Plaudits for Onukaba’s Sooomaliyyaaaaa!

This was the overwhelming reaction to the play after it was served at Arojah Theatre’s monthly play reading party at the Korean Cultural Centre in Abuja Thursday. The play follows four characters trapped in the quagmire that war-torn Somalia had become and amply demonstrates the futility of war and its attendant issues. The playwright, who […]

This was the overwhelming reaction to the play after it was served at Arojah Theatre’s monthly play reading party at the Korean Cultural Centre in Abuja Thursday.

The play follows four characters trapped in the quagmire that war-torn Somalia had become and amply demonstrates the futility of war and its attendant issues.

The playwright, who was present at the event, said he was inspired to write the play from what he witnessed in Somalia between 1994 and 1995 when he was serving with the United Stations.

He also added that though most of the characters in the play had actually existed, he was liberal with the story, drawing from the experiences of war in Liberia to have a more comprehensive story.

He said he limited the number of characters in the play to what is obtained in New York theatres were works with too many characters are considered unwieldy and hence a small number of cast was a requirement. He had lived and worked in the city and had had several of his plays staged in theatres there.

Members of the audience commended the playwright for his insight and interpreted the story as a warning to Nigerian leaders, saying the current security situation in the country could result in a similar hopeless state in which the east-African nation has been languishing in for decades now, if it is not checked.

Plans are now on the way to stage the play by the Arojah Royal Theatre’s, its head, Jerry Adesewo said.