Revalidating History in the Dythramb of Olu Obafemi's Running Dreams: The Director's Eye view

Abstract

Understanding what, where and how about the past, present and the sustenance of humanity's future in the current space can only be made manifest where the blueprint of such existence subsists and is protected for posterity. This underscores the importance of history as a compass in locating the root and route of human existence. This important phenomenon was almost lost in Nigeria when, sometimes ago, History as a course was substituted with Current Affairs in the academic curriculum at the foundational level of education. This, perhaps, is what disquiets the muse in Olu Obafemi to write the play Running Dreams that chronicles Nigeria's history. In this paper, effort is made to examine Obafemi's artistic representation of Nigerian past and its juxtaposition with the present political somersault. The paper employs a deductive approach in the establishment of a priori hypotheses that guide a textual analysis of the play. The analysis leads to the conclusion that the tool for good governance it in the leaders' respect for history as a pathway and a navigation tool from where they are coming from to where they are going. The ensuing discussion also leads to a foray into to how theatre may be employed as a guide, and a compass in the route of life as epitomized in the play text under scrutiny. Theatre is uplifted beyond entertainment, which the play director may use as a didactic apparatus employed by the playwright to remind Nigerians of her historical past. Consequently, playwrights are encouraged to explore more and write plays invoking public discourse in areas such as Education, Sociology, and the Politico-Economy of the nation for the benefit of our society.

Keywords: History, Dithyramb, Director and Theatre