By Simeon Mpamugoh
As nation’s socio economic condition worsens with hope seemingly appearing bleak, award winning broadcast journalist and playwright, Ola Awakan went into his repertoire of theatrical scripts to ironically dig up the Madness that Cures My Land in apparently response to the many maddening crisis plaguing many families and communities at large.
•A scene from the performance
The play, which was staged recently in the Amphitheatre, Freedom Park, Lagos, has about nine members of cast. It mirrors a catalogue of woes that daily besets the land ranging from family, politics, religious and economic crises. “The spirit of madness reigns in different directions … Only a fool bootlick … If you are not my dad, I would have liked it. I would even prefer Otedola to be my father.” These were some of the catchphrases that echoed in scene 1, which had in performance the young landlord, Benson Ighodalo; his wife and only son, Charlie Boy.
The political angle of the stage drama which x-rays cacophonous voices of members of the National Association of Nigeria Landlords (NANL) under a moderator nicknamed the speaker whose real name is Seyisola Ogbonna, as members of NANL deliberate the fate of tenants.
“Tenants must pay or you send them away so that the landlord can collect another agency fee and percentage commission. And “The evidence you didn’t produce in lower court, you cannot produce it in the higher court” re-echoed in the chambers of the NANL as they seek to resolve bugging issues with tenants.
How do you explain the scene where Professor Colloquial, the antagonist of the play ( Richie Patricks) impregnates a grandmother to the Young Landlord’s wife to attain a level of opulence? The woman later ran mad. He elects to compensate her daughter over the embarrassment caused the family when the bubble bursts, a case of the evil that men do live with them.
Meanwhile, in the search for an improved standard of living, the young landlord’s wife, led by her son, feigned to be blind as they went about collecting arms from the unsuspecting victims to share with their benefactress.
It was a show of spiritual authority between Baba Ijebu and Reverend Father who are members of NANL. However, the kernel of the story which was satirically presented is that everyone has madness in him or her. It addresses in a light hearted manner mental health issues, the reality of retributive justice and unfurls social misbehaviors through the lens, and the impact of the actions and inactions of man to the social malady we are daily faced with.
In an interactive session on the setting of the play with the playwright, Ola Awakan said, “The play is set in the North Central of Nigeria, specifically the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT). “The Madness that Cures My Land pinpoints the socio-cultural challenges of the society on the actions and inactions of inhabitants.
‘Given the unconscious human interactions that sometimes create an everlasting impact on the larger society and the fact that people overlook the reverberating power of karma, I feel a story needs to be told to capture the seemingly insane exuberance of a few individuals who have had a multiplier effect on virtually all the facets of the society.
“I use the play which is laced with humour, to awaken everyone to the seconds of madness that can breed a society lacking in development and also to create a judgment system in everyone in relation to others sharing the same space with them.”