A Dance of the Forests by Wole Soyinka

This blog is written as part of a task assigned by Megha Trivedi Ma'am, Department of English (MKBU). The blog related to the play 'A Dance of the Forest.'

Wole Soyinka is a Nigerian writer and activist born on July 13, 1934, in Abeokuta, Nigeria. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986. Soyinka often wrote about modern West Africa, using humor and criticism to show the problems of power and leadership.

He comes from the Yoruba people. Soyinka studied at schools in Nigeria and later went to the University of Leeds in England, where he graduated in 1958 with a degree in English. After returning to Nigeria, he started an acting company and wrote his first important play, A Dance of the Forests, in 1960 for Nigeria's independence celebrations. The play criticizes the new nation by showing that the present is not better than the past, and it challenges the idea of a perfect, romanticized history.

A Dance of the Forests

A Dance of the Forests is one of the most recognized of Wole Soyinka's plays. It was "presented at the Nigerian Independence celebrations in 1960, it  denigrated the glorious African past and warned Nigerians and all Africans that their energies henceforth should be spent trying to avoid repeating the mistakes that have already been made."

Wole Soyinka being against Negritude movement,he was against the over glorification of pre colonial Nigeria and Africa at large. A Dance of the Forests was written to address such issues, illustrating that precolonial Africa, needs to change their deeds as it affect their whole life time. He uses dead characters and flashbacks to illustrate this.

1)Write a proposed alternative end of the play 'A Dance of the Forest' by Wole Soyinka.

Ans.

In the original play we still find that the culprits are still not getting any critical punishment as they have committed a crime that is not a normal one. They are responsible for the death of a man and a pregnant lady and they were totally innocent. And at the end they are not given anty critical punishment.

The alternative end would be more justifiable if all the culprits get the punishment for the crimes they have committed in the past as well as in the present. At the end when Demoke is proven guilty for his past actions and the lorry incident in which many people are dead. He is imprisoned for life. Rola, who is also responsible for the death of a soldier and his wife and an unborn baby is given a hanging punishment. Demoke who is responsible for the death for his disciple Oremole also exile from the forest.

Agboreko is also somehow responsible for the death of the soldier and his wife, because he also didn't take the side of the rightful person. He is also imprisoned for 5 years. Dead man and Dead woman become alive again and live happy life in the forest, their baby is also born naturally with the magic of the good spirits. The gathering is celebrated with great joy because everyone gets justice. 

2) Write a note on the play 'A Dance of the Forest' by Wole Soyinka.

Ans.

In the play Soyinka has used the play to critique both the colonial past and the emerging Nigerian leadership, warning against repeating historical mistakes. The play reflects themes of history, tradition, postcolonial disillusionment, and the role of the artist in society.

Themes and Issues

1. The Disillusionment of Independence

Rather than portraying independence as a moment of triumph, Soyinka highlights the corruption, self-interest, and moral failings of Nigeria’s emerging leadership. His characters Demoke, Rola, and Adenebi represent individuals who must confront their past actions and complicity in societal wrongs. As Fanon suggests in The Wretched of the Earth, true decolonization should involve a transformation of the people, but Soyinka’s play warns that independence alone is insufficient if past mistakes are repeated.

2.The Cycle of History

Soyinka demonstrates how history repeats itself, with characters doubling as figures from the past in a play-within-a-play structure. This suggests that societal problems persist over time unless confronted directly. The play’s structure also reinforces this idea, with past and present blending into a cyclical narrative.

3.The Role of the Artist

Through the character of Demoke, a carver who undergoes a personal transformation, Soyinka underscores the artist’s role as both creator and moral guide. Demoke, much like the traditional Yoruba figure Ogun, must navigate destruction and creation, symbolizing the burden of the artist in shaping society.

4.The Conflict Between Tradition and Modernity

Soyinka’s use of Yoruba ritual, myth, and storytelling techniques highlights the tension between indigenous traditions and Western influences. The play does not reject the past but instead critiques those who misuse tradition for personal gain while ignoring its deeper wisdom.

Structure and Characterization

The play does not follow a conventional Western dramatic structure, avoiding the three- or five-act format. Instead, it consists of two parts that move between past and present. The use of masquerade, flashback, and ritualistic performance distances A Dance of the Forests from the realism of Western theatre and aligns it with Yoruba traditions.

Characters in the play are divided into: Those who represent corruption and selfishness (Adenebi, Rola, Mata Kharibu). Those who symbolize artistic and moral struggle (Demoke, Forest Head). Figures of history who challenge the present (the Dead Man and Dead Woman). Soyinka also incorporates elements of the grotesque and the surreal, making it difficult to distinguish between reality and myth.

Language and Performance Style

Soyinka’s language is highly poetic, dense, and filled with Yoruba proverbs, making the play intellectually demanding. He uses a mix of formal dialogue, bureaucratic speech, insults, and ritualistic chants. In addition to verbal language, he employs non-verbal techniques such as dance, music, and masquerade, reinforcing the play’s roots in Yoruba performance traditions.

Postcolonial and Political Context

The play is an early example of postcolonial theatre, addressing the failures of Nigeria’s new leaders and the dangers of internalized colonial mentalities. While other postcolonial writers, such as Ngugi wa Thiong’o, argued for riting in indigenous languages, Soyinka wrote in English, aiming to reach a broader audience. This decision, however, has been critiqued for limiting access to his message among nn-English-speaking Nigerians.

A Dance of the Forests remains one of Soyinka’s most complex and thought-provoking works. Through its blending of past and present, Yoruba tradition and Western dramatic techniques, and its unflinching critique of post-independence politics, the play challenges audiences to confront uncomfortable truths about history, identity, and leadership. While it was initially met with resistance, its enduring relevance lies in its message: that true change requires more than political independence. it demands self-awareness and moral responsibility.

Words: 1116

References:

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Wole Soyinka". Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Dec. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Wole-Soyinka. Accessed 20 February 2025.

Soyinka, Wole. A Dance of the Forests. Oxford

University Press, 1993.