some of Dende\u2019s things. Oba Danlola walks upon them, carrying his possessions, ready to leave the place. The civil unrest upsets Kongi\u2019s plans to take over the Republic of Isma in harmony from the old order.<\/p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">The sufferers are all the three sects, the traditional rulers, common people and Kongi\u2019s staff. The last scene has all of them fleeing the country hinting at an alliance against Kongi in another country. Soyinka offers no easy solutions to the problems created by colonialism and continuing in the neo-colonial state.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><strong>5.\u00a0\u00a0 Interpretations of the play<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><strong>Comic Tragedy<\/strong><\/p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">The play starts on a comic note with harmless exchange of dialogue between the imprisoned clan of elders, Oba Danlola and his Aweri. Kongi\u2019s search for an image too sounds illogical and comic. The ideas of the Reformed Aweri Fraternity also make the audience smile. The comic tone is a disguise for more serious issues that follow. The suicide of an imprisoned Aweri member pulls us out of the comic mood. The forced fasting of Kongi\u2019s Reformed Aweri Fraternity hints at the violence Kongi is capable of. The killing of Segi\u2019s father is the ultimate act of violence and tragedy in the play.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><strong>Political Satire<\/strong><\/p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">In traditional African cultures, <em>The king...was always looked upon as a saviour, the symbol of communal health and its active defender and promoter. As a result the slightest blemish or weakness in the king was regarded as disastrous to the land and its people\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><em>...a high spiritual status was afforded to the sacrificial victim for the reason that he was the one chosen to represent the community to the high gods. His status was that of a hero\u201d<\/em>.<\/p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">These traditional values turn Kongi\u2019s plans upside down. Using the symbols of the king, Kongi wanted to rule the Republic of Isma. The events at the harvest festival end up unsettling Kongi\u2019s composure in front of people and showing him as a weak king. All the political manoeuvres of Kongi to legitimize his power are undone with Segi\u2019s father becoming the sacrificial victim, and thus earning the highest status of a hero. Kongi in spite of all the power in his hands still cannot achieve his political goals.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><strong>Myth<\/strong><\/p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">The use of myth, an integral part of Yoruba tribe, is used extensively by Soyinka. According to the Yoruba beliefs, the fertility of the land and the prosperity of the people are deeply connected to the virility of the king, who is a divine incarnation. In the opening scene \u2018Hemlock\u2019, when Oba teasingly tries to prostate before the jail superintendent, he is horrified. The yam festival, against the backdrop of which the play is set is also a myth they strongly believe in. Kongi, through the harvest festival, chooses to claim the title of the king.<\/p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Through his fast on the mountain, Kongi tries to evoke Christian images of a fasting Christ, the last supper with Daodu referring to Kongi as a \u2018Messiah of Pain\u2019. Kongi posing extravagantly to the photographer who is helping with the image reminds us of God-like postures.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"textbox shaded\">\r\n\r\nFinally, references to Segi have mythical overtones. Segi is called,\r\n\r\n<em>The being of Segi <\/em>\r\n\r\n<em>Swirls the night<\/em>\r\n\r\n<em>In potions round my head<\/em>\r\n\r\n<em>\u00a0<\/em>\r\n\r\n<em>Your eyes were bathed <\/em>\r\n\r\n<em>In tender waters<\/em>\r\n\r\n<em>Milk of all mothers<\/em>\r\n\r\n<em>Flowed through your fingers<\/em>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em> A coiled snake<\/em>\r\n\r\n<em>Is beautiful asleep<\/em>\r\n\r\n<em> A velvet bolster <\/em>\r\n\r\n<em>Laid on flowers<\/em>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nAll these images interspersed through the text help us understand the mythical aspect of the play.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>8.\u00a0 \u00a0Media Adaptation - Film<\/strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nProduced in colour by Calpenny-Nigeria Films Ltd, directed by Ossie Davis, this film was released in Nigeria in 1970 and had a running time of 85 minutes.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>8 \u2013 The movie poster<\/strong>\r\n\r\n<img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-276\" src=\"http:\/\/engp06.epgpbooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/242\/2019\/05\/Untitled-10.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"357\" height=\"517\" \/>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">The cast includes, Wole Soyinka as Kongi, Rashidi Onikoyi as Oba Danlola, Banjo Solaru as Sarumi, Dapo Adelugba as Daodu, Femi Johnson as the organising secretary and Nina Baden-Semper as Segi.<\/p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">This film is considered important because it was a committed attempt to adapt a play by Soyinka to the screen. The film made some changes to the original play because the medium had a lot of potential to explore. The additions to the film are the visuals of the fictional republic of Isma shot at Ibadan with market and street scenes, a scene of Kongi\u2019s military boisterously drinking and singing, Daodu and Segi\u2019s visit to a shrine and the last supper of Kongi with his Aweri of twelve people.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><strong>INTERESTING FACT \u2013 The Nigerian Film Industry is called Nollywood<\/strong><\/p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">The film has a different ending from the play. The play ends with the killing of Segi\u2019s father, creating a shocking end, creating chaos and the hope for a new order. The image of the head on the copper salver stays with the audience for long. The film on the other hand has Segi\u2019s father replacing Kongi as a dictator. Instead of a new order, an old order continues with a\u00a0 new leader.<\/p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Soyinka did not approve of this change and distanced himself from the movie, though he has written the screenplay for the movie and acted as the dictator Kongi. One of the biggest criticisms the movie faced was that it was tailored to suit the sensibilities of the American audience. The film at Nigeria was edited differently from the film played in America.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<table>\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td><strong>you can view video on Wole Soyinka, Kongi\u2019s Harvest<\/strong><\/td>\r\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/rGE6JZW7jNQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img class=\"alignnone wp-image-120\" src=\"http:\/\/epgpbooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/download.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"36\" height=\"36\" \/><\/a><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>","rendered":"<div><span style=\"float: right\"><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/rGE6JZW7jNQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/epgpbooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/download.png\" alt=\"epgp books\" width=\"51\" height=\"51\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<\/span><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><strong>Coontent<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>African Theatre<\/li>\n<li>Brief History of Nigeria<\/li>\n<li>Introduction of the Playwright\n<ul>\n<li>Short Bio<\/li>\n<li>List of Plays and Themes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Overview<\/li>\n<li>Characters in the play\n<ul>\n<li>Oba Danlola<\/li>\n<li>Daodu<\/li>\n<li>Secretary<\/li>\n<li>Kongi<\/li>\n<li>Segi<\/li>\n<li>Others<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>About the play Structure of the play\n<ul>\n<li>Hemlock<\/li>\n<li>First Part<\/li>\n<li>Second Part<\/li>\n<li>Hangover<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Interpretation of the Play\n<ul>\n<li>Comic Tragedy<\/li>\n<li>Political Satire<\/li>\n<li>Myth Orientation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Film Adaptation<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><strong>1.\u00a0\u00a0 African theatre &amp; Drama<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Besides providing entertainment, drama in Africa serves many purposes socially, politically and aesthetically. Africa has many indigenous performance traditions which have become an integrated component of their drama. Modern African drama seeks to combine indigenous elements such as oral narration, mime, music, and dance with the western form and content. This combination gives rise to a new kind of drama which is unique in its composition.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\" style=\"text-align: justify\"><strong>2.\u00a0\u00a0 Brief History of Nigeria<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">British influence in Nigeria began in early nineteenth century and the period 1800-1960 is regarded as the British or colonial period in Nigerian history. Nigeria became an independent country on October 1, 1960 and a Republic on October 1, 1963. After 1965, the country went through a period of political turmoil with several coups, counter-coups, and failed coups. From 1967-70, the country was ravaged by a civil war, known as the Biafra War, which resulted in nearly three million civilian casualties.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\" style=\"margin-right: 122.45pt;line-height: 115%;text-align: justify\"><strong>INTERESTING FACT -Nigeria has more than 250 ethnic groups Map of Africa and\u00a0Nigeria<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-273\" src=\"http:\/\/engp06.epgpbooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/242\/2019\/05\/Untitled-7.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"312\" height=\"329\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ebooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/engp06\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/242\/2019\/05\/Untitled-7.png 312w, https:\/\/ebooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/engp06\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/242\/2019\/05\/Untitled-7-284x300.png 284w, https:\/\/ebooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/engp06\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/242\/2019\/05\/Untitled-7-65x69.png 65w, https:\/\/ebooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/engp06\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/242\/2019\/05\/Untitled-7-225x237.png 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 312px) 100vw, 312px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\" style=\"line-height: 115%;margin: 2.25pt 69.5pt 0.0001pt 7pt;text-align: justify\"><strong>INTERESTING FACT \u2013Nigeria is the twelfth largest producer of crude oil. INTERESTING FACT \u2013Christianity and Islam are the two major religions<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Introduction of the playwright Wole Soyinka<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-274\" src=\"http:\/\/engp06.epgpbooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/242\/2019\/05\/Untitled-8.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"498\" height=\"304\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ebooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/engp06\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/242\/2019\/05\/Untitled-8.png 498w, https:\/\/ebooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/engp06\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/242\/2019\/05\/Untitled-8-300x183.png 300w, https:\/\/ebooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/engp06\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/242\/2019\/05\/Untitled-8-65x40.png 65w, https:\/\/ebooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/engp06\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/242\/2019\/05\/Untitled-8-225x137.png 225w, https:\/\/ebooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/engp06\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/242\/2019\/05\/Untitled-8-350x214.png 350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 498px) 100vw, 498px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><strong>Bio Note<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Akinwande Olu Wole Soyinka was born on July 13, 1934, in Abeokuta, Nigeria. He is popularly called Wole Soyinka. He belonged to the Yoruba tribe. After graduating in 1958 he founded an acting company. Soyinka directs his own plays in performance. His decades of political activism included periods of imprisonment and exile. Soyinka was the first African writer to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986. In all he has published 27 plays, 2 novels, 3 short story collections, 5 memoirs, 12 anthologies of essays, 3 screen plays, and 2 translations. His plays are called \u2018protest plays\u2019 since they oppose autocratic power of all kinds.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><strong>List of Plays and Themes<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><strong>Theme: Nigerian Independence<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify\"><em>A Dance of the Forests <\/em>(produced 1960; published 1963) Theme: Making fun of pompous, westernized Intellectuals<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify\"><em>The Lion and the Jewel <\/em>(first performed in 1959; published 1963) Theme: Mocking the preachers<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify\"><em>The Trials of Brother Jero <\/em>(performed in 1960; published 1963)<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify\"><em>Jero\u2019s Metamorphosis <\/em>(1973)<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify\">Theme: Opposition to African Authoritarian Leadership and Disillusionment with Nigerian Society<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify\"><em>The Strong Breed <\/em>(1963)<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify\"><em>Kongi\u2019s Harvest <\/em>(opened the first Festival of Negro Arts in Dakar, 1966; published 1967)<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify\"><em>The Road <\/em>(1965)<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify\"><em>From Zia, with Love <\/em>(1992)<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify\"><em>King Baabu <\/em>(performed 2001; published 2002)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Other plays<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Madmen and Specialists <\/em>(performed 1970; published 1971)<\/li>\n<li><em>Death and the King\u2019s Horseman <\/em>(1975)<\/li>\n<li><em>The Beatification of Area Boy <\/em>(1995)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify\"><strong>INTERESTING FACT &#8211; The designer of the national flag was Michael Taiwo Akinkunmi, a twenty three-year-old student. The two unique sea-green\u00a0<\/strong><strong>bands represent the forests and abundant natural wealth of Nigeria while the white band represents peace.<\/strong><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-275 alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/engp06.epgpbooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/242\/2019\/05\/Untitled-9.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"331\" height=\"457\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ebooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/engp06\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/242\/2019\/05\/Untitled-9.png 331w, https:\/\/ebooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/engp06\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/242\/2019\/05\/Untitled-9-217x300.png 217w, https:\/\/ebooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/engp06\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/242\/2019\/05\/Untitled-9-65x90.png 65w, https:\/\/ebooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/engp06\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/242\/2019\/05\/Untitled-9-225x311.png 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 331px) 100vw, 331px\" \/><\/div>\n<div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">OverviewIn 1986, Wole Soyinka became the first African writer to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Although Soyinka has written poetry, fiction, non-fictional prose, he is best known for his plays. His plays can be seen as \u2018protest plays\u2019. Taking a critical look at Nigerian independence; exposing the pompous, westernized intellectuals; mocking the religious impostors; opposing authoritarian leadership; and expressing disillusionment with post- independence developments in Nigeria are some of the major themes of Wole Soyinka\u2019s plays.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">His play <em>Kongi\u2019s Harvest <\/em>(1965) is set in post-independent Nigeria. It revolves around the character of Kongi a modern dictator of an imaginary African country called Isma. Kongi has usurped the power of the traditional ruler, Oba Danlola, who along with his wives and advisors is imprisoned. Kongi tries to use the traditional harvest festival to establish the legitimacy of his rule. However, his attempt ends in chaos and the play ends with everyone fleeing the country fearing the reprisal of the dictator. Although Kongi\u2019s character is said to have been inspired by two African politicians of the time, Soyinka\u2019s satire on modern dictators has a much wider relevance.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\" style=\"text-align: justify\"><strong>5.\u00a0\u00a0 Characters in the play<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><strong>Oba Danlola<\/strong>: The traditional ruler of the Republic of Isma. He is a man who is imprisoned by the dictator Kongi in an attempt to overthrow him.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><strong>Daodu: <\/strong>Son to Sarumi, and heir to Danlola\u2019s throne. He is sought by the secretary to mediate with Kongi, on behalf of Oba Danlola.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Secretary: <\/strong>Kongi\u2019s man, who organises the Harvest Festival. He represents<\/li>\n<li><strong>Kongi: <\/strong>The dictator of the Republic of Isma, who is very obsessed with his image. He wants the traditional ruler to peacefully pass on the baton of the Republic of Isma into his hands.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Segi: <\/strong>She owns a club, a strong woman, is the daughter of Oba Danlola\u2019s<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Others<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify\">Sarumi \u2013 A younger Oba \u2013 Father of Daodu, a loyal friend to the traditional ruler. Wuraola \u2013 Oba Danlola\u2019s favourite wife.<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify\">Ogbo Aweri \u2013 Head of a conclave of elders. Dende \u2013 Oba Danlola\u2019s servant.<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify\">Superintendent \u2013 The jail superintendent, where the traditional ruler is imprisoned. Members of the Old Aweri \u2013 Six members who form the conclave of elders Members of Kongi\u2019s Aweri \u2013 Six members who form Reformed Aweri Fraternity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>6.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 About the play<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">The new dictator of the Republic of Isma Kongi has taken over power by force from the traditional ruler and has imprisoned him. The traditional rulers though critical of Kongi\u2019s rule are not in a position to retaliate. The people of Isma have a tradition of celebrating a harvest festival at which the best yam produced by the farmers is awarded a prize. The prize yam is then offered to the king in a show of acceptance of his rule. Kongi now plans to use this traditional festival to establish his rule. He wants the traditional ruler, Oba, to hand over the prize yam to him to symbolize as a peaceful transition from a traditional ruler to a modern one. What happens to this plan forms the plot of the play.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><strong>Structure of the play<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The play has four sections, Hemlock, the First Part, the Second Part, and Hangover.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><strong>Hemlock<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">This is the opening scene of this play. It starts with the rolling of drums and the playing of national anthem, prompting the audience to stand up. When the curtain goes up the audience sees the traditional ruler Oba Danlola and his people with a retinue of musicians in a jail. They now sing the parody of the national anthem. The juxtaposition of the national anthem of a new nation and the traditional ruler in jail sets the tone of the play.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Hemlock is a poisonous conifer. The scene in front of the audience is far from poisonous. It is of a group of people who are singing and dancing to the music. They are showing their dissent to the governance of the present dictator through a song. The group is reprimanded by the jail superintendent. Oba Danlola continues singing supported by Sarumi, the younger Oba. The songs are a satire on the political situation of Nigeria. For example:<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox shaded\">\n<p class=\"no-indent\">The ill effects of amassing wealth of the dictators<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><em>The pot that will eat fat<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><em>Its bottom must be scorched<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\">Exploitation of natural resources by force<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><em>The sweetest wine has flowed down <\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><em>The tapper\u2019s shattered shins<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\">One-way discourse of the government which is insensitive to people\u2019s response<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><em>With government rediffusion sets <\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><em>Which talk and talk and never <\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><em>Take a lone word in reply<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">The superintendent finds the Nigerian national flag wrapped around Oba Danlola and quickly pulls it away in horror. Oba Danlola being the traditional elder of the clan and the superintendent being a younger man makes fun of him in a genial way. The jail superintendent respects the Oba but has to obey the dictator Kongi. The elders through their dialogue with the superintendent inform the audience about the harmony their order has with nature. The true essence of a symbiosis between the traditional rule and nature, as opposed to the exploitative policies of the colonial power, is reminded to the viewers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><strong>Sarumi says<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px\"><em>We lift the King\u2019s umbrella<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px\"><em> Higher than men<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px\"><em>But it never pushes<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px\"><em> The sun in the face<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 60px\"><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">This part of the play ends with a clear depiction of the colonial power and the host country as a child and a mother respectively.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px\"><em>Soon the head swelled <\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px\"><em>Too big for pillow<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px\"><em> And it swelled too big <\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px\"><em>For the mothers back<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px\"><em>And soon the mothers head<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px\"><em> Was nowhere to be seen<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px\"><em>And the child\u2019s slight belly <\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px\"><em>Was strangely distended<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><strong>First Part<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">The first part opens in Kongi\u2019s palace, a \u2018retreat in the mountains\u2019 with his own Aweri, who unlike the traditional king\u2019s advisors are now fashionably called Reformed Aweri Fraternity. The dialogues of the second part start with \u201cWe need an image\u201d which is repeated five times. All of them accept the statement at its face value and try their best to come up with an answer. They neither question nor debate the need for an image. They try to create an image of Kongi which makes him more acceptable to the people.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">One interesting option is that of an idyllic image of a youthful leader: <em>\u201c&#8230;children handing the patriarch his pipe at evening, crouching at his feet to sip raindrops of wisdom\u201d<\/em>. The discussion ends almost nonsensically, <em>\u201cIf the square of XQY (2ab) equals QA into the square root of X, then the progressive forces must prevail over the reactionary in the span of\u00a0<\/em><em>.32 of a single generation.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">They define the aim of organising the harvest festival as,<em>\u201cTo replace the old superstitious festival by a state ceremony governed by the principle of enlightened ritualism.\u201d <\/em>The scene now shifts to the club owned by Segi. Daodu and Segi are dancing when Kongi\u2019s Secretary and his spies enter the club. Kongi\u2019s Secretary befriends Daodu, and tries to pry information out of him about his uncle, the imprisoned traditional ruler. The secretary wants to tie up all loose ends so that the harvest festival he is organising should go on smoothly. In\u00a0spite of the secretary\u2019s repeated requests through all possible channels, including through Daodu, the secretary is not sure that Oba Danlola will surrender amicably before Kongi.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">The scene moves to Kongi and his Aweri, who along with him are fasting before the festival. The feverish discussions about the upcoming harvest festival continue. The secretary is bribed by Kongi\u2019s Aweri into bringing them food. In return, they suggest a way out of the standoff between Kongi and Oba Danlola. Kongi is to be persuaded to issue the release of all the political prisoners if the Oba and his loyalists agree to surrender before him the next day at the festival. Kongi agrees to the plan.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Meanwhile news comes that one of the imprisoned men has died by hanging himself and another man, who is Segi\u2019s father, has escaped from the prison. Kongi becomes infuriated and calls back the release of the prisoners.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><strong>Second Part<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">The day of the harvest festival, Oba Danlola comes back to his palace and is very excited to dress up for the festival. We now understand that the remaining three prisoners were released as an agreement to surrender before Kongi. Danlola demands a new robe, a head gear and a sword. Dende, Oba Danlola\u2019s servant, runs all the errands the king demands. Daodu is to represent Oba Danlola and his Aweri and handover the yam to Kongi as a token of appreciation for the release of prisoners. Daodu, asks Oba Danlola not to come to the festival, fearing the disruption of peace. Oba Danlola insists on his presence. Daodu is then told that a search is going on for the escaped prisoner, Segi\u2019s father, to bring him back dead or alive.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">The much discussed and planned harvest festival begins. The secretary, who knows that Segi has been Kongi\u2019s lover once, is shocked to find her as a part of the dance group. He does not want anything to disturb the proceedings. He wants her to leave, but, she doesn\u2019t. Dende, Oba Danlola\u2019s servant joins the carpenter brigade. Kongi, being the carpenter of the country and the brigade are those who will help him with this mission.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">During the dance, loud gunfire is heard. An assassination attempt is made by Segi\u2019s father, the escaped prisoner, on Kongi. Daodu and Segi learn that Segi\u2019s father is hunted and killed. They learn about it under the watchful eye of Kongi, who is waiting to see Segi, his former lover, break down. Segi does not show emotion, whispers to Daodu, walks away from the dance to return with her dead father\u2019s head and present it to Kongi as a new yam. Kongi is shocked and terrified on seeing the decapitated head of an elder in front of the whole crowd gathered there. A traditional symbol of offering the best yam to the clan leader in a show of harmony is now turned into a cannibalistic symbol, when instead of yam, Segi\u2019s father\u2019s head is offered on a copper salver.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\" style=\"text-align: justify\"><strong>Hangover<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">The last part of the play opens at Kongi Square, littered with debris from the harvest festival and the panic that followed. The secretary and Dende can be seen on the stage, both of them weary and looking lost. The secretary uses his authority to take away some of Dende\u2019s things. Oba Danlola walks upon them, carrying his possessions, ready to leave the place. The civil unrest upsets Kongi\u2019s plans to take over the Republic of Isma in harmony from the old order.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">The sufferers are all the three sects, the traditional rulers, common people and Kongi\u2019s staff. The last scene has all of them fleeing the country hinting at an alliance against Kongi in another country. Soyinka offers no easy solutions to the problems created by colonialism and continuing in the neo-colonial state.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><strong>5.\u00a0\u00a0 Interpretations of the play<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><strong>Comic Tragedy<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">The play starts on a comic note with harmless exchange of dialogue between the imprisoned clan of elders, Oba Danlola and his Aweri. Kongi\u2019s search for an image too sounds illogical and comic. The ideas of the Reformed Aweri Fraternity also make the audience smile. The comic tone is a disguise for more serious issues that follow. The suicide of an imprisoned Aweri member pulls us out of the comic mood. The forced fasting of Kongi\u2019s Reformed Aweri Fraternity hints at the violence Kongi is capable of. The killing of Segi\u2019s father is the ultimate act of violence and tragedy in the play.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><strong>Political Satire<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">In traditional African cultures, <em>The king&#8230;was always looked upon as a saviour, the symbol of communal health and its active defender and promoter. As a result the slightest blemish or weakness in the king was regarded as disastrous to the land and its people\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><em>&#8230;a high spiritual status was afforded to the sacrificial victim for the reason that he was the one chosen to represent the community to the high gods. His status was that of a hero\u201d<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">These traditional values turn Kongi\u2019s plans upside down. Using the symbols of the king, Kongi wanted to rule the Republic of Isma. The events at the harvest festival end up unsettling Kongi\u2019s composure in front of people and showing him as a weak king. All the political manoeuvres of Kongi to legitimize his power are undone with Segi\u2019s father becoming the sacrificial victim, and thus earning the highest status of a hero. Kongi in spite of all the power in his hands still cannot achieve his political goals.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><strong>Myth<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">The use of myth, an integral part of Yoruba tribe, is used extensively by Soyinka. According to the Yoruba beliefs, the fertility of the land and the prosperity of the people are deeply connected to the virility of the king, who is a divine incarnation. In the opening scene \u2018Hemlock\u2019, when Oba teasingly tries to prostate before the jail superintendent, he is horrified. The yam festival, against the backdrop of which the play is set is also a myth they strongly believe in. Kongi, through the harvest festival, chooses to claim the title of the king.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Through his fast on the mountain, Kongi tries to evoke Christian images of a fasting Christ, the last supper with Daodu referring to Kongi as a \u2018Messiah of Pain\u2019. Kongi posing extravagantly to the photographer who is helping with the image reminds us of God-like postures.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox shaded\">\n<p>Finally, references to Segi have mythical overtones. Segi is called,<\/p>\n<p><em>The being of Segi <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Swirls the night<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>In potions round my head<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Your eyes were bathed <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>In tender waters<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Milk of all mothers<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Flowed through your fingers<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em> A coiled snake<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Is beautiful asleep<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> A velvet bolster <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Laid on flowers<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>All these images interspersed through the text help us understand the mythical aspect of the play.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>8.\u00a0 \u00a0Media Adaptation &#8211; Film<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Produced in colour by Calpenny-Nigeria Films Ltd, directed by Ossie Davis, this film was released in Nigeria in 1970 and had a running time of 85 minutes.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>8 \u2013 The movie poster<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-276\" src=\"http:\/\/engp06.epgpbooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/242\/2019\/05\/Untitled-10.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"357\" height=\"517\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ebooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/engp06\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/242\/2019\/05\/Untitled-10.png 357w, https:\/\/ebooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/engp06\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/242\/2019\/05\/Untitled-10-207x300.png 207w, https:\/\/ebooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/engp06\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/242\/2019\/05\/Untitled-10-65x94.png 65w, https:\/\/ebooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/engp06\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/242\/2019\/05\/Untitled-10-225x326.png 225w, https:\/\/ebooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/engp06\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/242\/2019\/05\/Untitled-10-350x507.png 350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 357px) 100vw, 357px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">The cast includes, Wole Soyinka as Kongi, Rashidi Onikoyi as Oba Danlola, Banjo Solaru as Sarumi, Dapo Adelugba as Daodu, Femi Johnson as the organising secretary and Nina Baden-Semper as Segi.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">This film is considered important because it was a committed attempt to adapt a play by Soyinka to the screen. The film made some changes to the original play because the medium had a lot of potential to explore. The additions to the film are the visuals of the fictional republic of Isma shot at Ibadan with market and street scenes, a scene of Kongi\u2019s military boisterously drinking and singing, Daodu and Segi\u2019s visit to a shrine and the last supper of Kongi with his Aweri of twelve people.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><strong>INTERESTING FACT \u2013 The Nigerian Film Industry is called Nollywood<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">The film has a different ending from the play. The play ends with the killing of Segi\u2019s father, creating a shocking end, creating chaos and the hope for a new order. The image of the head on the copper salver stays with the audience for long. The film on the other hand has Segi\u2019s father replacing Kongi as a dictator. Instead of a new order, an old order continues with a\u00a0 new leader.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Soyinka did not approve of this change and distanced himself from the movie, though he has written the screenplay for the movie and acted as the dictator Kongi. One of the biggest criticisms the movie faced was that it was tailored to suit the sensibilities of the American audience. The film at Nigeria was edited differently from the film played in America.<\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>you can view video on Wole Soyinka, Kongi\u2019s Harvest<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/rGE6JZW7jNQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-120\" src=\"http:\/\/epgpbooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/download.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"36\" height=\"36\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"menu_order":30,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":["prof-ipshita-chanda"],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[58],"license":[],"class_list":["post-269","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry","contributor-prof-ipshita-chanda"],"part":3,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/engp06\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/269","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/engp06\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/engp06\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/engp06\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/ebooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/engp06\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/269\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":350,"href":"https:\/\/ebooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/engp06\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/269\/revisions\/350"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/engp06\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/3"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/engp06\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/269\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/engp06\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=269"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/engp06\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=269"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/engp06\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=269"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebooks.inflibnet.ac.in\/engp06\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=269"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}