Ashes of Promise: A Luminous Revival at Lagos Theatre, Epe
The lighting dimmed at the Lagos Theatre in Epe, and the audience was drawn into a quietly intense experience. Olamigoke Omowale Okelola’s “Ashes of Promise” premiered earlier on June 6 at the Igando venue, but it wasn’t until the June 14 staging at Epe that the performance found its soulful expression. The smaller, more intimate setting of Epe allowed the play to become a resonant theatrical experience that leaned heavily on silence, subtlety, and a profound depth of emotion. According to The Nation Newspaper, this staging was one of the most captivating performances seen at Epe.
A New Chapter in Original Nigerian Drama
“Ashes of Promise” marks a significant departure for Okelola, veering away from his adaptations of Nigerian classics like “The Gods Are Not to Blame.” Here, he introduces Abéfé, a bead-seller, who navigates a narrative woven with themes of truth, memory, and fragile human connections across five acts. These elements are bound together symbolically by a sacred gourd and a strand of beads. Abéfé’s journey, framed in settings like the marketplace, home, and courtroom, echoes Yoruba cultural textures and proverbs.
The Epe Revelation
In contrast to its Igando debut, the Epe rendition unfolded with delicate grace. Strategy was everything; transitions were smooth and natural, characters moved in quiet arcs rather than direct lines, and scene shifts nodded gently toward ritual. Silence, sometimes more eloquent than words, punctuated crucial moments. Notably, Abéfé’s realization of a shattered sacred gourd stopped time, allowing the audience to feel the full weight of invisible burdens.
Performing in Harmony with Space
Actors found a synergy with the space at Epe, enhancing their performances. Abéfé’s portrayal was both commanding and understated, resonating with the space’s intimacy. Other characters reflected this inspiration: Queen Adérónkẹ́ and the young servants, Tánná and Olúyẹmí, added depth to the layered narrative with their interactions, turning each pause and every action into tangible emotion.
Though sparse, the musical underscoring enriched the ambience, with subtle sounds echoing Abéfé’s inner world and foreboding disruptions. A single cellist replaced the drums from Igando to miraculous effect, providing haunting undertones that echoed back through the quiet and pulse of the cast.
Atmosphere and Detail
The minimalist set design—featuring a shrine, mat, and select props—transformed spatial constraints into powerful staging tools. Without the use of translation, Yoruba proverbs anchored the narrative, reaching across linguistics in universal expressions of human experience. In Epe, the stage became a living room, capturing the rawness of real-time ritual and conflict.
Conclusion: A New Dawn for Okelola
Okelola’s “Ashes of Promise” speaks volumes about his growth as both writer and director. The exploration of thematic silence, symbolic elegance, and spatial ownership suggests a leap into his creative maturity. The production invites audiences to remember, confront, and embrace what is broken, searching for what is worthy of being mended. If ashes are vessels of memory, as suggested by Abéfé’s journey, they tell of a determined promise, one quietly aflame with potential.
