When you've been thrown in jail by the generals, and you are as masterful an artist as playwright Wole Soyinka, it's natural to think that you can fight back through the theater.
But Soyinka knows better.
"I would like to believe arts can speak to human rights," Soyinka, a visiting artist at Duke, said in an interview on campus last week. "And in many cases it is true.
"But unfortunately, power can be deaf and dumb, and people have to delve into direct polemics to be heard. Art can raise consciousness, and it can show people the means to fight, but -- in the African continent in particular -- it is not enough. You need other tools to insist on and fight for people's dignity."
The Nigerian Nobel Prize laureate is on campus during Duke's Student Arts Festival as students in the Department of Theater Studies perform his play "The Beatification of Area Boy." The play, directed by faculty member Jody McAuliffe, will be performed through Oct. 31.
The play, an African take on the Robin Hood legend, has been performed around the world, from Jamaica to Yorkshire, England. The story comes out of Nigeria, but he said it's relevant anywhere there are slums, homeless individuals and people fighting for a cause.
"Theater doesn't set out to preach," he said. "Yet, the moment one exposes reality and confronts an audience with it, it's an educational process. Something or some questions are invoked in their minds. Is this something humanity should aspire to? Without setting out to penetrate the psyche, theater focuses people's minds on a topic. That way it raises questions that lead to change."
For the same reason, he says theater studies is a valuable component of education.
"I also don't set out to educate. However, anytime you encounter a work of art, any kind of work of art from another culture, it is already an extension of the mind. The horizon has been enlarged. You see similarities and you see these similarities expressed in different ways. Students are thrown into situations that they were never aware of."
This second visit to campus has been one for enjoying the performances, he said. He loves the process of the theater and said he's fascinated by how different directors decide to present the same play.
He's also enjoyed working with the students. During a previous visit in September, he worked closely with the actors about the play's nuances. He explained the references in the play, told stories about Nigeria and aided them with the broken English of some of the dialogue. "We had to talk about what it is like under a military dictatorship," he said.
Performing "Area Boy"
How do you learn how to play a cigar box guitar? That was one of the issues facing Duke students in preparing for "Area Boy." The Theater Studies' blog includes student discussions and videos about lighting, music and other production issues. Click here to read the postings and to see photos from the play. To order tickets, click here.