Emmanuella Lekwauwa
‘Nigerian leadership needs the support of her followers in building a better country which lies in the hands of everybody’ were the words of playwright, Ola Awakan at the premiere of his drama ‘Behind the Map’ last Sunday 4th October at Shodex Garden, Lagos.
‘If we look at the situation of the country, the citizens are begging to enjoy basic amenities and it shouldn’t be. If you look at the country, one of the things that make us cry even while we smile is the fact that we worship ethnicity over nationality’, he said.
The play which was set against the backdrop of the desire to see a better nation came to fore with a discussion section among the trio of the art director, Segun Adefila, director of the play, Ifeanyi Eziukwu, and playwright, Ola Awakan and then culminated in a 13-week rehearsal which brought the play to limelight.
One of the actors, Agu Prince noted that Nigeria is a moving vehicle that has a destination and our youths must rise to become convener of this destination. ‘The generation of our fathers are fading off and soon these young people will take over the seat of position and if we carry some lackadaisical attitude towards it, we will have the same generation of failures’.
Another who played the role of journalist in the play, Olaniyi Oluwatobi used the opportunity to advise journalists to always say the truth even if it hurts while adding that the brown envelope has become a symbol of corruption as such no journalist should embrace it.
Present at the event were Comrade Bose J. Adegoke, the Convener of Lagos Women Organization who remarked that Nigerian youths do not understand nor exercise their voting rights. ‘The youths don’t vote but only stay at home and complain. We have heard them but they need to come out and say it with their voting power’. She furthered that the leaders are not as bad as what we think. But we should be able to communicate with them effectively during their quiet moment.
Awa Omiko, a historian and journalist, explained that the play brought about politics of development and not the coercion we are experiencing today. It made us know that Nigeria is a project which we all are involved therefore trying to divide the country is not the solution rather if we can learn from our crises we will come out as a better nation. ‘We are 60 years today and we are still a baby in terms of nationhood because nationhood is a project. It keeps growing and growing’.
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