SUICIDE IN OLA ROTIMI’S KURUNMI
5.2. From history to a Play: Exploring the His-[Story] of Rotimi’s Kurunmi
5.2.1 Synopsis of Rotimi’s Kurunmi
The play is made up of major characters like, Kurunmi (Generalissimo of Yoruba and his five sons), Balogun Ibikunle (Ibadan war General), Rev.
Adolphus Mann (A white Anglican missionary), Bashorun Oluyole, Timi Ede, Bashorun Somoye etc.
(I)
The play begins in Kurunmi’s compound (‘agbo’le) where a group of elders and a number of community men and women express their displeasure regarding the problems of the community. In their group expression, they try to understand who their leader is. As they argue amongst themselves to understand who actually their leader is, Ogunkoroju, one of the elders remind them that they have a leader and their leader is Kurunmi. Immediately after Ogunkoroju’s
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declaration, Kurunmi emerges from one of his chambers in a somewhat dignified manner accompanied by his bodyguards. As he stands in the middle of his people, they lavish a lot of praise chant on him, they express his strength and power as the only warlord in Ijaye. Kurunmi addresses them emphasizing the importance of tradition, in his words; “the pride of man, my people, is in his tradition” (p.16). Kurunmi’s mention of tradition and the need for it to be adhered to leads him to narrate to his people what transpired in the meeting they had with Alaafin Atiba in Oyo. He informs them of the Alaafin’s intention to make his son king after his death instead of committing suicide as custom demands. Kurunmi goes further to inform them of his decision not to comply or agree with the Alaafin’s declaration. Kurunmi emphasizes that the decision of the Alaafin is against the customs and tradition of his people which has been observed for hundreds of years. He concludes that the Alaafin cannot wake up one morning to change tradition because as far as he (Kurunmi) is concerned;
“we have tradition, and tradition is tradition. Time may pass but the laws of our fathers, tested and hallowed by the ways of men, live on. That is tradition”
(p.20).
(II)
In the town square Rev. Mann is preaching the word of God. He has a large group of new Christian converts. However, as he preaches the word, the sound of ‘Egungun’ is heard with chants and drumming of people coming closer. The group of Christian converts is uneasy because Egungun is a traditional masquerade performance. Rev. Mann advises his wife and others to leave at once. However, the group of Egungun sings towards Rev. Mann as he recites Psalm 23, they converge around him but pass him leaving him bleeding from a slash on his forehead. The scene ends.
(III)
Again, it is in Kurunmi’s compound, as he tries to parcel some gifts. He receives word from one of his bodyguards that there are messengers from Oyo who have come with gifts for him. He is not interested in receiving them due to the information he got that the Alaafin has gone ahead to install his son Adelu as
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the next king of Oyo. However, after some time Kurunmi lets them in. They inform him of the new installation of Adelu as king. Kurumni instantly challenges this and declares that he cannot and will never honour Adelu as king and over his dead body will he do that. The men from Oyo are already aware of Kurunmi’s response and thus handed over the gift they brought. The gift consists of gunpowder and bullets and the sacred twins of the Ogboni cult. This signifies that the people of Oyo have given the options for Kurunmi to choose between peace and war. As is in the nature of Kurunmi, and standing for what he believes – tradition, he chooses gunpowder and bullets which means war with the people of Oyo. Kurunmi therefore summons all his children, his army and elders and informs them that Oyo has declared war and they must prepare for war or else they will become vegetables for the people of Oyo. Kurunmi quickly begins preparations and rescinds most of the advantages that Ijaiye has over Oyo. Kurunmi charges; “Go, spread the warning about: henceforth no one sells food out of Ijaiye. Secondly, all farm crops already plucked or un-plucked will stay preserved in the land. Any man, woman or beast that flouts this order, seeks instant death.” (p.29). Kurunmi charges his people to prepare for war, he seeks blessings from the god of Ogun, he says; “Ogun, war has come.
Ogun…Ogun, Ogun. This is what you said: that, any-time Are Ona Kakanfo goes to war, he first must bring his body before you, and give you drink.” (p.31).
Kurunmi is intercepted with the presence of Rev. Mann who comes to remind him (Kurunmi) of the failure for the people of Ijaye to accept Christ as the saviour. Despite Rev. Mann’s preaching to Kurunmi, Kurunmi reminds him that it is impossible for him or any reasonable person to just wake up one day and denounce his beliefs, traditions and ways of life.
Some of the close chiefs around Kurunmi object to Kurunmi’s decision to go to war. Ekpo confronts Kurunmi and asks; “what is all this about the land going to war?” (p.37) Kurunmi however insists that the people of Ibadan (Oyo) have broken tradition and he cannot abide this so-called change. He succeeds in convincing most of the members of the community including his five sons and they prepare for war.
133 (IV)
The council and elders of Ibadan in the presence of Kutenlo and Obagbori unveil the Okro-soiled white linen sent by Kurunmi to the palace of the king. The Okoro-soiled linen signifies rejection and insult to the new king of Ibadan. The message sent by Kurunmi to the people of Ibadan leaves them with no choice but to also get prepared for war. However, they attempt at trying to resolve issues amicably with Kurunmi but to no avail. The people of Ibadan under the command of Balogun Ibikunle want peace, but his other group under the insistence of Otun Balogun Ogunmola wants war. Ibikunle insists that he has in his lifetime seen a lot of battles and wars. No battle is deprived of horrors especially the one fought against one’s own blood brothers. With Ibikunle’s show of weakness against going to war, Ogunmola takes over to encourage the people of Ibadan to wake up before their land goes to pieces.
(V)
It is in Kurunmi’s compound, he gathers everyone including his military force and they begin to sing songs of war. They are now set to fight and destroy the people of Ibadan. They also seek support from their neighboring people of Abeokuta who assures them of their support. Rev. Mann again visits Kurunmi to advise him against going to war as the people of Ibadan have sent him to intercede on their behalf. Even with the Lieutenant commander of the British Consul in Lagos’ intervention, Kurunmi is still adamant and resolves that war is the only way out. The people of Ibadan, left with no choice decide to organize their army and to invade Ijaiye.
In the battlefield, the armies of Ibadan trick those of the Ijaye into a trap. Eighty percent of the army of Ijaye is killed and the remaining returns home to wail before Kurunmi. Kurunmi sees himself as a man that will not accept defeat and so still arranges for the remaining army to go and attack Ibadan, he gives his army instructions not to cross river Ose until the army of Ibadan advance, however, Kurunmi’s advice is not adhered to and the Ibadan army succeed in drowning the entire army of Ijaye in the river Ose. They all die including the five sons of Kurunmi. This tragedy becomes too much for Kurunmi to accept,
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so he takes poison and kills himself rather than remaining alive to face the shame of defeat. End of play
The background history and the synopsis of the play therefore provide a clear picture of those complex historical issues that Rotimi’s play explores.