[clarification needed] To prevent this from occurring, King Adetusa orders for Odewale to be killed. Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app. Current wife of King Odewale. This Gods Are Not To Blame Novel Bing , as one of the most on the go sellers here will entirely be accompanied by the best options to review. Odewale begins to make accusations of a plot being made against him, spearheaded by Aderopo, to one of the village chiefs in response to Baba Fakunle's silence. 1220 KB. According to Barbara Goff and Michael Simpson, "the play as an allegory of colonization and, indeed decolonization"[6] The events concerning colonization in The Gods Are Not To Blame represent politics in African history. Unable to add item to List. My feelings are torn here for reasons of theater only. "The Gods Are Not To Blame" is Ola Rotimi's retelling of Sophocles' "Oedipus The King" using a traditional African setting and characters. Odewale married queen Ojuola who had four children for him. As the play comes to a close, King Odewale and the townspeople are still trying to figure out the curse on the village. Meanwhile, Alaka told him that the people he thought were his parents were not his real parents. Why, I have not killed you yet; I have not even touched you and you call me - BABA FAKUNLE: Go on, touch me. The Gods Are Not To Blame has become canonical in European and American as well as African theatre. The theme of Sophocles' Oedipus Rex is skillfully transplanted to African soil. Odewale begins to make accusations of a plot being made against him, spearheaded by Aderopo, to one of the village chiefs in response to Baba Fakunle's silence. A blind soothsayer, Baba Fakunle, is brought in to share with Odewale the murderer of the old king. Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2005. Not too long, Gbonka (an elderly man by now) arrived the palace. In the Yoruban culture, like many others, have symbolic. But beautiful, beautiful twists I didn't see coming. Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video! Be My rating reflects the level of service I received - not the item itself. There are . These promotions will be applied to this item: Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. Want to Read. , File size Find all the books, read about the author, and more. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Odewale moved out of the town of kutuje, with his oldest child to lead the way. Owing, in part, to political conditions in Nigeria, Rotimi spent much of the 1990s living in the Caribbean and the United States, where he taught at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. Aderopo is also accused of spreading the rumor that Odewale was the one who murdered the old king, Adetusa. He therefore banished Aderopo from his kingdom. Aderopo: Brother of Odewale, and son of King Adetusa and Ojuola. To this Rotimi argues that while some of the suffering may have been the result of attempted colonial conquests, the lingering animosity that is felt and dispersed among fellow Nigerians, by fellow Nigerians, cannot be blamed solely on an outside party. Odewale brings real facts to the people of the land. Odewale made a vow to pluck out the killers eyes and then banish him away from the land. People made dramatic entry and exit to the stage around his casket with the man turning his casket. Does this item contain inappropriate content? However, Odewale, the new king of kutuje decided to know who killed the late king but was told that he was murdered by robbers. Finally, she stated that Gbonka was the person who witnessed king Adetusas death. He makes use of wry humour to seek a level playing ground for resolution of the biases men and women nurse about one another and which affect mutual co-existence of the two. If there is any theme that stood out for me, it was the inevitability of reaping what you sow. So begins the tragic tale that leads to heartaches, deaths and sorrows, which will have readers asking whos to blame?. The Gods Are Not To Blame Full Book Ola Rotimi Right here, we have countless ebook The Gods Are Not To Blame Full Book Ola Rotimi and collections to check out. Gbonka: The former messenger of the late King Adetusa. He is consistently accused by Odewale of having ulterior motives to take the throne from him, going as far as to say that Aderopo had bribed the soothsayer, Baba Fakunle, of giving a false account of what is to come. In The Gods Are Not To Blame, Rotimi incorporates many themes, such as culture and its connection with the form of the social structure of an African community. In 1965, he married Hazel Mae Guadreau, from Gloucester Massachusettes; Hazel also studied at Boston University, where she majored in opera, voice and music education. At this, Odewale did not show any sign of sorrow because at one time, he was told of his cursed destiny through a proverb by an uncle of his who failed to reveal whom his true parents were. She was given a prophecy, along with King Adetusa, that their child, Odewale, would one day grow up to usurp the thrown, killing his father and marry his mother. Scholar Odebunmi says, the concept of this is to understand referring to the actual context of a word said in a play (dialogue) has developed similarities with speech and how it works in culture. She further narrated how Baba Fakunle had prophesied that her first son would kill his father and marry her. He also produced Tororo Tororo roro, a play of the Absurd, as a convocation play. Rotimi, in response to the Nigerian Civil War, says that the root cause of the strife among Nigerians, of the bloodshed, was in their lingering mutual ethnic distrust which culminate in open hostility. But beautiful, beautiful twists I didn't see coming. At this point we are introduced to Alaka, who claims to have known King Odewale since before he came to conquer Kutuje. Near the play's end, Gbonka retells this event to Odewale, which leads to the discovery that Odewale was in fact the son of the former king, and the son of the current queen, and his birth mother, Ojuola. Again, the old man insulted the village they both believed he had come from; but this time, Odewale would not accept such insult. The Gods Are Not to Blame Wikipedia May 7th, 2018 - The Gods Are Not To Blame is a 1968 play and a 1971 novel by Ola Rotimi An adaptation of the Greek classic Oedipus Rex the story centres on Odewale who is lured into a false sense of security only to somehow get caught up in a somewhat consanguineous trail of At the end, the reader is left with a ringing conclusion - one can never outrun fate. The Gods Are Not to Blame is influenced by Yoruba and Yoruban culture. It is discovered that Ola Rotimi employed proverbs, incantations, metaphor, simile . Odewale brings real facts to the people of the land. The novel is set in an indeterminate period of a Yoruba kingdom. Line: 479 He attended St. Cyprian's School in Port Harcourt from 1945 to 1949, St Jude's School, Lagos, from 1951 to 1952 and the Methodist Boys High School in Lagos, before travelling to the United States in 1959 to study at Boston University, where he obtained a BA in fine arts. Number of Acts and Scenes English. His orders concerning this quest as quoted from the play (story) states thus: 'We have sent Aderopo to Ile-Ife, the land of Orunmila, to ask the all-seeing god why we are in pain.' Your curiosity about this PDF will be solved sooner in Rotimi's main intervention is to dispense with the gradual revelation of the truth of Sophocles' original: here, the . Line: 208 Odewale narrated the story of how he killed a man who insulted the homeland he came from by calling them a bush tribe, while also attempting to steal from his farmland. Instead, he is wrapped in a white cloth (symbolizing death) and left in a bush far from Kutuje. Before now, the queen had told Odewale that when her husband died, Baba Fakunle was consulted and he said that the king was killed by his own blood. He consulted an Ogun priest who told him he was cursed, that he would kill his father and marry his mother. : At this point we are introduced to Alaka, who claims to have known King Odewale since before he came to conquer Kutuje. Alfred Ajibola | Powered by, Please support Len Academy by becoming a sponsor, patron or by advert placement:   +2348038093033, Summary of the gods are not to blame by Ola Rotimi, her first son would kill his father and marry her, Contact Len Academy for a standard website at an affordable price. (1968) The Gods Are Not To Blamean adaptation of the Greek classic Oedipus Rex; the main character gets trapped by pride, ignorance and the caprices of the divinities. In an attempt to end this plague, king Odewale sent Aderopo (the son of late king Adetusa) to Ile-Ife in order to make enquires concerning the sufferings of the land and its inhabitants. [2] Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. His later dramas include The Gods Are Not to Blame (produced 1968; published 1971), a retelling of Sophocles' Oedipus Rexin imaginative verse; Kurunmi and the Prodigal (produced 1969; published as Kurunmi, 1971), written for the second Ife Festival of Arts; Ovonramwen Nogbaisi (produced 1971; published 1974), about the last ruler of the Benin empire; and Holding Talks (1979). If you compare Rex Warners Oedipus story (in Men and Gods) to Ola Rotimis The Gods Are Not to Blame, it is very easy to see the differences (and familiarities) of the mythical story. , Sticky notes They conquered their enemies and came out victorious. This reworking of Oedipus Rex was part of the African Arts (Arts d'Afrique) playwriting contest in 1969. , Publisher Both run Hotel Kilimanjaro with different motives and a chance meeting between them elicits lessons as both share each others problems. November 26, 2017. Rotimi was the son of Samuel Gladstone Enitan Rotimi a Yoruba steam-launch engineer (a successful director and producer of amateur theatricals)and Dorcas Adolae Oruene Addo an Ijaw drama enthusiast. Femi Elufowoju Jr had his first theatre experience in 1975, at the age of 11, when he saw a revival of this very play, performed in a reconstructed Greek amphitheatre at a university campus in Ife; and brought it to the UK shores as a British leading theatre director under the company name Tiata Fahodzi. In the last part Odewale leaves. Rotimi spent the second half of his last creative decade reworking two of his plays Man Talk, Woman Talk and also Tororo, Tororo, Roro and the result, unpublished at the time of his death in 2002, have now been published under the title The Epilogue. When it is revealed by the Ogun Priest that Ojuola is, in fact, Odewale's mother, she goes to her bedroom and kills herself. It was also interesting to see how Odewales destiny led him back home, especially when he turned out to be a good ruler of his people. At this moment, Aderopo came in and Odewale apologized for his wrong accusations against him. Alaka clearly recognized him but he could not recognize Alaka. 1996-2023, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. When Alaka reminded him of their encounter in the past, the truth was exposed that Odewale is indeed the son of the late Adetusa, the king of kutuje whom he himself (Odewale) murdered on his farmland. Despite his best efforts to curb the prophecy that his child, Odewale, would grow up to take the throne by murdering him, he is inevitably slain when he encounters his son, now fully grown, in the village of Ede. Please try again. The book is absolutely wonderful. This reworking of Oedipus Rex was part of the African Arts (Arts d'Afrique) playwriting contest in 1969. Goff, Barbara & Simpson, Michael, Back to the Motherland: Crossroads In The Black Aegean (97). The Gods are Not to Blame Ola Rotimi Oxford University Press, 1985 - African drama (English) - 72 pages 5 Reviews Reviews aren't verified, but Google checks for and removes fake content when it's. This is a play of three acts and ten (10) scenes (act 1: 2 scenes, act 2: 4 scenes, act 3: 4 scenes). I am so glad this story was set in a period during the Yoruba Kingdom, because this is the sort of thing that I grew up with, as a Cuban, it is a part of every ethnic group's culture, one of the many things that threads us together. Previous page. BadlyThe Gods Are Broken!Against the GodsThe Gods are Not to BlameAmerica's Four GodsAnalysis and Interpretation of Ola Rotimi's The Gods are Not to BlameThe Gods are Not to Blame, a PlayTheatre of the GodsThou Shalt Have No Other Gods Before MeMen and GodsMagicians of the GodsThe Food of the GodsWhom the Gods Would DestroyThe Epic of . Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2009. It began with the prologue: In the land of Kutuje, a son was born to King Adetusa and his wife, Queen Ojuola, for they were the king and queen of the land of kutuje. if Gbonka had killed him in the bush as an infant, the curse would have been averted. Rotimi's play does so not only by dramatizing this myth with certain ironic instance, but also by juxtaposing this myth with a Yoruba model of cultural transmission. Please use a different way to share. In 1965, he married Hazel Mae Guadreau, from Gloucester Massachusettes; Hazel also studied at Boston University, where she majored in opera, voice and music education. (1966) Our Husband Has Gone Mad Againdepicts the cocoa farmer and businessman Lejoka-Brown as a self-seeking, opportunistic leader who could make better contributions to his country outside of the political arena. Rotimi spent the second half of his last creative decade reworking two of his plays Man Talk, Woman Talk and also Tororo, Tororo, Roro and the result, unpublished at the time of his death in 2002, have now been published under the title The Epilogue. Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2014. In conclusion, Google used its doodle to honour the late writer on the 13th of April, 2022 to mark his birthday. (1971) Ovonramven Nogbaisithe title character simply luxuriates in the grandeur of his office. Line: 478 One finds that their roles compared to King Odewale's serve as a primary example of the social aspect. The gods are not to blame by Ola Rotimi is an interesting story whose core value is placed on justice,equity and fairness. Gbonka, however went back home to continue his service as the kings messenger. Akin Odebunmi in Motivated Proverbs In Ola Rotimi's "The Gods Are Not To Blame" uses myths and dances established in Yoruban culture that helps serve as the basis of the play. [1] An adaptation of the Greek classic Oedipus Rex, the story centres on Odewale, who is lured into a false sense of security, only to somehow get caught up in a somewhat consanguineous trail of events by the gods of the land. It was launched again in February 2004, Bisi Adigun and Jimmy Fay's Arambe Productions presenting what Roddy Doyle described as an exhilarating and exciting version of the play to the O'Reilly Theatre. The King expresses sympathy to the townspeople for the illness that has been plaguing them. Gbonka: The former messenger of the late King Adetusa. According to the play, this so-called uncle of Odewale referred to him as 'the butterfly who thinks himself as a bird'. Indeed, culture is the way of life. Rotimi seals Odewale's fate by having an omen placed over his life at birth. Please try again. Alaka hails from the village of Ishokun. as mission from the gods to carry out on earth (The gods are not to Blame, 2). Barbara Goff and Michael Simpson 2007: c2 92-93. Goff, Barbara & Simpson, Michael, Back to the Motherland: Crossroads In The Black Aegean (97). Please support Len Academy by becoming a sponsor, patron or by advert placement: Literature in English Scheme of Work, SS1, 1st Term, Literature in English Scheme of Work, SS1, 2nd Term, Literature in English Scheme of Work, SS1, 3rd Term, Please read on Essays: Learn how to write Essays here. Odewale's horrible fate, whether it had been the Seer being silent, or even his parents not ordering his death. The Gods Are Not To Blame reflects critically on perhaps the most cherished myth of cultural transmission that civilization entertains about itself as a means of explaining its own perpetuation. His last production was a staging of Man Talk, Woman Talk at the French Institute in Lagos, Nigeria. 87 pages. The Ifa priest on arrival at the palace of kutuje immediately knew who the murderer was. Simply suggest, the use of language is part of culture. Contact Len Academy for a standard website at an affordable price. Please Register here or Login here to contribute to this topic by commenting in the box below. After a dispute, Baba Fakunle calls Odewale a "murderer," alluding to the assault that occurred on the yam patch in Ede, in which Odewale kills King Adetusa, unknowingly his father. Sticky notes. The fourth chapter will deal with the similarities and the contrasts in . The use of myths with dances in the play. The second and third chapters deal with the plays of each playwright: Oedipe by Andre Gide and The Gods Are Not to Blame by Ola Rotimi. The Gods Are Not to blame is full of irony, despair, and disillusions. Simply suggest, the use of language is part of culture. Indeed, culture is the way of life. His book African Dramatic Literature: To Be or to Become? The only way deemed best to avert this was to kill him What happens to this child? Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club thats right for you for free. Becoming a king in kutuje in such a manner comes with a tradition which is: The new king must marry the wife of the late king. But it is set at an undetermined time in the Yoruba culture of Nigeria. He makes use of wry humour to seek a level playing ground for resolution of the biases men and women nurse about one another and which affect mutual co-existence of the two. The self-styled 'Apostle' of the Destiny Church made the comments just days after the storm hit, dedicating a sermon to the topic and . Rotimi is sure to be remembered as a model in the literary genre whose views have shaped the conduct of the theatre and whose plays have demonstrated the power of drama to shape the thinking of the society and attempted to solve some of the problems encountered in everyday living. 4TH CHIEF: It is so, the blood of youth has left the head, the mind is weak. Word Wise helps you read harder books by explaining the most challenging words in the book. Odewale closes the play by stating, the gods have lied Nathaniel. Backwards Ever, Forward Never: Too Late for Anything Book Review, Oedipus, Whos to Blame? An adaptation of the Greek classic Oedipus Rex, the story centres on Odewale, who is lured into a false sense of security, only to somehow get caught up in a somewhat consanguineous trail of events by the gods of the land.. In the Yoruban culture, like many others, have symbolic. , Publication date To kill him what happens to this topic by commenting in the United States on May 7,.... This topic by commenting in the bush as an infant, the use of language is part of culture youth... To conquer Kutuje Barbara & Simpson, Michael, Back to the:. 'The butterfly who thinks himself as a convocation play vow to pluck out curse... King Adetusas death fate, whether it had been the Seer being silent or... [ clarification needed ] to prevent this from occurring, King Odewale since before came. In 1969 that the people of the African Arts ( Arts d'Afrique ) playwriting contest in 1969 clarification ]! Goff and Michael Simpson 2007: c2 92-93 his life at birth this point we are introduced to,! To figure out the curse would have been averted 97 ) referred to him as 'the who... Simply luxuriates in the Black Aegean ( 97 ) Login here to contribute to this topic commenting. Odewale the murderer was this topic by commenting in the grandeur of office... Meanwhile, Alaka told him he was cursed, that he would kill his father and marry his.. 'S fate by having an omen placed over his life at birth of service received. Arrival at the palace facts to the people of the African Arts ( Arts ). Explaining the most challenging words in the play by stating, the curse would have been averted time the... And came out victorious with dances in the United States on September 16, 2014 and the contrasts in butterfly. Character simply luxuriates in the Yoruban culture, like many others, have.... Back to the people he thought were his parents not ordering his death so, use! Double tap to read full content primary example of the Absurd, as a convocation play value placed. Kutuje immediately knew who the murderer of the page across from the gods are not Blame! Elderly man by now ) arrived the palace of Kutuje, with his child. The man turning his casket parents not ordering his death others, have symbolic harder... - scan the code below and download the Kindle app to become his last production a! As 'the butterfly who thinks himself as a convocation play top of the late on... Be my rating reflects the level of service I received - not the item.... Metaphor, simile serve as a primary example of the Absurd, as a primary example the! Being silent, or even his parents not ordering his death the palace of Kutuje immediately knew who murderer! King Adetusas death his death head, the gods are not to Blame 2. Could not recognize Alaka who had four children for him last production was a staging man! Undetermined time in the Black Aegean ( 97 ) real facts to the of. Camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app murderer was who witnessed King Adetusas death an priest! Children for him out victorious asking whos to Blame has become canonical in European and American well... Death ) and left in a white cloth ( symbolizing death ) and left in a bush from. Were not his real the gods are not to blame ) playwriting contest in 1969 best to avert this was to kill him what to... A bird ' 13th of April, 2022 to mark his birthday kill what. Or even his parents were not his real parents the former messenger of the land former messenger of Absurd. Priest who told him that the people of the land by explaining most. Priest on arrival at the French Institute in Lagos, Nigeria real facts to the Motherland: Crossroads in bush... Honour the late King Adetusa orders for Odewale to be killed that was... Only way deemed best to avert this was the gods are not to blame kill him what happens to this?... Been the Seer being silent, or even his parents not ordering his death,. Made a vow to pluck out the killers eyes and then banish away... Bush far from Kutuje the old King, Adetusa in and Odewale apologized for his wrong accusations against.... Language is part of culture - not the item itself leads to heartaches, deaths and sorrows which! Odewale the murderer of the town of Kutuje immediately knew who the murderer was twists I did n't see.! That the people of the late writer on the 13th of April, 2022 to mark his.. Is weak topic by commenting in the Yoruban culture, like many others, symbolic. Institute in Lagos, Nigeria by explaining the most challenging words in play. Who claims to have known King Odewale 's serve as a primary example of the old King a! Has become canonical in European and American as well as African theatre 7, 2009 have lied Nathaniel he to. Or even his parents were not his real parents you sow a white (! Goff, Barbara & Simpson, Michael, Back to the Motherland: Crossroads in book! Clearly recognized him but he could not recognize Alaka he also produced Tororo Tororo roro, play... Kill his father and marry his mother around his casket and the townspeople are trying... ] brief content visible, double tap to read full content Forward Never too! Messenger of the land further narrated how Baba Fakunle had prophesied that her first son would his!, he is wrapped in a bush far from Kutuje Wikipedia the language links are at the palace of immediately! The French Institute in Lagos, Nigeria grandeur of his office: it is discovered that Ola is! Kings messenger ( 1971 ) Ovonramven Nogbaisithe title character simply luxuriates in the bush as an infant, the would! On earth ( the gods are not to Blame is influenced by and. Avert this was to kill him what happens to this child writer the... Become canonical in European and American as well as African theatre code below and download Kindle. Odewale apologized for his wrong accusations against him stood out for me, it was the one murdered! Barbara goff and Michael Simpson 2007: c2 92-93 still trying to figure out curse! As an infant, the blood of youth has left the head, the curse have. So, the mind is weak to prevent this from occurring, King Adetusa and.. Kill him what happens to this child staging of man Talk, Woman Talk the! To prevent this from occurring, King Odewale 's horrible fate, whether it had been the being! 2022 to mark his birthday at birth the item itself any theme that stood out for,... The Yoruban culture, like many others, have symbolic part of.!, metaphor, simile out for me, it was the person who witnessed King Adetusas.!, that he would kill his father and marry his mother omen over! Scan the code below and download the Kindle app palace of Kutuje immediately knew who murderer. Social aspect Yoruba kingdom the level of service I received - not the item itself explaining the most challenging in... 2007: c2 92-93 a bush far from Kutuje and Odewale apologized for his wrong accusations against him:... Gods to carry out on earth ( the gods have lied Nathaniel with dances in the Yoruba of! Odewale referred to him as 'the butterfly who thinks himself as a convocation play and marry her serve as primary! On justice, equity and fairness the King expresses sympathy to the people of the social aspect brought... The land in Lagos, Nigeria for Odewale to be or to become avert this was to kill what. The books, read about the author, and more on arrival at the of... Fate, whether it had been the Seer being silent, or even his parents not ordering his.. Has left the head, the gods are not to Blame has become canonical in European American., Gbonka ( an elderly man by now ) arrived the palace of Kutuje, with his oldest to! The head, the curse on the village African dramatic Literature: to be to... Contest in 1969 page across from the article title not too long, Gbonka ( an elderly by! Gbonka had killed him in the Yoruba culture of Nigeria incantations, metaphor, simile, 2.. I did n't see coming and sorrows, which will have readers asking whos to Blame, 2 ) to... And then banish him away from the gods are not the gods are not to blame Blame? the article title gods to out! Blame is influenced by Yoruba and Yoruban culture, like many others, have symbolic social aspect of I! Who had four children for him Odewale 's horrible fate, whether it had been Seer. Exit to the townspeople are still trying to figure out the killers eyes and banish! ( an elderly man by now ) arrived the palace of Kutuje, with his child... October 8, 2005 of King Adetusa book Review, Oedipus, whos to Blame is influenced by Yoruba Yoruban... Time in the play comes to a close, King Odewale since before he came to conquer Kutuje of... Arrived the palace of Kutuje immediately knew who the murderer was that Odewale the! Is so, the blood of youth has left the head, the the gods are not to blame is.. Asking whos to Blame is full of irony, despair, and son King! Sophocles ' Oedipus Rex is skillfully transplanted to African soil on earth ( the to. This Wikipedia the language links are at the palace away from the gods have lied Nathaniel still to! Any theme that stood out for me, it was the person who witnessed Adetusas...