‘Made in Nigeria’ is a poetry theatre show with twenty (20) of Dike Chukwumerije’s poems, strung together to tell the Nigerian story. Hence, MIN is, more or less, a historical show. The show, which is solo, save for the dramatisation of some aspects of the story, is a fusion of music, dance, drama and of course, poetry. In 125 minutes of captivating rendition, interspersed with humour, Dike explores the themes of love, peace and unity, national identity, even as he tells the Nigerian story with dramatic dexterity’
BY the time Dike Chukwumerije’s ‘Made in Nigeria’ show wraps its scheduled tour of Jalingo on July 16, the poetry theatre show, comprising 20 of Dike Chukwumerije’s poems would have successfully toured nineteen (19) Nigerian states with a total of thirty-three (33) shows. That is an awesome feat not matched by any theatrical show in recent time.
The ‘Made in Nigeria’ show was first staged in Abuja on September 30, 2016, as part of activities commemorating Nigeria’s Independence anniversary celebration in Abuja, from where it began its sojourn across the country. On June 13, MIN returned to Abuja for the 11th time, and played to a capacity audience at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, before heading to Gombe on June 18.
In the course of its tour, ‘Made in Nigeria’ had visited Lagos five times, with one show each in 17 other cities, including Owerri, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Asaba, Minna, Kano, Kaduna, Ile-Ife, Benin, Maiduguri, Jos and Yola among others.
This giant stride by the spoken-word artist, popularly referred to as Grandmaster, is a rebirth of the age-long travelling theatre. Of course, the art of travelling theatre is not a recent phenomenon. Its history dates back to the 16th century, and popularly known as the ‘Alarinjo’ (travelling dance-theatre troupe), from which the likes of Chief Hubert Ogunde got his inspiration. Other renowned practitioners then included Duro Ladipo, Kola Ogunmola, Oyin Adejobi and Moses Adejumo (Baba Sala). These iconic theatre makers led their individual troupes to traverse the length and breadth of largely Yorubaland, and other parts of Nigeria with their shows.
For instance, Prof. Ebun Clark in an informative monograph titled ‘The Theatre of Hubert Ogunde’, focuses on the career of the late doyen of Nigerian theatre, Ogunde; celebrating his art for its rough improvisatory, commercial and urban nature. These elements have been noticed in the art of Dike Chukwuemerije, whose exploit is indeed, symbolic of the rebirth of the travelling theatre tradition.
Theatre suffered a setback at some point in the history of Nigeria, and with it, the travelling theatre. Theatre became largely elitist, designed only for facilities that offered spaces for performances.
Coupled with other challenges of modern theatre practice in Nigeria, touring shows became a thing of the past. In fact, not many theatre producers are able to successfully have a string of shows. Perhaps the only other recent experience of such touring shows at a large scale was Ben Tomoloju- written and directed anti-war play, Askari, produced by the International Red Cross Society and the Nigerian Red Cross Society & Crescent, which toured 22 states of the six geo-political zones of the country, with an equal number of shows, aside from many secondary school shows in Lagos.
The Shows, The Poems
‘Made in Nigeria’ is a poetry theatre show with twenty (20) of Dike Chukwumerije’s poems, strung together to tell the Nigerian story. Hence, MIN is, more or less, a historical show. The show, which is solo, save for the dramatisation of some aspects of the story, is a fusion of music, dance, drama and of course, poetry. In 125 minutes of captivating rendition, interspersed with humour, Dike explores the themes of love, peace and unity, national identity, even as he tells the Nigerian story with dramatic dexterity.
Nothing seems to have escaped his attention; from poor standard of education and ongoing ASUU strike, to the bad roads across the nation which sent Nigerians to untimely death every now and then; to the savagery tendencies of our politicians, whose interests remain their greed and self-aggrandisement; and of course, the insecurity of lives and properties, which has become a new normal.
Artivism and Call to Action
A trained lawyer, Dike Chukwumerije is a known literary activist who deploys poetry effectively as a means of expression against the ills of the society. From one poem to another, Dike issued out a call to action to leaders in position of authorities, and to followers as well.
In these recent rounds of a six-cities tour of ‘Made in Nigeria Show’, supported by Yar’Adua Foundation and ANAP Foundation, Dike’s focus, among other issues, shifted to the theme of good governance, and of course, political awareness, encouraging Nigerians to get their PVC and be ready to play a part in choosing the right leader come 2023. In fact, across the states, proof of the Permanent Voter’s Card is all interested audience need to access the shows.
It is safe therefore to say that the ‘Made in Nigeria Poetry Show’, is fulfilling two separate objectives or more. That is, the rebirth of the modern travelling theatre, which he has proved to be possible and viable; and, the reawakening of the Nigerian spirit and identity, which underscores the power of the theatre as a tool for social mobilisation and change.
