DANCE IN NIGERIAN FILMS: AN EMBODIMENT OR EMBELLISHMENT?
SURU, CYRUS DAMISA PhD.
Lecturer,
Department of Theatre and Cultural Studies,
Nasarawa State University,
P.M.B.1022, Keffi, Nigeria.
Phone: 08074505896/08035042011.
DANCE IN NIGERIAN FILMS: AN EMBODIMENT OR EMBELLISHMENT?
Abstract
Dance in Nigerian films is here considered as an appropriate fulfillment of the rightful position of dance in the life of an African, particularly that of the Nigerian. The total theatre genre typical of the African performance advocates the incorporation of dance, drama and music in a single performance. Therefore, dance in the Nigerian films is a round peg in a round hole. However, most Nigerian films down play the vital role of dance in the society to that of mere entertainment and, an appendage to a film. This paper advocates the commitment of dance to the life of the Nigerians and Africans in general and to put in proper place the inviolability of dance as an expression of life vis-à-vis its usage in films. We adopted the analytical approach to study two Nigeria Yoruba films, Ajoke Onijo Oge and Ite Oba (The Throne), to unearth the position of dance in them to foreground our findings and answer the question “dance in Nigerian films: an embodiment or embellishment? We recommend that dance; the primordial tool of communication in the pre-colonial societies of Nigeria should be given its rightful place to continue to function as a pedagogue of culture and the development of Africa, in particular the Nigerian societies and that total dance-theatre genre films to reflect the African culture should be promoted.
Keywords: Dance, Film, Dance-theatre, Total theatre, African performance
Introduction
Dance is film in the traditional Nigerian parlance. This truism can be found in the expression “look at”, for example, among the Yoruba, woran, Igbo (lee), Hausa (kalo) etc. The word for dance among the Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa is Ijo, egwu and rawa respectively. Thus, when a dance performance is going on, the Yoruba will woran ijo, (look at a dance) the Igbo, i lee egwu (look at a dance) and the Hausa, kalo rawa (look at a dance) and in the general meaning, “watch a dance”. In the pre-colonial and colonial Nigeria and as it is still being practiced today in some rural Nigerian societies, dance performances were/are films to the citizens and it was an avenue to disseminate cultural values and moral rectitude. However, as Lasode Obafemi (1994, p.200) observes:
There is no doubt that with the introduction of the electronic mass media to Nigeria, came the introduction of foreign cultural values. These cultural values affect not only how Nigerians perceive themselves, but also affect the priorities needed for nation-building.
Dance performance in Nigeria with its vital role in nation-building became a “rural property, i.e. the property for the rural dwellers, subject to the introduction of the television and by extension the filmic and movie industry. It became a tool in the repertory of the Arts Councils and professional troupes only needed in films and movies as a cabaret or an aesthetics object. Being a non-verbal art, dance finds its expression in culture which is tangible and intangible. Nigerians use dance as a cultural tool for expression. Dance does not take place in Nigeria without a reason. Bakare (2005, p.86) reiterates this view in relation to Africa generally and affirms that:
their achievement in technology, commerce, trade and warfare, their behavioural pattern and belief systems, their moral values and historical experiences, their mode of occupation and geographical environment…
were showcased in dance performances. Emoruwa (2006, p.163) did not agree less with Bakare on the centrality of dance in African culture and achievement. He asserts that, “the centrality of dance to the African consciousness therefore can be said to permeate both the artistic, cultural and the religious dimensions. This is because dance is considered both an art and a way of life for the people who dance it”.
Dance has two major functions, to entertain and to educate. When it functions to educate, it usually take the form of satire registered in the employment or deployment of signs and symbols, and body articulation to present the bitter truth. It is taped for entertainment when the traditional (and the contemporary) Nigerians meet to celebrate their harvest, achievement, and gratitude to God or nature as the case may be. They also employ it for psychotherapy where necessary. Theatre scholars have been taking advantage of the usefulness of dance in some of their plays. Umukoro (2003, p.207) enumerates, “The plays in question are: Wole Soyinka’s A Dance of the Forest (1963), Fred Agbeyegbe’s The King Must Dance Naked (1990) and Femi Osofisan’s Yungba Yungba and the Dance Contest (1993, p.207)” and Ayo Akinwale’s “Mountain of Wealth” to mention but a few. In these plays, Umukoro (2003) asserts that “they employ the metaphor of dance to communicate their respective messages”. These scholars only incorporate dance, not just as an embellishment of drama, but as an outstanding tool to combine with dialogue for communication. Ajayi (1998, p.20) however, submits that “dance is a composite form communicating creatively and rhythmically through movements encoded in body attitude…” In other words, dance can communicate effectively without the support of dialogue, film effect or technological boost, through the process of profound and skillful body usage. Thus, as a non-verbal medium of cultural expression in Nigeria, it remains as a natural art of film that Nigerians and Africans in general are proud of.
Dance and Film in Nigeria
Dance and film as media for communication, entertainment, education and documentation in Nigeria have come a long way. They have enjoyed close affinity since the advent of film, through the eyes of the television in the homes of Nigerians. The pioneers of film making in Nigeria aptly incorporated dance, in recognition of Nigerian culture, into their films. Akeh Kema (2008, p. 15-16) notes that:
The production of the film “Ajani Ogun” by Alfrocult in 1976 marked the beginning of the production of films in Yoruba language. .. Its formal structure includes substantial elements of music and dance and even acrobatics as well as drama, and it incorporated traditional Yoruba metaphysical and religious belief.
It is on record that dance featured prominently in the said film to drive home the cultural imperatives of the African societies. However, with the introduction of the Video industry i.e. Nigerian feature films called the Nollywood this fixity of relationship however favours one than the other. That is to say, film began to enjoy higher patronage than dance because of the foreign touch and values of other nations that were introduced particularly from the inception of the television. This realization came later in an infinitesimal manner. In the comments of Lasode Obafemi (1994, p.viii):
Modern day African television programmes are beginning to be more discriminating in their acceptance of cultural imports, option for more locally-produced programmes which not only entertain, but inform and educate,…they realized that by presenting a foreign programme on their television screens, they are more or less presenting another culture to their people – a culture which may espouse contradicting values.
Dance is an art of the theatre that is closest to the culture of the Nigerian society. It can compete favourably with other arms of the theatre viz drama and music. While the other two have penetrated the film industry vis-à-vis home video drama and opera, dance-theatre however, which communicates only with non-verbal actions, movements and elements is yet to find its place in the movie industry. As it were, full dance shows can only be noticed in competitive reality television shows as affirmed by Dosunmu, Yeside Lawal (2007, p.184). According to her:
Like the ‘Big Brother Africa’, the first dance reality TV show came to Nigeria via South Africa. The programme way (sic) called the ‘no stop dance competition’ organized by Silver Bird Communication in conjunction with South Africa …thus, this programme opened the gate for other dance reality TV shows, like the Malta Guinness reality show…the ‘Maltina Family Dance show’ and ‘Celebrity Takes 2’ dance reality…we have ‘Let’s Dance’ sponsored by Verve, a South Africa Company…
Howbeit, dance has featured in some Nigerian films most importantly at the inception of the Nollywood. However, that cannot be said of the films of today where foreign values and traditions have dominated. In this article attempt is made to analyze two Nigerian Yoruba films, Ajoke Onijo Oge and Ite Oba (The Throne) to foreground our argument and locate the position of dance in films; an embodiment or embellishment?
Dance in Ajoke Onijo Oge and Ite Oba (The Throne) films conceptualized.
Ajoke Onijo Oge (Ajoke the beautiful dancer) film, produced and directed by Monsura Obadina (FALA) is about a girl who lives with the step mother. This step mother ill-treats her to the point of not allowing her to compete in a dance competition for the selection of a bride for the prince. Being a very good dancer and as luck and nature will have it, she contests in the dance and she is favoured by the prince who then marries her. Dance in this film is supposed to be central but overshadowed by drama. The dances in the film are choreographed bata dance steps. The concept of dance in this film is to make the film as traditional as possible. But, what is show-cased as choreography are the straight line formations developed by Euro-centric Nigerian choreographers after the FESTAC 77 instead of the circular – centrifugal and centripetal formations, audience-dancers-incorporated, typical of the African societies which were used to maintain unity and oneness. This is an affirmation to the closeness of dance to the people’s culture.
Ite Oba (The Throne) film which has as its producer C. Ola Ogungbe and the director Segun Ogungbe starts with a funeral dance/ rite for a dead king and the following dances were on display; ritual dance, elders dance, royal / cult dance, and eyo masquerade dances. These dances are showcased in a carnival-like rectilinear performance “danceturgy”. They only serve as tableau to the film because the position of dance in the film tilted and became infinitesimal. The film did not show clearly the socio-spatial action code system (SACS) theory of African performance (developed by Suru Damisa 2012). The theory states that dances within a given space encode cultural signals identifiable to and by the members of a society. Dances in Ite Oba are of different Yoruba setting and locale. Thus, the dances in the film were also reduced to mere cabaret.
Conclusion
The role of the filmic industry in the projection and propagation of dance cannot be understated. Most traditional Nigerian dances carry with them cultural values and mores needed to shape the individual as a proper citizen of a nation. It is through the eyes of the films that the youth of today can assess their fading dance culture and its imperatives. A film also serve as repertory for the storage of indigenous dances for posterity, particularly now that the dances are gradually been eclipsed by foreign values, culture and traditions. It is the suggestion of this article that dance and film in Nigeria should work hand-in-hand to maintain a proper, more focused and purposeful nation-building especially now that the current trend is towards a re-brand nation.
Nigerian film producer should try and work with Nigerian choreographers to develop into the filmic genre dance-theatre that will reflect the total African theatre tradition that predates modern drama tradition. Finally, we suggest that dance, rather than been reduced to mere embellishment to drama as being demonstrated in most Nigerian films, should be an embodiment of the total package to reflect the true African theatre culture.
References
Akeh, A. (2008). The Film Industry in Nigeria. Ebu, Delta State: Speedy Prints
Ltd.
Ajayi, O.S. (1998). Yoruba Dance. The Semiotics of Movement and Body Attitude in a Nigerian Culture. Eritrea: Africa World Press Inc.
Bakare, O.R. (2005). “Recolonized: Hegemony and the Politics of Dance Patronage in the Black Nation. The Performer. Ilorin Journal of the Performing Arts Vol. 7. University of Ilorin, Ilorin.
Dosunmu, L. Y. ( 2007). “The Socio-economic Relevance of Dance Reality Show in Nigeria”. The Performer Vol.9. Ilorin Journal of The Performing Arts.
Emoruwa, F.D. (2006). “Order in Disorder: Ohajofi Dance Ritual and the Concept of Healing”. The Performer. Ilorin Journal of the Performing Arts. Vol. 8. University of Ilorin, Ilorin.
Lasode, P. (1994). Television Broadcasting: The Nigerian Experience (1959-
1992). Ibadan: Caltop Publications (Nig.) Limited.
Suru, C.D. (2012). “The Sociological Impact of Marriage and Funeral Dance Performances among the Ososo People of Nigeria”. An unpublished PhD Thesis in the Department of Performing Arts, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria.
Umukoro, M. (2003). “Dance Metaphor: Three Parables in the Nigerian Theatre”.IBA, Essays on African Literature in Honour of Oyin Ogunba. In Wole Ogunyemi & Gbemisola Adeoti (eds.).Ile-Ife: Obafemi Awolowo University Press Ltd.
Films
Ajoke Onijo Oge film. produced and directed by Monsura Obadina (FALA)
Ite Oba (The Throne) film. Producer C. Ola Ogungbe and the director Segun
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