Drama, dance, songs for ABU’s fallen heroes

‘Oga, we no rehearse the football’It was fun to watch the novelty football match between the undergraduate students and staff/postgraduate students of the Theatre and Performing Arts Department, as the former trashed the latter 2-1 in the first half. They made the injury sorer in the second half scoring the same goal points.This feat provoked […]

‘Oga, we no rehearse the football’
It was fun to watch the novelty football match between the undergraduate students and staff/postgraduate students of the Theatre and Performing Arts Department, as the former trashed the latter 2-1 in the first half. They made the injury sorer in the second half scoring the same goal points.
This feat provoked carryover ‘threats’ from the lecturers who jokingly chided the undergrads for daring to shame them with so many goal differences. “Tell dem say if dem score, dem dey look for failure [sic] the lecturers yelled out to the students, who pleadingly responded, “Oga we no rehearse this the football well o,” hence, their success at it.
The march began the two-day memorial event in honour of Prof. Jenkeri Okwori, Prof. Sam Kafewo, Dr. Martins Ayegba and Nana Aisha Ali Ohunene who died in February last year following a motor accident on their way back to Zaria from Abuja.
Commenting on the march, Prof. Steve Abah said: It’s not so much that we must win but more importantly, that we have fun doing this.
The one of the goalkeepers, Omale aka Sophocles, proved this statement true in the typical characteristics of an ABU drama student. Doing his best to ensure he didn’t give room for any ball to pass him by into the goal post, he would catch the ball and then seemingly remember that the ‘complete process’ included a dive. This he would then do for another fifteen seconds before resuming position after a satisfactory nod to the applauses and laughter.
‘The life of an African is one of perpetual celebration’
These were the words of the students at the variety night which took place at the Drama Village as they remembered Prof. Kafewo who laid a lot of emphasis on them especially during lecture hours.
With their unity song ‘The Voice’, they dramatised their message of oneness, peace and unity in various costumes depicting different cultures from across Nigeria.
They tied this back to their lecturers in a soliloquy which said: “Their good deeds I see no more, but their legacies I’ll show the world.”
There were recollections of epic performances these lecturers performed in the well of the Drama Village which made them famous beyond the walls of the University. These included Okwori in political satire piece, ‘Woza Albert’ and Ayegba as the unreservedly comical Dangana in the comedy, ‘The Police’ amongst others. Singing their praises some more, Beni’s spoken words capped it all with his message simply put: ‘A man dies when his ideas are buried with him’.
Recounting the day the news was broken to them and how they prayed God would let Oga Jenks as he was popularly called, survive, the students like the theatre artistes they are immediately swung the mood to reflect the joyous happy go person Okwori was. This was followed by a tribute song.
Prof. Sunny Ododo, President of the Society of Nigeria Theatre Artistes (SONTA) an association where the deceased remained active until their demise, said the evening brought back memories because the heroes were as young as he was 31 years ago when he was a student on that stage (Drama Village).
He said: “whatever name the Department is known for today, these heroes were critical to forming it. The event calls for something: you have received something from them. That which you receive, you value.”
Adding that: “You (students) are the legacies they left behind. We don’t expect less as you continue to expand the coast of their academic levels and scholarships.”
According to him, the artistry and talent which exists in the Department show a lot of creativity which gives assurance of future for the department.
‘Facequerade, unveiling the face behind the mask’
Ododo, a lecturer at the theatre arts department of the University of Maiduguri who was also guest speaker at the memorial lecture which held on Saturday, spoke on the ideology, ‘Facequerade’ which he conceived. This was in response to the question on if the Ekwechi can be called a masquerade even though it doesn’t wear a mask.
 Analysing how ‘masquerade’ transcends to facequerade in ‘eku’ a word which means ‘heaven’, ‘domain of death’, and ‘masquerade’. He tied this to the relationship which exists between the living and the dead expressed by the masquerade which manifests in both plains. This he said is an integral part of African culture where there’s a link between the living and the dead.
Relating this to the focus of the day, Ododo stated that there is no death. “People only die when we forget them. As far as we celebrate these departed today, they live on.
“I want to commend this initiative heavily anchored by our students to remember their teachers, our own colleagues. In life we remember only what we want to remember and know only what we want to know. The lesson here is that we should re-examine our conducts and our approaches to issues. Our deeds are like our monuments but built with memories instead of stones,” he stressed.
Representing the Acting Registrar of the Institution, Mr. Janes Amlabu said the deaths were tragic for many communities including the university which he said immensely benefited from the numerous services they rendered.
He expressed gratitude on behalf of ABU for donations made to the families and urged the students to carry on the legacy their heroes had left behind.
Salihu Bappa who spoke on behalf of the head of department, Prof. Umar Buratai conveyed the gratitude to all who generously helped bring the event to a reality.
Congratulating the students for taking the initiative to come up with the programme, he encouraged them to make the most of the opportunity as their departed lecturers did with growing the Centre to an international level.
“It is our hope that from their writings and the testaments which they left, we can learn from them,” he said.