The winner of the June 12, 1992 presidential election in Nigeria, Bashorun Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, came alive in Lagos as the Duke of Shomolu Productions staged a play in his honour.
His family affirmed that the stage play, titled: “Kashimawo,” indeed captured Abiola’s life from the beginning to the end.
The Duke of Shomolu Productions, with Joseph Edgar at the helm of affairs, used the stage play to mirror the life of Abiola, showcasing the many sides to him, including being an astute businessman, a philanthropist, a family man, a politician and his birth.
The play, which will also be staged at 4pm and 6pm on Easter Monday (today), is one in the series of stage plays by the Duke of Shomolu Productions, which had also brought the life and times of Olusegun Obasanjo, Obafemi Awolowo and many others to the Nigerians in a way they could relate with.
Speaking on the stage play, one of the Abiola children, Tundun Abiola, wrote: “Dear Team ‘Kashimawo’ – the brilliant cast and crew, kind sponsors and the visionary Duke and Duchess of Shomolu, Mr and Mrs Edgar,
“The play was absolutely superlative. The writing was exquisite. It was beautifully imaginative while maintaining fidelity to its subject. The great performances from the ensemble were clearly the result of pitch-perfect direction. I was delighted by ‘MKO’’s stammer, the way he wore his cap and that pinky ring. As soon as I saw that I knew Daddy was in safe hands.
“A play wasn’t just about individual. It was about destiny, duty and the courage not of one man, but of Nigerians as a whole. It’s about us at our finest and most unified and most idealistic, most inspired and most inspirational. As many wouldn’t have thought Daddy had it in him, a cursory glance at today’s Nigeria would deceive the idle observer that we are divided beyond repair, each mired in our selfish objectives and have abandoned our collective glory. Nothing can be further from the truth. As circumstances revealed the man, they revealed the nation.
“If no one stood up to fight the military the vaunted June 12th struggle would have been a damp squib, over before it begun. Men and women from all parts of this country, from different faiths defied those who thought their word couldn’t be challenged. Over a hundred people died on the first day of the June 12th protests alone. The total toll had never been calculated but among them were the great, the humble and everyone in between.
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“All I could think of watching the actors on stage with their placards protesting the annulment of their mandate was that some of the real life protesters never made it home. Ours isn’t the only family that was devastated by June 12th. This hard-won, blood-steeped democracy must never be demeaned and abased by tribalism, bigotry and ineptitude. It must be worth the price that was paid for it.
“Thank you once again to the entire team. I got to spend time with my father today. I got to see my paternal grandparents and catch a glimpse of their marriage and their struggles. I got a reminder of God’s sovereignty. He reigns over the affairs of men. No matter what heights we attain we will stand before Him and render an account. May the choices we make and the lives we lead speak for us and not condemn us. God bless you all.”