Old boys of Government College Ibadan who are members of the 1989 set made the Christmas holidays one to remember for the audiences who thronged to the Wole Soyinka Arts Theatre at the Department of Theater Arts, University of Ibadan with the stage performance of ‘The Engagement’ written by an old boy of the school, the well respected Prof Femi Osofisan, aka Okinba Lanko or FO by his numerous students.
The Class of ’89 used the occasion to once again call attention to one of the most decorated schools in the world; Government College Ibadan, the school which produced African’s Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka.
It is indeed an interesting irony that the initiative to reignite interest in the theatre and live performances by the old boys of GCI will start on the stage named after one of the school’s gems at the Department where he began his foray into the academics and which another old boy, Dapo Adelugba held in ‘trust’ while he was under incarceration during the unfortunate period of the Nigerian civil war with the production of a play written by another of the school’s literary icons.
The Engagement which is a satirical comedy on intending couples who have nothing in common echoes the need for parties in relationships to have an understanding of each other’s personalities before embarking on the journey to the altar.
The play had a three man cast with characters such as Chief Medayekan, Elemude and Ronke, daughter of Chief Medayekan. Chief Medayekan is a retired soldier who has now taken to farming and likes to sing at his spare time. Elemude is a farmer and Medayekan’s occasional singing partner and Ronke is the well educated spinster daughter of Medayekan who sometimes joins the duo to sing. At the time the play opens, Elemude having realized that he is advancing in age and plagued with several health problems especially severe anxieties, has come to ask for the hand of Ronke in marriage. Ronke on the other hand, has long desired to be married especially since losing her mother. Chief Medayekan had also long anticipated that Elemude will pick interest in his daughter so that he can marry her off. The Engagement thus presents us with a plot woven around an unlikely union that was born out of convenience and necessity rather than love and the desire to be together.
The play has a simple plot but with complicated characters and this is where the director and actors must be commended. Elemude’s character played by the director Samsideen Adesiyan came out smoking with traits and mannerisms which underscores his village ‘big boy’ personality. Elemude in his quest to impress Ronke took the slang ‘swag’ to another level with his mismatched ridiculous dressing which gives the audience an immediate intro into his confused character. Ronke played by Tomilola Ojelade on the other hand in a bid to amplify her debonair personality used every opportunity to torment Elemude with her ‘sexiness’ and signature swinging catwalks. Chief Medayekan played by Gideon Oluwamonure reminded the audience that he was a retired soldier, oftentimes matching rather than walking. The actors delivered their lines with confidence and captured the hearts of the audience with the smooth flow of the dialogues. The effective use of the stage ensured that the audience had their eyes darting from one end to the other to catch the fast paced but easy flow actions.
In commending the actors, the playwright noted that they kept the audience glued to their seats all through the performance. Emeritus Professor Femi Osofisan further thanked the set for taking the decision to produce a stage play to entertain Ibadan audience rather than the usual going to the cinema. He added that the stage is the mother of all performances and hoped that the initiative will continue subsequently. Other guests at the event which included Yanju Adegbite, Chief Tunde Odunlade, Alhaji Oyewale Adesiyan, Professor. Chukwuma Okoye and Dr. Laide Nasir gave kudos to the class set and to the actors. The guests reiterated the need to have more of such outings as an avenue for families to have the unique experience of live performances.
The Executive Producer of the play, Pastor Olusegun Onayinka who sponsored the production on behalf of the set and in honour of his father Gbegande Olusegun Onayinka who was an old boy of GCI, stated the commitment of the set to keep up the initiative, noting that it is in line with the traditions that GCI is known for as a school that breeds and promotes talents and creativity. The Vice Chairman of the set Engineer Muyideen Jimoh and other representatives of the set equally gave their commitment by assuring that the vision will be kept alive. In his goodwill message, the Chairman of the set Tolulope Fadulu remarked that the platform will be used to cultivate new generations of GCI stars who will go out to affect the world positively in whatever fields they find themselves.
The occasion was also used to honour and celebrate some old boys. The honorees include late Gbegande Olusegun Onayinka (Class of ’62), Barrister Olawale Aro (Class of ’89)- Deputy Manager IBEDC, Engineer Muyideen Jimoh (Class of ’89)– Head of Logistics for West and Central Africa BAT, Pastor Olusegun Onayinka (Class of ’89)- Lawyer, Businessman and Shepherd at Saints Community Church, Barrister Wole Esan (Class of ’89)- Deputy Managing Partner Olaniwun Ajayi LP, Dr. Tokunbo Dagunduro (Class of ’89)- Tourism and Travel Expert. Also honored were ace broadcaster and former CEO of Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State, Yanju Adegbite of the Class of ‘67 and the artist/painter Chief Tunde Odunlade who though is not an old boy of the school was recognized for his many contributions to art and culture.
According to the set’s Social Secretary/PRO Samsideen Adesiyan who also doubled as the director of the play, the drama outing will also afford the set the opportunity to honour and celebrate the many talents within and outside of the set.