I stumbled on this review by my brother and friend, Sylvester Asoya. It was first published in alice, the in-flight magazine of Air Peace. It’s worth your while.
Seki, the thought-provoking dance drama of the people of Niger Delta acquits itself with a sparkling performance at Terra Kulture
Seki is a world-class dance drama. It carries in its belly, the burden of a region trapped by its enormous human and natural resources. But on November 6, 2019, the process of untangling the oil-rich Niger Delta began with the command performance of Seki before Nigerians and the international community at Terra Kulture in Lagos. It is expected that in the months and years to come, Seki would have gone full circle in its single-minded resolve to change the prevailing ugly narrative in the Delta. Surprisingly, the actors are doing this by actions expressed through dance and drama.
It was indeed, a night of colours, spectacle and glamour as the performers re-enacted their different roles in dazzling and colourful costumes that made a huge dramatic statement. It is interesting to note that some of the actors and crew members who are easily recognizable faces on the stage and screen in Nigeria gave a good account of themselves. Actors like Julius Agwu, Hilda Dokubo, Ibinabo Fiberesima, Monalisa Chinda, Kate Henshaw and others brought the performance to life by their actions.
In Ijaw language, Seki means dance. This is significant in many ways. Dance as an expression, is also non-violent and genial. This obviously would have inspired those behind Seki who are using the medium of dance to bring about social change in their region. Seki is therefore an alternative voice to the frequent unpleasant narrative around violence, kidnapping, oil bunkering, underdevelopment, youth restiveness, entitlement mentality, pipeline vandalism and other vices associated with Nigeria’s richest region.
The performance opens with an anxious community struggling to make sense of its fast changing environment; it progresses and touches all the critical areas of concern. The presentation also reinforces the unique history of a people, their commonality, the squalor, the oppression, the usual community romance, the highly treasured rustic life, the shared aims and dreams and a future under severe threat.
Narration, a major feature of the presentation, also brings uncommon insight and vision. Naturally, the array of songs, dances and movements reflect the various cultures of the over 50 tribes in the oil-rich region and these make a huge impact. However, without technology, it would have been impossible for even the best of directors to have achieved the production feat of Seki on stage. Colour, costume, lighting, sound and the use of technology place Seki in a class by itself.
Essentially, Seki is the narrative of a people, the story of Nigerians from the Niger Delta. Kester Oshioreame, the production manager insists that the dance drama is an account from the perspective of the people. “We want to tell our own truth. All along, others have been telling our story but it is different when you tell your own story. That is what we are doing with Seki. So, for us, this narrative is a story of resilience and it is beyond all the vices closely associated with our region”.
But there is also the economics of Seki. The dance drama is a staunch advocate of a creative economy that supports ingenious financial system. This is in contrast with the oil and gas industry that has brought unmitigated devastation, poverty and hopelessness to the region.
The theatre company is therefore harnessing the huge and untapped energies of the youth and channeling them into creative and productive ventures. Oshioreame who understands the region, believes creativity holds the key to the future of Niger Delta. Therefore, he wants a paradigm shift. Instead of giving guns and other weapons of destruction to the youth, the leaders of the region should look into young peoples’ creative interests and abilities.
“For us, the ultimate goal of Seki is to export it to the global audience. So, through colours, sound, music, dance, colourful costumes and pantomime, we can tell our story to the world. What our creative director has done is to take what is ordinary in the eyes of people like indigenous dances, and with the aid of technology, created a reality so that our unique culture can come alive”, he says.
Yibo Koko, the creative director is also of the view that a great future awaits Seki, not just in Nigeria because soon, the dance drama will take on the world. To him, Seki is not only the alternative economy but also another money spinner. Consequently, beyond reviving a culture under threat, the dance drama is also promoting tourism and boosting local economy. Koko uses statistical and econometric analyses to drive home his points about the huge revenue in creativity, waiting to be harnessed. According to him, “over 700 billion dollars was made in the arts in America in one year, more than agriculture and transportation. Lagos alone made over 50 billion naira in cash transactions in a month only”.
Across the world, forward-looking countries take arts and culture very seriously because today’s creative industries are earning high and contributing heavily to the economy. Therefore to Koko and company, this is the mission of Seki.
For Agwu, Seki could not have come at a better time. The talented stand-up comedian and actor says he is happy to be part of this epoch-making and decisive dance drama because surely, the cast and crew will be remembered for their intervention and patriotism one day. He wants Nigerians and government in particular, to pay attention to emerging trends and why serious minded countries are looking for revenue outside conventional places. He describes Koko as a resourceful theatre hand and a great ambassador who continues to bring honour to University of Port Harcourt, his alma mater. “The creative director and I attended the same university, though he was my senior. We both read theatre arts; like him, I also majored in directing. He is a comedian like me. So, we have a lot in common”, he says.
The command performance which attracted sons and daughters of the Niger Delta from far and near, will remain a major milestone for the people who are generally happy of the prospect of light at the end of the tunnel. Seki will also be remembered for being a rallying point and an unusual source of unity and solidarity among a people sharply divided by politics and undue paternalism. Besides, it will remain a major talking point, not just in the region and the entire country but across the globe because of the international dimension to the crises in the Niger Delta.
However, this command performance would have made a far greater impact at any venue in the Niger Delta region among the different ethnic nationalities. In a way, the staging of Seki on an elite stage in Lagos completely alienated the common Niger Deltan and others at the grassroots, believed to be the direct beneficiaries of this highly laudable effort. However, it is also not likely for Seki and the technical crew to achieve the outstanding performance it recorded in Lagos on any performing arena in the Niger Delta, especially with regard to lighting and the use of technology. This is therefore a wake-up call for leaders of Niger Delta to brace up and invest in people and infrastructure.
Yet, Seki is still an awe-inspiring project despite these downsides. It must be commended for bringing hope and for spreading the joyful news of a new Niger Delta and a new dawn that beckons.