Yoruba Theatre

Nigerian Yoruba theatre emerged as a genre in the 1940s while Nigeria was still under British rule. However, its origins can be traced back to the Egungun, a traditional ritual performance honoring the ancestors in a colorful masquerade. In addition to its ritual background, contemporary Yoruba theatre is also influenced by the Aláàrìnjó tradition, which developed out of Egungun. The Aláàrìnjó were traveling troupes of masked performers who produced short, satirical scenes based around mime, music, and acrobatics. This guide explores the development of Yoruba theatre since the 1940s and focuses on Hubert Ogunde and Wole Soyinka, two of the most influential Yoruba playwrights.

Terminology

• Aláàrìnjó: traveling troupes of masked performers.
• Egungun: a traditional Nigerian ritual performance honoring the ancestors in a colorful masquerade.
• Folktale: a story originating in popular culture, typically passed on by word of mouth.
• Indigenous: originating or occurring naturally in a particular place.
• Kitchen-sink drama: the name given to plays that depict the daily struggles of ordinary working class people post World War Two.

Key Dates & Events

• 1945 - Hubert Ogunde established the African Music Research Party, the first contemporary professional theatrical company in Nigeria. It was later renamed the Ogunde Theater Party in 1947, Ogunde Concert Party in 1950, and finally the Ogunde Theater in 1960.
• 1954 - Wole Soyinka relocated to England to study at the University of Leeds.
• 1959 - Wole Soyinka’s The Lion and the Jewel was first performed.
• 1960 - Nigeria gained independence from Britain, becoming the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
• 1967 - 1970 - Nigeria was embroiled in civil war. This was followed by the nation’s first period of military rule.
• 1975 - Wole Soyinka’s Death and the King’s Horseman was first performed.
• 1979 - 1983 - Nigeria returned to civilian rule and the Second Republic was declared.
• 1983 - A military coup d’etat was declared and the nation went back under military rule until 1999.
• 1986 - Wole Soyinka was awarded the Nobel Prize In Literature.
• 1985 - Hubert Ogunde was invited by the government to form the first national theatrical troupe.
• 1990 - Hubert Ogunde died at the age of 73.
• 1999 - Nigeria returned to a republican constitution and democratic rule.
• 2017 - Wole Soyinka was awarded the Europe Theatre Prize in the "Special Prize" category in recognition of his contribution “to the realization of cultural events that promote understanding and the exchange of knowledge between peoples".