Yoruba Theater, of Nigeria, is a type of theatre heavily influenced by religion in which the traditions of the country are reflected onstage. It features a combination of music, mime, drums, and vibrant costumes. The origin of Yoruba came from the Engungun masquerade, in which dead ancestors were believed to re-visit the world of the living.
Yoruba theatre evolved into two types; ritual drama and de-ritualized drama. Ritual drama features sacred elements like folktale and mythology, while de-ritualized drama features secular elements such as social satires and political themes. De-ritualized drama evolved as the community grew and people started to take an increased interest in secularism.
The Egungun masquerades led to the formation masked travelling troupes of performers, called Alaarinjo. Alaarinjo would perform short and satirical scenes to establish stereotypical characters. The success of this led into Yoruba travelling theatre which became highly popular in Nigeria around the late 20th century.
Yoruba theatre was developed through various religious festivals and rituals that were deeply rooted to the cultures and traditions of people in the country. These rituals reveal the strong belief that the people held in gods and goddesses as well as heroic tales of their ancestors.
Yoruba theatre uses Nigerian themes and are performed entirely in the Yoruba language. It deals with three basic types of themes: the folktale, the social satire, and the historical or mythical account. Both the text and the music evolved from combinations of liturgies from different religious sects. Although there are over a dozen traveling theatre troupes, three professional ones are most notable: those of Hubert Ogunde, Kola Ogunmola, and Duro Ladipo.
Hubert Ogunde is considered to be the father of Nigerian theatre. He established the first professional Nigerian theatrical company. Hola Ogunmola is the founder of Ogunmola Travelling Theatre though which he increased the popularity of Yoruba folk opera. Duro Ladipo established the Mbari Mbayo Club to popularize operas that were based history, ritual poetry, and traditional rhythms.
Sources cited:
Bakare, B. A. (n.d.). The Yoruba Theatre from religious and ritualistic perspectives. Research gate. Retrieved July 3, 2022, from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Babatunde-Bakare-3/publication/347496222_THE_YORUBA_THEATRE_FROM_RELIGIOUS_AND_RITUALISTIC_PERSPECTIVES/links/5fde44eea6fdccdcb8e580ef/THE-YORUBA-THEATRE-FROM-RELIGIOUS-AND-RITUALISTIC-PERSPECTIVES.pdf
Cau. (2022, May 10). Yoruba Theatre, nigeria – A study: CAU. Classical Arts Universe. Retrieved July 3, 2022, from https://classicalartsuniverse.com/yoruba-theatre-nigeria-a-study/
Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (n.d.). Nigerian Theatre. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved July 3, 2022, from https://www.britannica.com/art/Nigerian-theatre
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