Remembering Saro Wiwa on the stage

Death is a debt that every one must pay. Though the how and when, unlike debts owed a bank or some magnanimous benefactor, we may not know. Yet, we still must pay. And the why, for sure, is different from one debtor to another. However, there can be nothing as dispiriting as knowing that you are going to die, as well as the manner and time of death.


For Kenule Saro Wiwa, the Nigerian writer, theatre producer, and environmentalist, it was a mixture of all, as re-enacted in Adinoyi Ojo Onukaba's play ‘The Killing Swamp', where the playwright, using his creative licence, digs dramatically into the final moments of the late Ogoni activist's life.
The play, directed by Chidi Ukwu, was staged in Abuja on Saturday, November 13, by an Abuja-based theatre company, Arojah Royal Theatre. It was to commemorate the fifteenth anniversary of that execution, spearheaded by the then military ruler, Sani Abacha, an act that was widely condemned by the international community.
Patrick Otoro is Ken Saro Wiwa
The audience in Abuja, largely populated by members of the international community, was held spellbound by the delivery and interpretation of Patrick Otoro, who played the role of Kenule.
"The performance was so real that I felt like I was witnessing the exact incident as it happened... Kenule is a very strong character and the actor succeeded in arresting the audience," said Yoash, an Isreali in the audience.
He revealed that it was his first time watching a stage play since arriving Nigeria; and added that the lady sitting beside him was close to tears and murmuring repeatedly: "Did they really did that to him?"
Read More:http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/ArtsandCulture/TheatreDance/5644392-146/story.csp