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Tag: masquerades

  • Police arrest masqueraders over attack on church

    The Anambra Police Command says it has arrested three masqueraders for allegedly  disrupting a church programme on Friday night at Uke, Idemili North Local Government Area of the state

    The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mrs  Nkeiruka Nwode, told newsmen on Saturday in Awka that the suspects attacked worshipers at the Holy Ghost Adoration Ministry, Uke.

    “Three  masqueraders have been arrested in connection with the church attack. We have commenced investigation into the cause of the incident and would notify you when concluded,” Nwode said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered that the masqueraders were celebrating a festival known as “Uzo Iyi” festival.

    Nwode, however, denied that the masqueraders attacked the police officers from Special Anti Robbery Squad, who responded to calls on the breach of peace.

    NAN further gathered that  about 10  masqueraders  invaded the church, assaulted the worshipers and  attempted to whisk away the spiritual director of the centre, Rev. Fr Emmanuel Obinna, but for the quick response of the police.

    A witness said the leadership of the church called the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the police to help their internal security to protect worshipers.

    “On arrival, the operatives arrested three masqueraders, who were involved in the attack, but their colleagues attempted to stop them from taking the arrested masqueraders away, prompting SARS operatives to shoot sporadically into the air before taking them away,” the source said

    The Personal Assistant to the spiritual director of the centre, Mr Francis Okoye, told journalists that a Catholic Priest, Rev Fr. Henry Nnajiofor, a seminarian and 28 others were injured during the attack on the worshipers.

    “The normal masquerade activities in Uke, to the best of my knowledge, ends by 6 p.m but as at 8 p.m on Friday, the masqueraders were still parading at the entrance route of Uke Adoration ground, extorting money from our members and robbing others in the guise of masquerade festival.

    “As at 8.30 p.m, we started receiving information that some masqueraders were attacking our members, flogging them and inflicting injuries.

    “They flogged some of them, stabbed some with their weapons including machetes, while others were robbed of their mobile phones and other valuables.

    “We quickly contacted the SARS office to assist our Adoration security team, who could not handle the situation at that point in time.

    “When SARS arrived an hour later, they arrested two masqueraders but on their way back, the youths blocked the road and insisted that the masqueraders must be released; that was when SARS officials fired shots in the air to disperse them.

    “When SARS left, they re-grouped  and this time came in their numbers to the Adoration premises, beating everybody including the elderly, the sick and pregnant women.

    “Our Adoration youths, in defence, pursued them and arrested one other masquerader, who stayed in the Adoration ground with us until this morning when we handed him over to the officials of the Nigerian Army, who came to our rescue.” (NAN)

  • Tension in Ado-Ekiti as masquerades terrorise residents

    Tension in Ado-Ekiti as masquerades terrorise residents

    Among the Yoruba people, masquerades are regarded as long dead relatives from the world beyond. And annually, the dead come back to visit their children on earth, with plenty of gifts while they in return pray for the wellbeing of the living. But, recent developments in Ado-Ekiti, the capital of Ekiti State, have revealed worrisome activities of masquerades in the city. Today, masquerades have turned themselves to terrorists who make life miserable for the residents whenever they go on rampage, attacking, molesting, looting and leaving sorrow, tears and blood in their trail. ODUNAYO OGUNMOLA, in this report, examines steps taken by the government, traditional institution and the police to check the menace.

    • Monarch goes tough

    20160914_112906The Yoruba hold masquerades in utmost reverence. Traditionally, masquerades appear in the open at specific periods of the year and play prominent roles in the celebration of cultural festivals.

    Masquerades also appear in public when a new Oba is to be installed. Their performance and public display are often something to behold for the people. And indeed, the approach of a masquerade festival is something that the people often look forward to with relish.

    But, for residents of Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, the fear of masquerades has become the beginning of wisdom. Recently, a festival that people once looked eagerly forward to has become a thing to dread, as masquerades have turned themselves to terrors at private homes, junctions, newsstands, pubs, markets, shops and other public places.

    For the residents, August and September of every year have become months that leave unpleasant memories because of the incessant attacks by masquerades and their followers.

    A masquerade group usually involves a long line of young boys and girls with blood-shot eyes welding clubs, sticks and cudgels who reek of alcohol and smoking cigarettes and marijuana.

    Motorists and motorcyclists who decline their request had their vehicles and bikes vandalised and their passengers attacked. The attacks, which were reported to the palace by victims and other concerned residents, have increased dangerously in recent times.

    Apart from inflicting serious injuries on the hapless residents, the masqueraders also go round looting goods of traders in the main market and neighbourhhod markets and collecting illegal tolls from motorists and motorcyclists plying the road.

    And anyone who declines their request is flogged, manhandled and brutalised. They carry out attacks on traders at the markets and steal their ware in the ensuing melees.

    Bewildered residents are wondering why youths and others in their prime would find such dastardly lifestyle attractive.

    The crisis got to a head last week when some masqueraders unleashed terror on traders at Erekesan market. The masqueraders were arrested, following injuries inflicted on their victims.

    But the masqueraders bit more than they could chew when they allegedly staged an attack on St. Andrew’s Anglican Church in the Oke Ila area of the city. The alleged attack on a church sparked an outrage.

    According to sources, the suspected masqueraders stormed the church on Friday night during a prayer vigil and smashed the head of a worshipper with broken bottle and leaving the victim in a pool of blood.

    The vicar in-charge of the church, the Venerable Zacchaeus Olu Ibitoye, described the masqueraders’ attack on the church as “barbaric and sacrilegious”, saying God’s sanctuary must be hallowed and respected.

    Ven. Ibitoye disclosed that the case was reported to the police station, after which the culprit was arrested, while the victim was rushed to an undisclosed hospital after losing much blood. He added that palace chiefs visited the church on a fact-finding mission.

    The vicar disclosed that the incident was also reported to the Bishop of Diocese of Ekiti, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), the Right Reverend Christopher Omotunde.

    Ven. Ibitoye said: “This is sacrilegious and barbaric. We want the indigenes of Ado-Ekiti to know that the town is home for everybody and not for the natives alone. We have reported the issue to the police and I think the boy who committed the offence has been arrested.

    “We have also reported the case to the Bishop of Ekiti Diocese, the Right Reverend Christopher Omotunde, the  Ewi –in-Council and the Odogun of Ado Ekiti in particular, who they said was in charge of the masquerades and they all condemned the action.

    “Our church leaders had met and we will meet later to take a definite position on the matter before proceeding to Ewi’s palace where the suspect will be tried traditionally before other things shall follow.

    “That was the first time we will be witnessing such attack and we wonder why a church that is supposed to be a place of refuge could be subjected to attacks by masquerades.”

    But, the Odogun of Ado-Ekiti, High Chief Obayemi Aladetoyinbo, refuted the claim that the attack on St. Andrew’s Church was carried out by his masqueraders, insisting that suspected armed robbers and cultists were behind the attack.

    Giving his own account of the incident, High Chief Aladetoyinbo disclosed that the attack occurred at about 5am on Friday, a day preceding his festival and that it would be wrong to have fingered his people as being behind the wicked act.

    The chief absolved masquerades under his control and explained that he had reported to the police several times about the activities of cultists in the Oke Ila area, who he said are involved in day and night robbery, and wondered why nothing has been done to abate the situation.

    He said: “I have even taken time to report the activities of the cultists during a meeting of Ado-Ekiti Security Advisory Committee, comprising the chiefs and security agents about the activities of these cultists who have taken over Oke Ila area.

    “At times, they will be shooting into the air sporadically in the daylight and this is becoming so bad and I think they were responsible for the attack and this is condemnable.

    “They stole money, bags, phones that Friday and we were holding our own preparation on Saturday when they came here. What happened at the church was not a masquerade issue, those boys had gone there to lay siege to people who went for vigil.

    “We invited the governor of our state, Mr Ayodele Fayose to our festival and I don’t think we could invite the governor and at the same time be fomenting trouble.

    “The masqueraders that came from Oke Ila are not my own masqueraders. There is no masquerader that can come out before 5.00 am. I myself that is here, my life is in danger because the boys are always there smoking Indian hemp.”

    The Odogun, who wondered whether the suspected cultists are above arrest, also disclosed that the Ewi is concerned about the menace of masquerades at a time the city is witnessing physical, social and economic developments.

    The Odogun added: “We use to hold advisory committee meeting at the palace and we also hold security committee meeting at the palace attended by the police, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agencies (NDLEA), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Department of State Services (DSS) and we present our experiences.

    “There was one time I was forced to report a set of hoodlums at the police station, but the police gave my identity and they came back to attack me. I made this known at the security meeting in the palace.

    “I told the Kabiyesi that I want to hands off because I am tired of all these. I presented a letter to the (former) Inspector General of Police when he visited Ekiti earlier in the year and came to the palace on the Omo Onile issue that they should henceforth he charged with armed robbery.

    “We are known for peace here; we don’t know anything about the attack on the church. Those boys do things with impunity, they have become law to themselves because there was a time they wounded the Acting Police Area Commander.

    “The cultists here wear blue whenever they are performing their rituals here, so the attack on the church was not a masquerade issue, it was robbery because they had laid siege to the people who went for vigil at the church.”

    However, following the violence, the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adeyemo Adejugbe, Aladesanmi III, ordered the arrest of masquerades and the young ones following them.

    The monarch also announced a temporary ban on masquerade festival in the city until September 15 when his traditional cabinet, the Ewi-in-Council, holds a meeting to review the situation after which a final decision will be taken.

    Oba Adejugbe also called on the state Commissioner of Police, Etop James, to give effect to the order by arresting any masquerade sighted in any part of Ado-Ekiti and its environs, regretting that their activities have constituted nuisance and threat to the people.

    Oba Adejugbe also followed up his action with paid adverts on the radio channel of the Broadcasting Service of Ekiti State (BSES) in which he warned his chiefs against flouting his order.

    He warned that chiefs would henceforth be held responsible for the breach of public peace carried out by any masquerade traceable to their quarters.

    The monarch went a step further by placing a public advert, which read in part: “In view of the information at our disposal about the activities of the masquerades in Ado-Ekiti metropolis in recent times, the Ewi-in-Council hereby place temporary ban on masquerade festival until we meet on Thursday, September 15 to review our action.

    “Our revered monarch, Oba Rufus Adeyemo Adejugbe, places high premium on peaceful coexistence among the residents of Ado Ekiti and we hereby urge the police to arrest any masquerade sighted in the capital city until a contrary directive issued.

    “We also warn that all the chiefs, particularly the quarter chiefs should ensure that the directive is effected in their sections for they will be held liable for any masquerade found to have emanated from any section of the town.”

    The state government also followed up with another paid advert on the state radio and television, banning activities of masquerades, saying their action has become a security risk to residents.

    The residents have also added their voices to call to put the masquerades in check. They appealed to the Ewi and the police to check the violence by masquerades and their followers.

    A trader, Mrs. Titilope Adebayo, said: “We are always the victims of the masquerades who raid the markets and attack us for no just cause. They have turned the issue of masquerades to illegal activities that they use to steal our goods.

    “Why are they troubling us? it is from our business that we feed our children and send them to school. Instead of these boys to go and find some good jobs to do, they are hiding under masquerades to steal and attack harmless people.

    “We are in full support of Kabiyesi’s order that egungun festival is banned in Ado-Ekiti. Ado-Ekiti has become a big city and nobody should use egungun festival to perpetrate robbery and violence.”

    Another resident, Tope Arowosafe, urged security agencies to enforce the ban because the city needs peace to attract more investors and tourists.

    He said: “The Police and other security agencies should henceforth arrest any masquerade seen anywhere in Ado-Ekiti and they should also extend their dragnet to other communities in the state.

    “This becomes necessary because we need peace to attract investment and tourists to our state. Those boys should go and find something worthwhile to do rather than terrorising people in the name of masquerades.”

    The Police spokesman, Alberto Adeyemi, disclosed that some suspects have been arrested in connection with the attacks. He, however, declined to mention the number of suspects arrested so far.

  • 82 masquerades for Kongi

    82 masquerades for Kongi

    The Ijegba forest in Abeokuta was full of theatricals last week when Professor Wole Soyinka celebrated his 82nd birthday, with assortment of egungun in attendance to salute this iconoclastic artiste, Edozie Udeze reports.

    Ijegba forest in Abeokuta, Ogun State, is not synonymous with the famous evil forests recounted in most renowned literary narratives in Yoruba tradition.  It is a place where literature thrives; where live theatre meets the people to assuage their nerves.  When last week, people from all walks of life gathered in the forest to watch an assortment of plays and songs and drummings, it was basically to celebrate Professor Wole Soyinka who turned 82 on July 13.

    Apart from celebrating Soyinka who has undoubtedly become an enigma not only because of his literary acumen and numerous contributions to world literature, but due to his love for what is unique and different, the amphitheatre which he built inside the thick forest of Ijegba has come to symbolize an irony of A Dance of the forest.  And that is the real reason why the place is symbolic.  The love of theatre can best be represented in a noiseless environment where humanity, and nature converge to satisfy the yearnings of man; the curiosity of his soul.

    What impressed most people while the plays and drummings and chants went on that night in the forest of Ijegba, was the presence of masquerades.  With over one hundred of them surrounding the arena, it was clear that both the organizers of the show and Soyinka himself were in  agreement to showcase the importance of masquerades in the annals of Yoruba traditions.

    According to Allhaji Teju Kareem of Z-mirage who handled the stage lightning of the show, the 82 masquerades in the arena represented the number of years Soyinka has spent on mother earth.  “The masquerades showed his own love for what is out of the ordinary.  If you are celebrating such a big theatre figure; if you have to be different; then you have to include all sorts of razzmatazz to depict a man who lives on theatre more or less.  This was why the aspect of the masquerades came in to prove the place of Soyinka as a world-renowned theatre guru.”

    And so it was.  From the beginning of the amphitheatre to the extreme end of it, overlooking the theatre itself, masquerades hovered and prattled.  They came in different sizes – small, medium, big, with some so imposing that they really invoked the spirits of ancestors.  They chanted in the bizzare strange voices of the ancestral spirits meant only for the initiated.  As the programme went on well into the night, they moved from stage to stage, stirring the audience and ensuring there was no dull moment.

    Soyinka sat briefly in company of Professor Femi Osofisan (who later went on to the stage) and watched quietly as events unfolded in the arena.  He did not stir; neither did he utter a word.  He was mesmerized by the depth of honour being heaped on him.  The presence of the masquerades further accentuated the mood of the people.  Mostly impressed were secondary school students from different schools in Ogun State who were seeing such large number of masquerades for the first time in their lives.  For them, Soyinka represented literature.  His love for humanity is indescribable.  One of them by name, Funke, said, “This is my closest contact with Prof.  The way he writes and speaks about the Nigerian society make me love him.  I love his ways.  Even though this forest scares me a bit; I have not seen theatre shown like this before.”

    This was why also in his response on plays, players and pall bearers, Professor Segun Ojewuyi described plays as bills of dreams woven in purple portions of life submerged in chaos.  However, dreams themselves are dangerously seductive life sentences, evidently abusive peddlers of hope.  And now, how does Soyinka, the Noble Laureate, couch all these to produce his works?  “Yes, plays take you on a joy ride, fueling your hope like a ripened red and swollen watermelon, hiding within its juicy promise a band of twirling maggots,” so said Ojewuyi, while delivering his speech at the occasion.  His speech was to convey the hidden Soyinka.

    “So it should no longer be a secret that when we celebrate Soyinka we are celebrating the most subversive voice in ourselves.  Therefore our collective mission is to keep our arts flourishing, to nurture our collective defiance of rote and logic” Ojewuyi the artistic director of the celebration noted.

    If the voice of Soyinka is the voice of the ancestors, then the symbolism of those ancestral spirits conformed with the epoch event.  In Yoruba tradition, the egungun masquerades represent the religion and the belief of the people.  Their presence in most arenas depict the importance of the personality in question.  The egungun as the spirit of the living-dead does not come out for nothing.

    This was what their presence demonstrated in Ijegba forest, an arena where the meeting of masked ancestors and the living showed an uncommon symbiotic relationship.  They showed that the dead are in constant touch with the living invoking the spirits of the ancestors on behalf of humanity.

    As the drums beat constantly and the masquerades prattled about, they were possessed by the spirits of the inner-world.  Adorned in multi-coloured regalia, they danced to register their presence.  It was believed that their presence fostered unity in the community and that the people were properly protected.  This was why they couldn’t wait for too long to take over the stage in diverse forms as soon as proceedings ended.

    As the effigy representing corruption in Nigeria burnt out in the background, the masquerades danced joyfully to announce that peace now reigned supreme both in the world beyond and the society.  A new life had indeed set in.

  • Masquerades represent lawmakers in my community-Mbanefo

    Masquerades represent lawmakers in my community-Mbanefo

    Prolific Nigerian artist, Emmah Mbanefo, no doubt is among the many Nigerian artists who are known for their exceptional works. He has made significant contributions in the field of visual arts in Nigeria and beyond.

    His artistic works revolves specifically around Igbo themes and symbolic mystery which provide a guide for artists. Beyond the Igbo titles of his works, the meaning behind it is equally of interest and it cut across everyone, with fascinating messages which no one can ignore.

    Mbanefo’s use of masquerades and Igbo titles to communicate his thoughts can be attributed to his Onitsha, Anambra origin. He said: “Masquerades represent lawmakers in my community where I come from. They make law and they repel it. Masquerades served as legislative, the judiciary and the executive arm of government in many communities in Nigeria before the coming of the white-man,” he said.

    No wonder this sculptor and painter most time uses masquerade to convey his messages which invokes mixed feelings of fear and peace. He keeps revisiting the ancestral linage of Onitsha people, as well as contemporary issues in Nigeria with his work.

    In May, 2014, he exhibited about 60 works in a solo art exhibition of paintings and sculptors titled: Wood Hood; at the National Museum, Lagos. “What could Wood Hood mean? The clause “out of the wood” means free at last, of trouble and danger. Perhaps, independent and emancipated, Wood Hood is directly the opposite, both “danger and “trouble” are of a foundation (cause) whose superstructure (effects) are far from goodness.

    “Wood Hood is a sequel to my first solo art exhibition “Ambivalence;” that which makes man intrinsically human, not good, not bad but both. Wood Hood searches for the good, the spirit of humanity.”

    Explaining the titles of his works he said: “Itokili: this refers to being caged in the world of the living. The victim is highly vulnerable and humility could be the panacea. Humility is such a frail and dedicated thing that, anyone who dares to think that he has it, proves by that single thought that he has it not.” Other titles you will come across whenever you see his works are: Akpali: An admirable quality, Oche Igele: An achiever’s seat, Oso-Ogoli: Spiritual race, Anasi: First wife, Otanke: Spy, etc.

    He went to the Federal Polytechnic Auchi, Edo State, Nigeria and worked briefly as a teacher before he established a workshop; Destiny Art Studio in Onitsha, Anambra State, Nigeria. Mbanefor later turned the studio to educational context, taking on a number of apprentices, including ceramic artist, Ato Arinze. He is planning to have a solo show towards the end of the year.

    He was influenced according to him “by encounters with artists such as the late sculptor Okpu Eze, Pro Ben Enwonwu and Iraboh Emokpae.  He majored in Art Education and earned certificate of participation in Art Law, Element of Management, and Insurance for Artist, Principles and Practice of Copyrights and Trademarks with certificate in Creative Enterprise.

  • As Fela Son of Kuti hits stage

    As Fela Son of Kuti hits stage

    A new stage play by Comel Onyekaba titled Fela Son of Kuti is to kick-start a series of festival of theatres to be held at the National Theatre, Lagos, beginning from September 26th and ending in December. Organisers of the shows explained to Edozie Udeze that the concept is to continue the centenary celebrations of the country and to also ensure that a Broadway-type of theatre is brought to Nigeria not only to honour Fela but to also celebrate Wole Soyinka who turned 80 this year

    As part of the activities marking the centenary celebrations of the Nigerian nation and also in continuation of the 80 years anniversary of the Noble Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka, the Crown Troupe of Africa and the National Theatre, Lagos, are engaged in series of festival of theatres that would begin on September 26 this year. In an interview with The Nation, Segun Adefila, the founder of the group explained that the choice of The Dance of the Forests written by Soyinka is to open people’s eyes to the variety of issues the playwright raised in the play when he wrote it more than 50 years ago.

    “Since the play was written to mark Nigeria’s independence in 1960, it is also imperative to use it as part of the 100 years of the nation. In furtherance of that”, Adefila continued, “ it is proper to situate the play within the context that Soyinka wrote it then. To us, it is a play that mirrored what the Nigerian situation would be in time to come. Besides the fact that it is prophetic, it shows the leadership of a society that is in dire need of focus, direction and the like”.

    Working in collaboration with the management of the National Theatre, Lagos, the plays would also include a satire on Fela Son of Kuti written by Comel Onyekaba, a Broadway kind of play to showcase the musical and the theatrical exploits of the late Fela Anikulapo Kuti. This was selected not only to bring live theatre closer to the people but also show that the place of Fela as an icon cannot be forgotten or downplayed in the annals of Nigeria.

    “Fela is an iconoclast. He is a force to reckon with. If we have his shows on Broadway in the United States of America continuously, why wouldn’t we replicate such here to encourage our people to see the real Fela on stage. It is also to broaden our people’s attitude to what is our own. Fela conquered the stage, indeed the whole world with his type of Afrobeat. He convinced the world that he had something to say. These were messages that were not immediately valued but are even more relevant today”, Biodun Abe of the National Theatre, said.

    The idea is to bring people back to live theatre, using our own artistes within the local needs of the environment to stir the sector. As the programmes begin on September 26 to run through a period of three months, the plays will each tackle some important and salient issues that trouble the nation. “They are plays that address who we are, plays that bring us into the society where we are. We need the plays to talk to us, to help us look at the areas where we faltered and areas where we’ve done well in order to know what to do to be better” Adefila said.

    Crown Troupe of Africa is known for creating dance dramas weaved around some socio-political and economic problems of the Nigerian society. Over the years, the Troupe has travelled within and outside Nigeria to tell the world that satire and hyperbole can be used in forms of dances, theatres, songs and drumming to touch on the norms of the people.

    “This is why we create stories that people can relate with, can identify as part of their own existence in a society where many things have indeed gone wrong”, Adefila explained.

    Apart from the shows for the months of September through to October, other equally important plays will be staged in November and December. For instance Fela Son of Kuti will mount the stage on September 26 and then run till the 28th. This will serve as a teaser to prepare people’s minds for the more serious theatricals replicated in the Dance of the Forests. “We chose Dance of the Forests because of its topicality and relevance to our immediate needs now.” Adefila, who directed the play averred. “We didn’t forget how some people usually consider Soyinka’s works as too difficult to decode or understand. We considered all that before we went on to stage it. However, we are careful so as not to bury or subsume the thematic issues embedded in the play”.

    Given that the festival is yet to release the names of the plays for the months of November and December, Biodun Abe, one of the coordinators of the shows explained that it is deliberate. “We have to be sure which plays to go on stage so as not to lower the tempo or water down on the standard. But you can be sure we will not give you what does not suite your taste or what does not correspond with the aims and objectives of the festival”.

    But for Adefila whose style of theatrical presentation is often seen to be abstract but infused with drama, this is time to ensure that live theatre is brought back into the mainstream of the society.

    “Community theatre which we grew up to watch and cherish is almost dead,” he said. “However, with this sort of show, we can begin to draw the attention of the people to real stage theatre.  It is here that we can see the exposure of the issues that pertain to the people. For me, any society that forgets its theatre is also likely to forget its own story. On stage you give life to the issues, you let the society see its own follies or otherwise and then you make them laugh, make them relax and generally be happy. This is part of concept of the shows”, so said Adefila.

    In creating their stories, the Crown Troupe ensures that they are people oriented. The stories have to be danceable with deep elements of theatre to entertain the audience. This is why variety of characters are infused into the plays to make people understand and follow the sequence of presentation.

    “Yes, this is what we have going for us. You see, I didn’t create or found the Troupe alone. We were four of us who did it way back at the University of Lagos. The total concept we had was to mirror the society using topical and burning issues to reach out to the people.”

    Today even though his other three colleagues have left the Troupe, Adefila says he finds consolation and total fulfillment in all the members who make up the cast and crew of the Troupe. “Yes, I draw my inspiration from them. They are the people who make the dramas tick. Together, we all create those ideas you see on stage. The artistes can be of fun if you treat them well. Many of them from different areas of Nigeria come here to make the ideas rich and diverse.”

    He is also inspired by the masquerade spirits having come from a family where masquerades were revered. “I know I would be an artiste”, he disclosed. “My family was the custodians of masquerades where I come from. So, right from the word go, I knew I would draw my inspiration from that. The spirit of the masquerades often propel me to do most of my creative things.

    “And while at the University of Lagos where I was taught by the likes of Tunji Sotimirin, Laz Ekwueme, Duro Oni and Ahmed Yerima, you had no choice but to allow real theatre to permeate you. These first class scholars taught us how to be creative, how theatre is real in real life.”

    He recalled however, how the era of Hubert Ogunde and others helped to bring life to theatre. “It is we the younger ones who should continue to uphold this tradition. These people suffered to give us theatre, to ensure that it is a profession that gives practitioners money. Today, we are happy and proud to be theatre artistes because someone has paved the way for it. You cannot say artistes are not living well, they are not paying their bills, building their own mansions at Lekki and some other choice areas in the country. All you need do is stick to what you do and do it well”. Adefila offered.

    The centenary festival of theatres will be rounded off with other interesting programmes that will make the audience see the profundity of live theatre. “It will be a show of all shows”, Abe promised. “We will use all sorts of theatricals to keep the Theatre environment warm come the month of October and beyond”, he said.