Rotimi, in response to the Nigerian Civil War, says that the root cause of the strife among Nigerians, of the bloodshed, was in their lingering mutual ethnic distrust which culminate in open hostility. Word Wise helps you read harder books by explaining the most challenging words in the book. You can follow Len Academy on twitter here.Thank you. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at. The two plays were probably meant as an epilogue to both Rotimi's theatrical and comic careers, which span the entire spectrum of his career. Function: _error_handler, Message: Invalid argument supplied for foreach(), File: /home/ah0ejbmyowku/public_html/application/views/user/popup_modal.php Your email address will not be published. as mission from the gods to carry out on earth (The gods are not to Blame, 2). The book is absolutely wonderful. He added that they saw a man in the bush of Ipetu with a baby wrapped in white cloth with his arms and feet tied with strings of cowries. Before now, the queen had told Odewale that when her husband died, Baba Fakunle was consulted and he said that the king was killed by his own blood. : : The Gods Are Not to Blame Book Review. InOla Rotimis version of the Greek mythology about cursed Oedipus, we see a relatable Yoruba man named Odewale a strong willed man who becomes the very thing he ran away from. He has been called "a complete man of the theatre an actor, director, choreographer and designer who created performance spaces, influenced by traditional architectural forms.". I love Ola Rotimi's classic; the gods are not to blame. Line: 192 2ND CHIEF: It is old age. Line: 24 Although he is a custodian of culture who inspires people, he does not actively participate in their struggles. I believe this scholar is claiming to the idea that proverbs deal with issues in the Yoruban culture. Required fields are marked *. Line: 478 The Gods Are Not to Blame Wikipedia May 7th, 2018 - The Gods Are Not To Blame is a 1968 play and a 1971 novel by Ola Rotimi An adaptation of the Greek classic Oedipus Rex the story centres on Odewale who is lured into a false sense of security only to somehow get caught up in a somewhat consanguineous trail of + Follow. By juxtaposing Alaka in Odewale's new environment, Kutuje, Rotimi illustrates the cultural differences between traditional Yoruban life, with that of the industrialized west. Rotimi, in response to the Nigerian Civil War, says that the root cause of the strife among Nigerians, of the bloodshed, was in their lingering mutual ethnic distrust which culminate in open hostility. Message: Undefined variable: user_membership, File: /home/ah0ejbmyowku/public_html/application/views/user/popup_modal.php He attended St. Cyprian's School in Port Harcourt from 1945 to 1949, St Jude's School, Lagos, from 1951 to 1952 and the Methodist Boys High School in Lagos, before travelling to the United States in 1959 to study at Boston University, where he obtained a BA in fine arts. Rotimi's play has been celebrated on two counts: at first scintillating as theatre and later accruing a significant literary aura. Yet, instead of a Greek village, the author sets the story in the fictional Yoruba town of Kutuje, while referring to real places in Western Nigeria, such as Osun, Ilorin, Ibadan, and more. He is consistently accused by Odewale of having ulterior motives to take the throne from him, going as far as to say that Aderopo had bribed the soothsayer, Baba Fakunle, of giving a false account of what is to come. The King expresses sympathy to the townspeople for the illness that has been plaguing them. Book reviews, interviews, editors' picks, and more. The Gods Are Not To Blame is a 1968 play and a 1971 novel by Ola Rotimi. Odewale says to the land that the biggest trouble today is not their sickness but instead the plague in their hearts. Hi members please help me on this question: You are Ogun priest after you discover that Odewale is the boy that was to be sacrifificed in the evil grove. Not too long, Gbonka (an elderly man by now) arrived the palace. Rotimi spent the second half of his last creative decade reworking two of his plays Man Talk, Woman Talk and also Tororo, Tororo, Roro and the result, unpublished at the time of his death in 2002, have now been published under the title The Epilogue. His father father does to Odewale what European colonizers did to Africa. It was launched again in February 2004, Bisi Adigun and Jimmy Fay's Arambe Productions presenting what Roddy Doyle described as an exhilarating and exciting version of the play to the O'Reilly Theatre. Along with the Ogun Priest, it is revealed to him that the old king was his father, and that Ojuola was his mother. Instead, he is wrapped in a white cloth (symbolizing death) and left in a bush far from Kutuje. [13], File: /home/ah0ejbmyowku/public_html/application/views/user/popup_modal.php There is a great deal of wit in the work and the setting here is the university environment where the youthful contenders are idealistic. Rotimi often examined Nigeria's history and local traditions in his works. November 26, 2017. We additionally meet the expense of variant types and along with type of the books to browse. In an attempt to calm the accused king, the chiefs told him Baba Fakunle was mad. His last production was a staging of Man Talk, Woman Talk at the French Institute in Lagos, Nigeria. Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. Few truly transcend to being a great "read" on their own, and I will take some flack for that opinion but I feel that this play would shine on stage, with the costumes and music and dance that are all here in the written word. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold. The King expresses sympathy to the townspeople for the illness that has been plaguing them. Gbonka was present when King Adetusa was slain at the hands of Odewale. Later, Ojuola explains that Baba Fakunle made her kill her first born son, convinced that her first son had brought bad luck. (1985) Hopes of The Living DeadRotimi here depicts a different kind of leader: a selfless, result-oriented, committed leadership complemented by a followership that believes in the good of the generality of its members through the application of itself to the cause that is beneficial. It is during the course of the play that Odewale reveals to Alaka why it was that he left the village of Ede, where Odewale said he would live after leaving Ishokun when he was thirteen. Function: _error_handler, File: /home/ah0ejbmyowku/public_html/application/views/user/popup_harry_book.php English. His father father does to Odewale what European colonizers did to Africa. At this moment, Aderopo came in and Odewale apologized for his wrong accusations against him. If not for the educational benefit just read it for fun. Odewale further said that he could no longer stay on his farmland because human blood had been shed on it. King Odewale's progress towards knowledge of the murder and incest that must be expiated before his kingdom can be restored to ealth is unfolded with a dramatic intensity heightened by the richness of the play's Nigerian setting. [nb 1]. The gods are not to blame. She is the mother of six children: two under King Adetusa (Odewale and Aderepo), and four under King Odewale (Adewale, Adebisi, Oyeyemi, Adeyinka). They have four children: Enitan, Oruene (Only daughter), Abiodun(Ola Jr) and Bankole. Top subscription boxes right to your door, 1996-2023, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates, Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon. An adaptation of the Greek classic Oedipus Rex, set in an indeterminate period of a Yoruba kingdom, the story centers on Odewal. An adaptation of the Greek classic Oedipus Rex, set in an indeterminate period of a Yoruba kingdom, the story centers on Odewale, who is lured into a false sense of security, only to somehow get caught up in a somewhat consanguineous trail of events. To nullify his cursed destiny, he ran away to Ede, a distant land where he bought a farmland at Orita-meta (meaning the place where the three foot paths meet). Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app. king odewale who told will kil his father to marry his mother, in his attempt to run away from this to happen, ran to fulfil it. In fact, it is the presence of this murderer in kutuje that had brought calamities on their kingdom. A blind soothsayer, Baba Fakunle, is brought in to share with Odewale the murderer of the old king. Enhanced typesetting improvements offer faster reading with less eye strain and beautiful page layouts, even at larger font sizes. The Gods Are Not To Blame reflects critically on perhaps the most cherished myth of cultural transmission that civilization entertains about itself as a means of explaining its own perpetuation. Page Flip. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Odewale closes the play by stating, the gods have lied Nathaniel. Olawale Gladstone Emmanuel Rotimi, best known as Ola Rotimi (13 April 1938 18 August 2000), was one of Nigeria's leading playwrights and theatre directors. Sadly, I prefer Sophocles' writing much more than Ola Rotimi's. If you compare Rex Warners Oedipus story (in Men and Gods) to Ola Rotimis The Gods Are Not to Blame, it is very easy to see the differences (and familiarities) of the mythical story. In the Yoruban culture, like many others, have symbolic. I am so glad this story was set in a period during the Yoruba Kingdom, because this is the sort of thing that I grew up with, as a Cuban, it is a part of every ethnic group's culture, one of the many things that threads us together. The Gods Are Not to Blame is influenced by Yoruba and Yoruban culture. When crocodiles eat their own eggs, what will they not do to the flesh of a frog? Function: _error_handler, File: /home/ah0ejbmyowku/public_html/application/views/page/index.php It will not become a unity of the habit for you to get unbelievable further at all. He also produced Tororo Tororo roro, a play of the Absurd, as a convocation play. An adaptation of the Greek classic Oedipus Rex, the story centres on Odewale, who is lured into a false sense of security, only to somehow get caught up in a somewhat consanguineous trail of events by the gods of the land. The novel is set in an indeterminate period of a Yoruba kingdom. His later dramas include The Gods Are Not to Blame (produced 1968; published 1971), a retelling of Sophocles' Oedipus Rexin imaginative verse; Kurunmi and the Prodigal (produced 1969; published as Kurunmi, 1971), written for the second Ife Festival of Arts; Ovonramwen Nogbaisi (produced 1971; published 1974), about the last ruler of the Benin empire; and Holding Talks (1979). All the messages conveyed, although bring the play together and provide the audience with insightful readings, the play may also serve as a symbol as to how some of the African societies model the structure presented in the play. The novel is set in an indeterminate period of a Yoruba kingdom. (1985) Hopes of The Living DeadRotimi here depicts a different kind of leader: a selfless, result-oriented, committed leadership complemented by a followership that believes in the good of the generality of its members through the application of itself to the cause that is beneficial. , Word Wise Alaka clearly recognized him but he could not recognize Alaka. Current wife of King Odewale. Rotimi's play does so not only by dramatizing this myth with certain ironic instance, but also by juxtaposing this myth with a Yoruba model of cultural transmission. Rotimi is sure to be remembered as a model in the literary genre whose views have shaped the conduct of the theatre and whose plays have demonstrated the power of drama to shape the thinking of the society and attempted to solve some of the problems encountered in everyday living. In the economic structure, one observes the resources the Yoruban culture considers vital to maintain wellness and health. (1971) Ovonramven Nogbaisithe title character simply luxuriates in the grandeur of his office. During their time of sickness, the townspeople solely depend on the herbs used as an attempt to cure the "curse" put on the people. In The Gods Are Not to Blame, Rotimi gives the ageless story a new spin, with a fresh perspective that makes his book a classic. One finds that their roles compared to King Odewale's serve as a primary example of the social aspect. [9][10] It was nominated for an award at the ESB Dublin Fringe Festival 2003. : 4TH CHIEF: It is so, the blood of youth has left the head, the mind is weak. The gods are not to blame by Ola Rotimi is an interesting story whose core value is placed on justice,equity and fairness. Photo: NZ Herald. What really stricks me about this book now is the title Rotimi chose. Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club thats right for you for free. Odewale confesses that his life spiraled out of control when he killed a man. Twitter Alaka: Odewale's childhood friend. In the economic structure, one observes the resources the Yoruban culture considers vital to maintain wellness and health. The only way deemed best to avert this was to kill him What happens to this child? The Gods are not to blame was first performed in Nigeria at the Ife Festival of the Arts in 1968, has since been staged with great success across Africa Europe and the USA 88 pages, Kindle Edition Published November 26, 2017 Book details & editions About the author Ola Rotimi 21 books101 followers Aderopo arrives and is immediately confronted by Odewale about his suspicions. In conclusion, Google used its doodle to honour the late writer on the 13th of April, 2022 to mark his birthday. Would have been a five if not that the ending wrenched my heart. These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. 8 years ago June 26, 2013. Learn more. One day, an old man accompanied by five bodyguards invaded his farmland and claimed the land to be his. Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. It was also to recognise his contributions to Nigerian as well as world literature. "I called God on him"). In an attempt to avert the curse, he ran away from his adoptors, Ogundele and his wife Mobike whom he thought to be his parents at that time. Your curiosity about this PDF will be solved sooner in Backwards Ever, Forward Never: Too Late for Anything Book Review, Oedipus, Whos to Blame? This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers. Rotimi is sure to be remembered as a model in the literary genre whose views have shaped the conduct of the theatre and whose plays have demonstrated the power of drama to shape the thinking of the society and attempted to solve some of the problems encountered in everyday living. What the author arrives at is not to prove which gender is superior but to show the complementary roles of men and women. Line: 479 Additional gift options are available when buying one eBook at a time. One finds that their roles compared to King Odewale's serve as a primary example of the social aspect. Hazel (his wife) died and Ola Rotimi returned from her funeral in the US to the dream home they built in Ile Ife, only to die in it from heart failure two months later. As the queen of the kingdom of Kutuje, she finds herself serving as Odewale's conscience, calming him when he begins to act irrationally. Simply suggest, the use of language is part of culture. Instead of legal jargon, there is humour, arguments and counter arguments. In the last part Odewale leaves. One of the things I loved the most about Rotimis version was the infusion of the Yoruba culture, and how parables and incantations were stated. An adaptation of the Greek classic Oedipus Rex, set in an indeterminate period of a Yoruba kingdom, the story centers on Odewale, who is lured into a false sense of security, only to somehow get caught up in a somewhat consanguineous trail of events. Scholar Odebunmi says, the concept of this is to understand referring to the actual context of a word said in a play (dialogue) has developed similarities with speech and how it works in culture. Later plays, such as If: A Tragedy of the Ruled (1983) and Hopes of the Living Dead (1988), premiered at the University of Port Harcourt and was a common play in OAU Drama Department. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness. Later plays, such as If: A Tragedy of the Ruled (1983) and Hopes of the Living Dead (1988), premiered at the University of Port Harcourt and was a common play in OAU Drama Department. Ojuola: Wife of the late King Adetusa. The culture represents "the way of life for an entire society", as noted in Pragmatic Functions of Crisis Motivated Proverbs in Ola Rotimi's The Gods Are Not to Blame. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. King Adetusa: Former king of Kutuje. The son was their first baby. Copyright document.write(new Date().getFullYear());, All rights reserved. Baba Fakunle tells him that the source of the kingdom's ails lay with him. It is comical and the language used is a version of "Nigerian English" (for example: "Se you get?" Read more Previous page Reading age 12 - 14 years Print length 82 pages Language English Grade level 2 - 7 According to Barbara Goff and Michael Simpson, "the play as an allegory of colonization and, indeed decolonization"[6] The events concerning colonization in The Gods Are Not To Blame represent politics in African history. (1971) Ovonramven Nogbaisithe title character simply luxuriates in the grandeur of his office. Rotimi spent the second half of his last creative decade reworking two of his plays Man Talk, Woman Talk and also Tororo, Tororo, Roro and the result, unpublished at the time of his death in 2002, have now been published under the title The Epilogue. The comical character Alaka, for example, represents Odewale's childhood growing up in the village of Ishokun. I believe this scholar is claiming to the idea that proverbs deal with issues in the Yoruban culture. 87 pages. if Gbonka had killed him in the bush as an infant, the curse would have been averted. She was given a prophecy, along with King Adetusa, that their child, Odewale, would one day grow up to usurp the thrown, killing his father and marry his mother. Odewale storms Kutuje with his chiefs flanking by his side, and is declared King by the town's first chief. The Summary of the Gods are to blame is about boy who was born and was fore seen to end up killing his father as to marry his mother,but he wasn't aware of that fact,until he ended up killing his father in a bush part and married his own mother ,then calamity befell the village ,when he became the king and all his children fell sick at the verge of dieing. What the author arrives at is not to prove which gender is superior but to show the complementary roles of men and women. So begins the tragic tale that leads to heartaches, deaths and sorrows, which will have readers asking whos to blame?. My feelings are torn here for reasons of theater only. People made dramatic entry and exit to the stage around his casket with the man turning his casket. Before the arrival of Gbonka, Alaka told Odewale of his fathers death. I am a teacher and have my MFA in playwriting, so I feel strongly that plays are meant to be performed. Line: 107 (1979) If: A Tragedy of the Ruledin If, the young firebrand Hamidu is nowhere to be found when a real commitment is required. He was born in Sapele, Nigeria; cultural diversity was a recurring theme in his work. Odewale begins to make accusations of a plot being made against him, spearheaded by Aderopo, to one of the village chiefs in response to Baba Fakunle's silence. Odewale narrated the story of how he killed a man who insulted the homeland he came from by calling them a bush tribe, while also attempting to steal from his farmland. The complementary roles of men and women torn here for reasons of theater only this was to kill what... Is placed on justice, equity and fairness illness that has been hidden because of spoilers only..., equity and fairness wrenched my heart present when King Adetusa was slain at the French Institute in Lagos Nigeria! Comical and the language used is a 1968 play and a 1971 novel by Ola Rotimi & # x27 s... 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