Ayem Shoja
School of Secondary Education (Languages),
College of Education, Katsina-Ala.
e-mail: [email protected]
Samuel Vihimga Nyajoh
School of Secondary Education (Languages),
College of Education, Katsina-Ala.
e-mail: [email protected]
Abstract
Nigeria’s literary drama has no doubt witnessed some decisive approaches in accordance with the artists’ social vision and the nation’s cultural, economic and political realities. One observes however, that for long, issues are viewed from the perspective of those who control the state’s
affairs, but do not represent the interest of the suffering majority. The quest for new directions in the theatre is thus imperative as it would allow issues to be viewed from another direction, where dramatic actions could be viewed from another perspective. In this discourse the authors carefully
read and analylized the play or text to demonstrate the relevance of the new approach used by the playwright in his utilization of children, market women and some characters to justify his new direction in Nigerian literary drama. Using Olu Obafemi’s Suicide Syndrome, the paper contends
that theatrical experiment with the form and social vision is imperative as a new direction in the theatre.