Late Prof. Sunny Oti
Sonny Oti was one artist who could not be bottled while he practiced. When he was not acting or singing, he was producing or directing. He was at home with the mechanics of theatrical art.
His songs and activities showed that Nigeria has been through the valley of shadow of death severally. He had a group called Never Give Up Voices that launched two albums fiz: ‘The Blood From The Hammer‘ and ‘The Poor Orphan Girl‘, both narratives of heart-shattering experience and a situation of pity.
For Sonny Oti, theatre is propaganda oriented, no exemption. This is because the theatre is out to sell one idea or the other. He talked about Heavantgarde (a modernist literary movement in support of modernism in arts). You see, at a point Christopher Marlowe wrote Dr. Faustus more or less to prove that Shakespeare was an illiterate. Theatre practitioners of Elizabethan age set out to sell something and not merely to entertain. This is why in this era of electioneering/campaigns, plays that are so academically oriented would only be for reading alone and not for the stage.
For national development therefore, we need Agit (short for agitation) theatre…sloganeering is not a novelty. It is a mask the theatre wears. A theatre writes its caption when it is on stage.
However, theatre is no administration. It is a practical endeavour with a match of superb theory. Again, theatre demands specialisation and when these specialists come together what should be upper most should be how we can, individually, better our past performances not how to cut down some person’s efforts. This line taken, a vibrant live theatre will emerge, no matter the competition from television and cinema.
But when did Sonny Oti appear on the world stage?
It was in 1963, at the First World Black Arts Festival in Dakar, Senegal, where he played the lead character of the play, ‘Danda‘. Also, in the mid 60’s he started in ‘Bullfrog In The Sun‘ – an adaptation of Chinua Achebe’ s novel, ‘Things Fall Apart‘ shot by Francis Oladele. He was too, part of Shakespeare Quarter Century Festival held in Britain.
Locally, in 1983, NTA gave him award as a Best Star performer for his music album release, “Nigeria Go Survive“. There was another plaque from Sacramento, California for his contribution to the progress of the masses. Besides, he received a letter of recognition from BBC London for his hit tune”, Installation Calypso“, in the World University Service album in Geneva in 1965.
What was his idea of a writer?
Said he: “Writing has to do with the inside of a man. The man should have vision which in turn sharpens his technique, style, form and all that. The writer is that man living in his community with his eyes wide open and his ears to the ground. He must have a sharp intuition, a classless man, not belonging to a particular social class. Let me illustrate, once Dr. Alex Ekwueme came and launched my album in Abuja after that I was at the motor park performing, interacting with touts. The fact is, a writer should not cage himself with aristocrats. This is because, he has the function of a town crier, a revolutionary etc. He should have a rapport with his mind”.
Sonny Oti, first published his play, ‘The Old Masters‘, by Oxford University Press. It dealt on the colonial administration before 1925 in Arochukwu, Abia State. Then he wrote ‘Evangelist Jeremiah‘ at Yankari Games Reserve. That show cased the double life Nigerians are faced with as they go to juju while insisting they serve God. Then in 1986, he wrote ‘Urejia Republic‘ that highlighted the injustices of the military junta.
Oti started his Drama/English studies at the University of Ibadan but for some reason he transferred to University of Nigeria, Nsukka, from where he graduated in 1966. Later he left Nigeria for Britain where he had MA in Experimental Theatre with a case study on John Fox’s The Welfare State Theatre in 1973. He was Coordinator, Department of Theatre Arts before being confirmed as head of department from 1976 – 1984. He became an Associate Professor of Drama in 1979.
He will also be remembered for his songs,’ Nkosi Nwam’, “Omenali” in 1974 – the lyric sings:
Blackman go suffer
Suffer sotey e tire
Until blackman go learn
To care for one another.
In 1976 he released ‘Detribalised‘ followed by ‘Late Night Husband’s in 1978. In 1983 he sang again ‘ Nigeria Go Survive’. Incidentally, Professor Sonny Oti did not survive as he bowed to the cold hands of death in November 1997.
