Alejo, a beautiful play created to redraw attention to the issue of HIV/AIDS, hit the National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos, last weekend to reopen the drama festival of the apex culture house. Edozie Udeze who watched the play reports on the salient ingredients that shocked the audience and which made the issue of the HIV/AIDS scourge a matter that should not be swept under the carpet.
Alejo is a mystique story, no doubt. And with it, the National Theatre, Lagos, has come back to life. Last weekend all roads particularly led to the place to see Alejo, to watch this strange visitor on stage. It was a play that kept eyes alert; ears to the ground as the audience sat for over an hour, reminiscing, laughing, enjoying and dissecting the sensibilities exhibited in this story. It was awesome, as it depicted the absurd realities of present moment.
Alejo is the story of a young lady with HIV/AIDS; a HIV carrier. She caught it through a blood transfusion in the city. Hell was let loose the moment her family realized that she was a carrier. Her mother was the first to reject her. At school, the news spread fast like a wild harmattan fire. Her classmates isolated her. Her class teacher distanced himself from her. Alejo was indeed a pariah so much so that she was not allowed to eat, play or study with her siblings at home. A debilitating life style it was for her. Her mien began to decline. She saw life as deeply ineffectual and painful as her moral bearing took a swipe for the worst. From left to right, Alejo saw hell, as poverty and loneliness and isolation became her lot. She was totally disillusioned as the society and the people around her disowned and threw her away.
At a point, when she could not bear it any more, an idea struck her. “Why don’t I move on to another place, a local place, far from the city, to seek for solace? She told herself that this move could be better for her. It could probably offer her opportunities for a new and fresh beginning. She took her bag, clutching it to her bosom and hit the road. Her mood was low, her otherwise exuberant and cheerful nature were at their worst ebb by the time she took to the road. Yet, she trudged on, hoping to see where to pitch her tent, discovering new people who could take her in as a friend, sister, name it.
A twist of fate
Inside the village where Alejo found herself, the youths were all out, telling moonlight stories. She arrived by night and what she saw elevated her soul; smiles once more reappearing on her face. But somehow the people did not want to allow her to be or even give her time to explain her mission. Now the play took the flavour of a dance-drama, with the drummer beating to a mad frenzy. The youths danced, they demonstrated love, hope and pride, yet Alejo could not fit in. Even then, she persisted, begging them to welcome her into their midst. From there she moved on, meeting Iya Koko who took her in.
Iya Koko had her own story about life to relate to Alejo after she’d told her why she was on the move. It was here that she revealed her HIV status. Unknown to her and Iya Koko, Wale one of the youth leaders, and a loafer of immense proportions had eavesdropped into the discussion. In no time, the news had spread that this strange visitor had come to infect all the youths with HIV virus. Yes, she bragged about it, a way to get back at the society that had stigmatized her and rejected her in the process. One of the boys who first received Alejo by name Bayo was then forewarned to beware of Alejo. Wale informed him of her mission by revealing her status to him.
Quickly, Bayo headed to Iya Koko’s house where Alejo was living to confront her. There, they discovered that the love they had for each other was too powerful to be dismissed so easily. So, while the ever gregarious Bayo and Alejo tried to mend their friendship, the youths arrived en masse, chanting and fuming. “This witch must leave our village”, they chorused with a lot of vehemence. “Ah, she has bewitched our Bayo, carry your HIV to another place, witch”. They so taunted her that she once again decided to leave them. At this point, there was a pause, they actually cajoled her to tell them how she became HIV positive.
A turning point
The stage was now changed to reflect in retrospect the events of the past. The doctor and the nurse who treated Alejo were downright careless. She was brought in in a state of coma. She needed just a few pints of blood to stay alive. But because the doctor and the nurse mixed their personal love life with their professional duties, they chose to treat Alejo with outright ignominy.
They gave her an untreated blood long stored in the laboratory without any single care in the world. The story elucidated sympathy and concern from the youths. Henceforth, their concern for her returned. There and then, the youths chose to welcome her very well, ignoring her status. “You can stay” they all yelled. “You are one of us now”, Wale retorted. This was after they made sure, through incessant questions, whether they could be infected if they interacted or ate or played or mingled with Alejo. When they were well-assured that those could never happen, they now decided to embrace her. “You are one of us now, Alejo”, Wale, the ringleader reassured her. It was on that note that the play ended. However, the message is clear. The suspense of the story was high. No one knew exactly where it was headed when the stage opened. It first appeared like a comedy on stage. The drums played, the dancers swung this way, that way. You were almost tempted to see this play, Alejo, as a mere dance-drama. But gradually, the scenes began to unfold, bit by bit, stage by stage, revealing the heart of the matter in serious droves..
You may then think you have heard the last of HIV/AIDs or that government has created enough awareness about it. No, it is a story yet to be told again and again to allay fears and to reconnect with the people. It is a story apt for the stage and acted by those who ought to be told at this stage of their lives. Very wonderfully delivered on stage, the story is spiced with satire, innuendos, jokes, to allow the story to permeate the audience. This was good enough and the audience kept applauding the performances of the artistes. The stage showed a travesty of purpose, a cross-over of ideas of the city to the village. There are still some elements of love in the hearts of villagers. Let that love flow; let this Alejo travel round to more locations to display her HIV status and allow the play to tell the story. Let Alejo pass the message to more places far into the labyrinth of time and space.
Written by Ikenna Okpala, the playwright shows how one can add life into an old story and then allow it stick on stage. The approach is not just didactive, it is novel, effective and refreshing. It is deliberate. Most of the musical renditions sounded like dirges. This was also to dampen tension and bring the impact of the theme closer to the people. It worked, for in the midst of it all, the hall often erupted with hilarious acclaim. People want to see plays that speak to them, addressing their everyday socio-economic issues with concerted dispatch. As it seemed so convincing on stage so is the theme HIV/AIDS abide in the throes of the people.
Remarkably, the play, one of the many to usher in the season of plays by the National Theatre, was also staged to honour Jide Kosoko at 65. Kosoko is not just a veteran of the stage, he is also an iconic theatre practitioner whose contributions to the sector cannot be measured in words. As the play went on, those who came in acknowledged not only the quality of the play but the zeal of the young artistes. Among the cast was also a Kosoko in the person of Temilade Kosoko who played the motherly role of Iya Koko in the play. This was also amazing for she displayed her professional role to situate the story clearer.
The play was produced by Dr. Lekan Balogun of the University of Lagos. He is optimistic that the play will go places to tell the HIV/AIDS story clearer and more effectively. As more plays come on subsequently, it is hoped that the stage will be as electrifying to sustain the attention of theatre buffs and those who should know about these things. This is the right moment. It is also to bring back theatre – stage per se, to the National Theatre to encourage drama to thrive. Playwrights now have the opportunity to explore and exhibit their writing skills henceforth. Meanwhile the festival continues with other plays by some other writers.
Young, tall and beautiful, Alejo played by Jessica Orishane, showed an actress roaring to go. She demonstrated that the youths can hold their own when they are allowed to do so. She played this role remarkably well thereby giving deep action and life to the story. This is what stage does to people’s psyche when it is done with aplomb.
