Macbeth Research & Development
Working titles: Yoruba Macbeth or The General.
‘Caution my lord, you wrestle with spirits whose backs never touch the ground’
‘The witch screamed at night; in the morning we discovered a child had died. Who does not know that the witch killed the child?’
Research and Development took place at The Crucible, Sheffield, in November 2024. Our thanks to Sheffield Theatres and Arts Council England for their support.
About the writer.
Writer, Oladipo Agboluaje, is a playwright and creative writing tutor who also teaches African Drama. He is a Writing Fellow of the Royal Literary Fund and Treasurer of the African Theatre Association (AfTA). Oladipo recently adapted Ben Okri's novel, The Famished Road for Dramaten of Sweden. Other plays include: Here's What She Said To Me, The Estate, Iya-Ile, The Christ of Coldharbour Lane, Immune and New Nigerians.
About Yoruba Macbeth or The General
Our new theatrical play sets Shakespeare’s classic tale in the 19th-century Yoruba civil wars. The adaptation examines the Yoruba concept of fate, overarching ambition, revenge and political intrigue. The Lady Macbeth character plays an enhanced role. It is infused with Yoruba-style energetic storytelling, dialogue, dance and movement that will leave its audience breathless.
The play reflects on the 1800s - a time of upheaval in Yorubaland, western Nigeria. Pressure from the Fulani to the north forces the seat of the Oyo Empire to relocate further west. Ilorin, a major Yoruba town, has fallen to the Fulani with the help of Afonja, a Yoruba general. Several Yoruba states challenge Oyo’s supremacy, leading to civil war among the Yoruba.
Balogun (General), Aderemi, helps the Alaafin (the king of Oyo) repel the Ilorin invaders. For this, he is promoted to Are Ona Kakanfo (Commander-in-Chief) of the Oyo Kingdom’s armed forces. His ambitious wife Bisi sends him to an Ifa priest to divine his future where he is told that he will become Alaafin.
But how can he become king? He is of lowly birth and unrelated to the king by blood. Bisi is a distant relative of the Alaafin but according to custom, kingship cannot be passed down through the female line. Unknown to Aderemi, Bisi has bribed the Ifa priest to give him a false prophecy. To hide her act, Bisi kills the remorseful Ifa priest.
The Alaafin invites the chiefs of Yorubaland to Oyo for a festival to celebrate his reign. Bisi uses the opportunity to poison him when her husband fails to do the deed. To secure their position, Aderemi and Bisi kill all who oppose them and become the most hated couple. But their actions weaken the Kingdom, which leads to a rebellion led by a war chief whose charms are more potent than Aderemi’s.
At the final battle, the war chief kills Aderemi and restores the crown to the next in line to the throne. Bisi escapes, never to be heard of again and becomes a mythical figure.
