THE GODS ARE NOT TO BLAME
Arcola Theatre

MY encounters with Nigerian culture consisted of dire poverty and corruption and are a testament to the relevance of Femi Elufowoju Junior’s exciting production.
Set in 14th-century Nigeria, The Gods Are Not To Blame tells the story of King Odewale. Odewale spent his life fearfully trying to escape the prophecy of his birth. Upon hearing that he would one day grow to kill his father and marry his mother, his parents King Adetusa and Queen Ojuola sacrifice their child.
Saved by the messenger Gbonka, Odewale grows up unaware of his past. Learning the curse on his head Odewale flees his ‘adopted’ parents’ home hoping to prevent fulfilment of the terrible prophecy.
Rotimi’s play and Elufowolu’s supporting production suggest fate is not as complex as we would like to believe. The huge tragedy of Odewale seems not to be in the prophecies of the so-called gods but in the human response to them. As in contemporary Nigeria, there is a tendency to live for destiny rather than to shape it. As Odewale eloquently tells his suffering kingdom, they must help themselves before he too can help them.
And so Rotimi’s play is transported from the mouth of Sophocles to 14th-century Nigeria, giving a vision of Africa rarely seen before it became defined by slavery, colonialism and poverty. The audience circle the stage becoming part of the drama. The Yoruba singing and native dress helped create a sense of time and place.
But like all good drama, the authentic setting does not restrict its accessibility. This enactment of human folly, so excellently performed, speaks to those familiar with Greek mythology and everyone in between.

Until July 2
020 7503 1646