The Road written by Wole Soyinka, produced by Crown Troupe of Africa

Director’s Note

Embarking on The Road is not only a daunting but artistically rewarding task, it is also a necessary one in that it satiates a creative thirst. Taking on The Road is like confronting one’s fear head-on as the play is definitely not one of Soyinka’s ‘easily accessible’ works. The task can be likened to the quest for the elusive Word by the character of Professor in the play.
We have however taken it upon ourselves to make a bold attempt at unravelling the riddles that ‘are not only hard to crack but also buried in hot embers’. By so doing, the diverse desires of the characters in the play are explored to reveal its multi-thematic layers.

All the characters embody a gap begging to be filled. On one hand, Kotonu after another close shave with death has lost his desire to drive a passenger lorry again, Samson – his partner and conductor on the other hand does not want to be an ordinary motor pack tout by being a conductor for any other driver or bus for that matter. Samson wants Kotonu back on the road but the latter prefers the ‘comfort’ of taking over ownership of Sergeant Burma’s ‘Aksident Store’, where salvaged vehicle parts and properties of casualties from accident sites are put up for sale. The duo’s co-squatter Salubi wants to get a driving job only for a private car owner and not any other but then he needs a driver’s license without which he cannot get a job. The only person that can forge him a foolproof fake license, Professor, does not render such services free of charge. Professor himself a former Sunday School teacher and missing church fund suspect is also preoccupied with the search for the elusive Word amidst ruins from scenes of accidents. His stooge, Murano is a mysterious mute on whose heavy tongue the Word is trapped according to Professor. Murano however keeps everybody happy with his regular supply of frothing palm wine. There is also Particular Joe – a police officer who only comes on ‘official duties’ around the hour of Murano’s arrival from tapping palm wine. Another regular at Professor’s bar is Say Tokyo Kid who prefers driving timber ladened lorries to passenger lorries. Say Tokyo Kid also keeps body and soul together as lead thug and supplier of thugs during political campaigns. His thuggery services are often in demand by Chief-In-Town, a self-seeking politician who takes advantage of the idleness of the layabouts always hanging around Profession’s bar and Aksident Store.

The diverse desires of these characters become our tool in this play that employs the ‘play within a play’ technique without warnings to dissect societal engagements and speculations.
Enjoy your feast of total theatre.

Segun ADEFILA.
July 2023.