Wednesday, February 28, 2024

A Dance of the Forests by Wole Soyinka

TOPIC OF THE BLOG:-

This blog is a part of a Thinking Activity given by Megha Trivedi Ma'am (teacher) of the Department of English, MKBU, Bhavnagar. In this blog I will try to give answers to some questions and some information related to "A Dance of the Forests" by Wole Soyinka.


WOLE SOYINKA:-

Wole Soyinka, born in Nigeria in 1934, was a renowned playwright and political activist. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986. Soyinka's works often portrayed modern West Africa with satire, exposing the abuse of power. He co-founded an acting company and wrote significant plays like "A Dance of the Forests" for Nigeria's independence. His serious plays like "The Strong Breed" and "Death and the King’s Horseman" criticized authoritarian leadership and societal issues in Nigeria. Soyinka skillfully blended Western elements with Yoruba folklore in his dramas. Apart from plays, he wrote novels such as "The Interpreters" and "Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth," known for its satirical portrayal of Nigerian corruption. He also published poetry collections and critical essays, addressing the artist's role and African issues. Soyinka's activism led to his imprisonment, documented in "The Man Died." He continued to speak out against Africa's challenges and Western influence in various works. (Britannica)
Here is a YouTube Video available about the life story of Wole Soyinka:-

A DANCE OF THE FOREST:-

The play begins with a prologue by Aroni the lame one, who introduces the two sets of characters - those in the present during the Feast of the Human Community, and those in the past during the reign of Mata Kharihzl. He also introduces the key concepts of Ogun and Eshuoro. 

In Part One, two Dead characters appear wondering if they are in the right place, but the four main Living characters - Demoke the carver, Obaneji, Rola the courtesan, and Adenebi - refuse to help them. We learn these characters have gathered for the festival to celebrate the unity of the tribes, marked by a magnificent totem pole carved by Demoke. There is a mood of mystery, secrets, and tension among the characters. The Old Man and Agboreko are searching for Demoke and the others. 

Here is a little part of this Play on YouTube:-

In Part Two, the tree spirit Murete confronts Eshuoro, who seeks vengeance because his tree was cut down and his follower Oremole killed during the carving of the totem pole. The Play-Within-A-Play takes us to the court of King Mata Kharibu in the past, where the four Living characters play new roles, and the two Dead characters are a heroic warrior and his pregnant wife, both wronged by the King and Madame Tortoise. This demonstrates how past injustices cast long shadows. Returning to the present, Eshuoro finally catches up to Demoke, while spirits of the forests and rivers appear and lament human greed. In the climax, Demoke tries to rescue the Half-Child and return him to the Dead Woman. As an act of atonement, Demoke climbs and falls off the totem pole but is saved by Ogun. At the end, the Old Man questions what Demoke learned, but he is unable to articulate it. The play comes full circle without clear resolution, suggesting the difficulty of breaking destructive human cycles. (Soyinka) (Click here to read summary in detail)

Here is the other video of this play performed on the stage available on YouTube:-


👉 Write a note on the play 'A Dance of the Forest' by Wole Soyinka with the reference of the document titled "CRITICAL COMMENTARY ON A DANCE OF THE FORESTS" (Click here to read this document).

This play 'A Dance of the Forest' deals with the idea of humans realizing their past sins in their present life and also to learn something from the past. Here is the information of the Play from the original text:

'"Leave the dead some room to dance," sings the Dirge-Man in Wole Soyinka's beautiful play, A Dance of the Forests. But the living are not willing to do so, and the play's dynamic is the conflict between the desire of the dead for judgment and the desire of the living to avoid it. This conflict is manipulated by the will of Forest Father, who leads both to a judgment they do not relish, while despairing that his labors will affect any real improvement in human conduct...

'The play opens with the arrival of two dead ancestors, thrusting their heads up from the under streams. They had been summoned by the living to attend "the gathering of the tribes" {an analogue of Nigerian Independence?), but instead of being the idealized figures of the tribal imagination they tum out to be full of ancient bitterness and resentment and are shunned by everyone as "obscenities." However, Forest Father selects four of the living and leads them away deep into the forest where, in company with the dead couple, he forces them to confront their true selves and the repetitive pattern of their weaknesses and crimes.' Times Literary Supplement. 

'The contemporary theater seems to have forgotten that it has its roots in ritual and song, and it is only the rare emergence of a Lorca or a Brecht-or a Wole Soyinka-that recreates an awareness of our deprivation.' African Forum. 

'His play, The Road, presented in London during the Commonwealth Festival last summer, was described by Penelope Gilliatt in The Observer as "having done for our napping language what brigand dramatists from Ireland have done for two centuries, booted it awake, rifled its pockets and scattered the loot into the middle of next week." His novel, The Interpreters, has been greeted by an American critic as the work of a new James Joyce. Thanks to the Dakar Festival the two companies that he has founded, the 1960 Masks and Orisun Theatre were seen for the first time in full strength outside Nigeria in his play, Kongi's Harvest, and The Road got the Dakar prize for drama.' New Society.


Here is the Message from one of the God from this Play named Aroni, the Lame one:-

From ARONI, the Lame One, this testimony ...

'I know who the Dead Ones are. They are the guests of the Human Community who are neighbors to us of the Forest. It is their Feast, the Gathering of the Tribes. Their councilors met and said, Our forefathers must be present at this Feast. They asked us for ancestors, for illustrious ancestors, and I said to FOREST HEAD, let me answer their request. And I sent two spirits of the restless dead... 

'THE DEAD MAN, who in his former life was a captain in the army of Mata Kharibu, and the other, THE DEAD WOMAN, in former life, the captain's wife. Their choice was no accident. In previous life they were linked in violence and blood with four of the living generation. The most notorious of them is ROLA, now, as before, a whore. And inevitably she has regained the name by which they knew her centuries before MADAME TORTOISE. Another link of the two dead with the present is ADENEBI, the Court Orator, oblivious to the real presence of the dead. In previous life he was a COURT HISTORIAN. And I must not forget DEMOKE, the Carver. In the other life, he was a POET in the court of Mata Kharibu. AGBOREKO, the Elder of Sealed Lips performed the rites and made sacrifices to Forest Head. His trade was the same in the court of Mata Kharibu. When the guests had broken the surface of earth, I sat and watched what the living would do. 

'They drove them out. So I took them under my wing. They became my guests and the Forests consented to dance for them. Forest head, the one who we call OBANEJI, invited Demoke, Adenebi, and Rola to be present at the dance. They followed him, unwillingly, but they had no choice. 

'It was not as dignified a Dance as it should be. ESHUORO had come howling for vengeance and full of machinations. His professed ·wrongs are part of the story. 

'Eshuoro is the wayward flesh of ORO-Oro whose agency serves much of the bestial human, whom they invoke for terror. OGUN, they deify, for his playground is the battle field, but he loves the anvil and protects all carvers, smiths, and all workers in metal. 

'For this Feast of the Human Community their Council also resolved that a symbol of the great re-union be carved. Demoke, son of the Old Man, was elected to carve it. Undoubtedly Ogun possessed him for Demoke chose, unwisely, to carve Oro's sacred tree, araba. Even this might have passed unnoticed by Oro if Demoke had left araba's height undiminished. But Demoke is a victim of giddiness and cannot gain araba' heights. He would shorten the tree, but apprentice to him is one OREMOLE, a follower of Oro who fought against this sacrilege to his god. And Oremole won support with his mockery of the carver who was tied to earth. The apprentice began to work above his master's head; Demoke reached a hand and plucked him down ... the final link was complete-the Dance could proceed.'

  • This Play starts with the appearance of the Dead Man and Dead Woman which may signify that the present of humanity is in the Dark and Dead but as the Play progresses with many characters Soyinka told us how we can learn from the past and not repeat those mistakes in present or future. This Soyinka gave us an example with the 4 characters.
    1. Demoke (Poet in the Past life)
    2. Rola (Madame Tortoise in the Past life)
    3. Adenebi (Court Historian in the past life)
    4. Agboreko (Soothsayer in the past life)
  • Aroni and Forest Head (Obaneji) are the mastermind behind this whole event.
  • This play is divided into 2 parts but does not have any particular section or Act.
This document highlights some of the issues which can be noticed in the play.
Nigerian independence - The play explores the process of decolonization. The three living characters go through a transformation, taking responsibility rather than blaming others. However, Soyinka also critiques the post-independence government.
Relation of tradition to history - The doubling of characters suggests history repeats mistakes. The past is not properly recognized in the present. 
Role of the artist - The character of Demoke represents the artist who undergoes a purification ritual. His act of sacrifice leads to the community gaining self-recognition.
Independence Day Critique: Soyinka shocked by the self-interest of Nigeria's new ministers after independence. Explores idea that the new postcolonial government, not colonialism, is the "enemy within" to be worried about.
Overall, the excerpt analyzes how Soyinka critiques Nigerian society and identity in complex, theatrical ways by blending Western and Yoruba dramatic elements in this play.

WRITING STYLE:-  One of the interesting aspects of the play is the language and writing style Soyinka uses in the play. Non Linearity is one thing but he goes beyond the meaning of it. He wrote this play which jumps between past and present and opens up the sin of Characters.

👉Write a proposed alternative end of the play 'A Dance of the Forest' by Wole Soyinka.

I would like to give some different yet weird ending of the play. 

After Forest Father spoke, Demoke fell off the totem pole and Ogun caught him but instead he fell on the ground but wasn't hurt. Everyone worried about him, but he said, "I'm fine, why are you all so worried?" They were shocked until Agboreko started laughing. It turned out Demoke had a long dream while napping before the festival. None of the scary things actually happened, so everyone was relieved. The play ended with them laughing at how silly they were to believe in superstitions.

When Demoke woke up after falling from the totem pole, the Old Man and Agboreko rushed to him, asking if he was okay and what he saw.

Demoke looked confused. "See? Why would I see anything?" He got up, dusted himself off, and walked away from the pole.

Surprised, the Old Man grabbed his arm. "But what about the prophecy? Climbing the totem as penance? Forest Father's speech? Don't you remember?"

"Forest Father? Prophecy?" Demoke scratched his head. "All I remember is starting some carvings for the festival, then feeling tired and taking a nap..."

Agboreko stared, then chuckled. Demoke looked at him curiously as the chuckle turned into loud laughter.

"Why are you laughing, Agboreko?" the Old Man asked, annoyed.

Wiping away tears of mirth, Agboreko said, "Can't you see? Demoke just had a big dream while he slept! All those mystical things we thought happened were just in his head. There was no prophecy or angry gods on the totem pole."

The Old Man felt a mix of annoyance and relief. Soon, he too was laughing at their overreaction. The play ended with them shaking their heads at their own silliness, laughing at how they believed in things that weren't real.

Here are some ending suggested by Claude which are interesting:-

1. Tragic Ending: Demoke dies after falling off the totem pole, despite Ogun's efforts to save him. His death represents the failure of humans to learn from their mistakes and change their destructive ways. The play ends on a somber note about the recurring cycle of human folly. 

2. Cautionary Ending: Demoke survives the fall but is badly injured. As he recovers, he shares profound insights with the Old Man and Agboreko about what he learned - warning about greed, disunity, and exploitation of others/nature. The play concludes by underscoring the need for reform and wisdom to build a just future.

3. Ambiguous Ending: The play ends after Demoke falls from the totem pole, leaving his fate uncertain. The lights dim on a scene of chaos and anguish, with characters shouting unanswered questions about whether redemption is possible. The audience is left to wrestle with the play's disturbing themes.

4. Reconciliatory Ending: After Forest Father's speech about human folly, the characters have a change of heart. Eshuoro spares Demoke, Ogun makes peace with his enemies, and all reflect on building unity. The play ends on a note of hope about overcoming divisions through understanding. 

5. Satirical Ending: The characters remain unchanged - they simply dust themselves off after the chaos and plan for the next gathering and celebration, having learned nothing. The play mocks political speeches about progress by showing human resistance to reform.

6. Absurd Roles-Reversed Ending: Upon surviving his fall from the totem pole, Demoke has an epiphany that humans have abused nature long enough. In an unexpected speech, he convinces Forest Father, Ogun, Aroni and even Eshuoro to give up their grievances and special powers in order to come live as equals among men, tending the forests. In the final scene, spirits and gods alike walk on stage dressed in human clothes with confused but amused expressions at their new “civilized” lives. The ending implies an absurd role reversal mocking the very idea of progress.

WORKS CITED:-

Words:- 2652
Photos:- 3
Videos:- 4
Let me know in the comments which ending you find interesting. 
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