Exploring Potentials of Theatre, for Political and Environmental Restructuring; Yerima’s “Hardground” And Onwueme’s “Then She Said It”, As Paradigms

Abstract

Nigeria is a colonial creation, which process brought together motley nationalities in terms of Statecraft and bewildering assets and powers of demographics, especially in an electoral practice. There have been agitations by various groups on the path of true federalism and good governance. The structure of federalism in Nigeria is called into question and the factors affecting incessant agitations in recent times need to be addressed. It has been noted that the calls for restructuring is borne out of some perceived levels of injustice, inequality and discontentment witnessed by Nigerian society as a result of bad leadership and faulty federalism. This has brought myriads of socio-political and economic problems and has resulted in incessant fallouts between various ethnic groups and federal government. The theatre, being alive to the socio-political realities of its time is not left out in the crusade for restructuring. Using Ahmed Yerima’s “Hardgroung” and Tess Onwueme’s “Then She Said It”, this paper will examine the environmental degradation and political upheavals that have befallen the Nigerian people, especially, the Niger Delta region. Onwueme, uses ‘Hungeria’ as a metaphor for Nigeria, a country endowed with abundant natural resources, the mcajority of whose people live in poverty. There is no equity in the distribution of the abundant wealth. Yerima, also decries the unequal distribution of the abundant wealth that leads to uprising and protest by the people. Thus, there should be adequate conscientization and sensitization of the people, since people’s protest, revolt and uprising maybe the only means of effecting restructuring in Nigeria.