7 History Sisters: Femi Osofisan's Tegonni: An African Antigone

Abstract

Femi Osofisan's Tegonni: an African Antigone moves beyond a concern with the political and cultural effects of colonialism. Instead, the play deconstructs colonial and other types of authority, including paternal power and the domination of the male, in the service of resistance to neo-colonialism. In place of traditional authorities it foregrounds relationships of spontaneous affection, female agency, and a comic dimension. The self-conscious metatheatricality of the drama serves the same project; Tegonni doubles its heroine between a mythical Greek Antigone and a nineteenth-century Yoruba princess, and thus can address, like Odale's Choice, the issue of a sacrifice that is efficacious but must be repeated. The authority of the Greek Antigone comes to symbolize the tragic inevitability of Africa's damaged history, but is countered both by the comedy in the play, represented most forcefully by the soldiers, and by the tradition of Antigones set in Africa.

Unveiling Neocolonialism in Sino-African Relations

“…Creative writers may incorporate social problems into their work to bring attention to them and foster awareness of potential solutions. Osofisan's plays emphasise the social responsibility of the playwright; he has sought to make the theatre reflect the problems of Nigerian society to explore social issues (Goff and Simpson 2007;Owonibi 2014). With the retelling of Cao Yu's Thunderstorm, Osofisan transitions from a primary emphasis on Nigeria's internal issues to articulating a Nigerian viewpoint on global matters (Zapkin 2021).…”

Resurrecting antiquity: Memories of Medea in the Caribbean

“… 12. For two often discussed examples for postcolonial adaptations of Sophocles’ Antigone , see Brathwaite’s Odale’s Choice , and Femi Osofisan’s Tegonni. Both plays are discussed in Barbara Goff and Michael Simpson’s Crossroads in the Black Aegean (2007: 219-271, 321-365). …”