As part of the activities commemorating the 90th birthday anniversary of iconic playwright and activist, Wole Soyinka, a documentary based on the little building on the University of Ibadan campus, where he lived while he was a teacher at the premier tertiary institution, will premiere in July.
Titled ‘Ebrohimie Road, A Museum of Memory,’ the documentary narrates how the house played an outsized role “in the life of one man, one family, one university, and the nation.”
Situated a few meters from the bustling main gate of the university campus, it was in this house that Soyinka was arrested in 1967 on “espionage” charges for daring to cross to the Biafra Republic to dissuade then Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu, leader of the secessionist group from going to war with the government of Nigeria.
This would lead to his incarceration for 29 months by the Nigerian government led by Lt. General Yakubu Gowon. He was only released in October 1969, a few weeks before the war ended in 1970, and even though he returned to the house, he did not return to his job at the Department of Theatre Arts, but instead proceeded on exile in 1971.
The 110-minute documentary written and directed by the writer, and culture researcher Kola Tubosun with the ace cinematographer, Tunde Kelani behind the camera, will first be screened on July 11, 2024, at the University of Lagos, where it will feature as the third item in a full-day scholarly event jointly organised by the Wole Soyinka International Cultural Exchange (WSICE) and the Nigeria Academy of Letter (NAL). The theme of the event is ‘Eni-Ogun: An Enduring Legacy,’ and it will feature a symposium, a dance performance and a reception.
Produced by Olongo Africa, ‘Ebrohimie Road…’ which featured revealing interviews with immediate families, relatives, associates as well as comrades of Soyinka, will also be screened on July 20 at the WS90 celebration in London, jointly organised by the WSICE and The Africa Centre. It will thereafter move around other cultural and historical centres in Nigeria, parts of Europe, North and South America, as well as festivals across continents.
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