lion and the jewel by wole soyinka movie

Soyinka’s play is not only a great example of storytelling, but also the epitome of Africa’s collective progression towards the future, and one which is worth the read. Taking place in Ilujinle, a Yoruba village in Nigeria, the play is interwoven, now more than ever, with the essence of Nigerian culture and their struggles with finding a balance between adopting certain Western attitudes and maintaining cultural traditions intact. These two concepts take the form of village chief Baroka, the titular ‘lion’, and civilized teacher Lakunle, respectively, as they both woo the beautiful ‘jewel’ Sidi. The Lion and the Jewel tells the story of a very important clash of ideologies that has been of special interest in the whole African continent during the 20th century: the idea of tradition vs. Set in the Yoruba village of Ilujinle, Nigeria, ' The Lion and the Jewel ' is a light comedy play revolving around four main characters: Baroka, the elderly chief of Illunjire Lankule, a teacher Sidi, the belle of the village and Sadiku, the eldest wife of Baroka. Soyinka at the time was not yet a Nobel Laureate like he is today (he received the honor in 1986), but works like this one were certainly contributors to his eventual nomination.

One of them is Wole Soyinka’s The Lion and the Jewel, a 1959 stage play that, even though written in English, is intrinsically African. That’s why I did some research and found many worthwhile works of theater that came from non-European sources. Its happening on July 27th & August 2nd – 23rd& 30th.Read Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka’s Classic Play “The Lion and the Jewel”Īs a playwright I have immense appreciation for many Western classics, ranging from Shakespeare to Tennessee Williams, but I always felt a lack of diversity when it came to the playwrights’ nationalities. They personify the two sides of the major social and political issue in Africa during the last half of the twentieth century. Lakunle and Baroka embody the contrary urges toward modernity and tradition. As Baroka says, “the old must flow into the new.” The play focuses on several conflicts that Soyinka presents but does not attempt to resolve. In the end, the men will have to deal with each other. Unlike many of Soyinka’s later plays, there is no evil in this play, and the author pokes only gentle fun at his characters. The characters are exaggerated: Lakunle is arrogant and talks too much, and Baroka is cunning, but they are ultimately likable. There are three central characters: Lakunle, an eager but naïve schoolteacher who accepts Western ideas and modernity without really understanding them Baroka, the village chief, who sees modern ideas as a threat to his power and Sidi, the jewel of the village, a beautiful woman who will choose one of the men for a husband.

The Lion and the Jewel is a comedy set in the small remote village of Ilujinle. This version of the Lion and the Jewel is brought to you by Thespian Family Theatre. There are still more events happening around Lagos commemorating the Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka’s 80th birthday.

Lion and the jewel by wole soyinka movie