By ADA
DIKE
At the launch of Dolapo Sikuade’s book
titled, “The Theatrical Aesthetics of Wole Soyinka and the Pyrates
Confraternity,” A critical Work on a unique African Cultural Paradigm, held at
the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Victoria Island, Lagos
last week Thursday, February 25, 2016, many speakers shared their views on
Pyrates Confraternity.
The book launch attracted many great scholars
including the Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka; Emeritus Professor of
English, University of Ibadan, Professor Ayo Banjo; renowned poet and scholar, Professor John Pepper Clark-Bekederemo;
and many others.
Reviewers of the book are: Dr. Tunde Awosanmi Ph D,
Department of Theatre Arts, University of Ibadan and Prof Emasealu, Department
of Theatre and Film Studies, University of Port Harcourt. Below are the
statements made by some personalities at the event:
Don’t equate
Pyrates Confraternity with secret cults -Professor Wole Soyinka
Foremost Nigerian playwright and poet,
Professor Wole Soyinka, blamed the elite and parents for
encouraging the criminal activities of secret cults, which he said demeaned the
Pyrates Confraternity he co-founded.
He stressed that anybody who equates Pyrates
Confraternity with a secret cult should go back to school and learn the
difference.
According to him, the rich parents and elites who
protect their children from getting punished for their unlawful acts in secret
cults activities in Nigerian universities destroyed the morals and good values
the Confraternity championed. He emphasized that that those who belonged to the
Pyrates Confraternity become influential due to the wide knowledge they
acquired as members, he said that it was ignorant to equate secret cults with
the Pyrates Confraternity.
“If a public, as intelligent and knowledgeable as
they are, choose to equate the expression secret cult with the word
confraternity, whose fault is that? They should go back to school and learn the
difference.
“As a member of the Security and Disciplinary
Committee of the University of Ife, I know the pressure I received from
generals, top police officials, business moguls, asking me to pardon their
children. “Your child has just got involved with gang raping or pouring acid on
another, and you are saying temper justice with mercy.”
“I remember a time, a group of students were found
wanting, they were expelled and charged to court; the next thing, they were
flown overseas to prestigious universities and never showed up in court!” he
said.
He went further to explain that some members of
Pyrates Confraternity who were expelled from the confraternity due to their
misconduct formed the secret cults, adding that they went ahead to form
different secret cult groups in the university including Black Axe and Eiye.
The book has
settled the unrest -Professor Ayo Banjo
Emeritus Professor of English from the University of
Ibadan, Ayo Banjo, while commending the writer said that the things written in
the book has settled the unrest and further shown the true nature of the
Pyrates Confraternity.
Soyinka, most
worthy representative of the original ‘Gang of Seven’ -Otunba Toyin Akomolafe
The Chief Launcher, Otunba Toyin Akomolafe, remarked
that February 26, 2016 would be remembered for two epoch making events, both
courtesy of his friend, Dolapo Sikuade. “First is his authorship of a
remarkable book that will eradicate once and for all, the creeping
misconception of the essence of that great body of tertiary student-hood, the
Pyrates Confraternity. In doing so, both young and old become informed and
educated. The lucid and creative style will ensure it is a book of beauty
forever. Dr. Sikuade has, through the years, painstakingly sustained the
indispensable doctrine of the Confraternity.
“Secondly, Ladies and Gentlemen, my friend has
dragged me willy nilly into ‘Igbo Irumale’ the Almighty’s gift to Nigeria,
Africa and indeed the world at large, Professor Wole Soyinka- a Nobel Laureate.
I am honoured to be in your presence. Prof Soyinka, to our eternal gratitude,
is here today in body and spirit – a most worthy representative of the original
‘Gang of Seven’, the Confraternity founding fathers.”
He was of the opinion that the essence of the book’s
intended noble message could be traced back to the fraternity’s founding
fathers. “They were the seven young, highly talented, very patriotic
individuals who, in their pride for their fatherland, wanted to showcase the
richness of their native culture to the rest of the world and correct the ills
of the society. …Wole Soyinka, and the rest of the ‘Gang of Seven’ thought
otherwise, seeing an abject foolishness in abandoning the inherent rich wisdom,
intellectualism, original medical and health science endeavours, an often sound
and stable political organisational structure, and other sociological virtues
embedded in that nativism. It was therefore, a no-barrier for them to launch a
fraternity that would attempt a push-back on the relentless assault on our
historical well-spring of identity”
Otunba Akomolafe asked that five copies of the book
be given to the main library of every University in Nigeria, free of charge. He
made a donation and requested that 20 percent of it be given to Life Care
Foundation.
They were great
entertainment some 50 years ago - Professor J. P Clark
Initially, Professor J. P Clark did not want to make
any speech, but when he finally got up to make a speech, he said, “It is
beautiful being here. I have learnt a lot from here. From last night when Ayo
Banjo told me that we were going to come, I said I must be here. I didn’t meet Wole
at Ibadan, but I saw a bit of the Pyrates Confraternity from the corridor of Tedder
Hall. All of us who were not members including Pius Olege of blessed memory, found
them very entertaining.
The pirates used to come out on Saturdays and
Sundays, we came out and watched them do their parades or patrols. They were
all fit and social lingo. They were great entertainment some 50 years ago.
Having gone through the university system to see this transformation, for those
of us from the riverine area who knew what it is, we laughed.
“I am going back home to read this book. Ayo told me
that the author is a medical doctor before he joined theatre, I told myself,
this is a case study itself. May we see more renaissance, men and women who
cross borders or multi-disciplines to bring out a work like this. It is an
educated man who will change this country. It is only education that can save
this country,” he added.
Guests
Guests were thrilled with a sketch: excerpts from
the play, ‘Toy Soldier, Boy Soldier, described in Ch:6 ‘Playing Dangerously’.
The play was directed by Niji Akanni. Toluwanimi acted as ‘the boy’ while
Monsuru Olajide played as Jon Way.
In his closing remarks, the author of the book,
Sikuade, revealed that he had been writing about Soyinka for the past 10 years
without his knowledge. “So I was really scared. I sent him the manuscripts and
I had nightmares waiting to see whether he would shoot it down with just one
statement, “This is bullshit”, and that is the end of the book as many authors
have done. But he hasn’t done so. He has been gracious enough to come here. And
I was worried. Like he said, How can someone been sitting and they are talking
about you? I actually don’t think it has occurred before. I consider myself
exceedingly lucky that Prof has come here. I really apologise Sir, that I did
some psycho-analysis of you inside the book. I am not supposed to do so except
for a patient, and you are not a patient, so I apologise, Sir. But, I think
everything there was generally positive. This book serves as a milestone. It
marks the very big era for me as everybody knows that the organisation is
moving from one form to the other, so it is fitting to chronicle how we played
in the past. For some of us, this organisation is visceral, that means it is an
integral part of some of people, it cannot be legislated. It is amenable by an
organisation,” he explained.
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