Theatre on the move! 

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Illuminatetheatre has re-introduced public theatre to public spaces in Nigeria. This is a collaborative project with Theater-X Berlin. As part of the FESTIWALLA festival, we show performance in pop up places in Lagos.

 

Project introduction

NAIJA AREA" is an adaptation of the book "DUAL MANDATE " written by a British colonialist "Sir Fredrick Lord Lugard" (the first colonial Governor general of Nigeria.) In the book Lugard validates and builds theoretical justification of the colonial business and empowers its political exploits. He further condemns and devalues African civilisation and beliefs, norms and social values. Pieter Willem Botha of South Africa Pieter Willem Botha, a prominent figure in South African history, served as the country's Prime Minister from 1978 to 1984 and as its President from 1984 to 1989. During his time in power, Botha made a number of speeches that reflected his views on apartheid, African leadership, and South Africa's place in the world. In his speeches, Botha often defended the apartheid system and tried to position South Africa as a defender of Western civilization and values. He viewed African leaders, particularly those in neighboring African countries, with a certain degree of skepticism, often criticizing them for their leadership styles, their support of anti-apartheid movements, and their alliances with communist states.

In particular, Botha's speeches tended to paint African leaders in a negative light, criticizing them for their perceived instability, lack of experience, and failure to maintain order within their countries. He also sometimes referred to them as being prone to corruption or incompetence. 

For example, Botha often spoke against the leadership of countries like Angola and Zimbabwe, where liberation movements had brought leftist leaders to power. He positioned South Africa as a counterweight to these governments, arguing that his own government was more stable and capable of bringing development to the region. Botha’s speeches also highlighted his commitment to what he called "constructive engagement" — a policy of diplomatic interaction with other African nations. However, this policy was often viewed as a way to maintain apartheid and resist pressure from the international community to end segregation and discriminatory laws. Meanwhile African revolutionary leaders like Thomas Sankara, Steve Biko, Robert Mugabe were leaders who resisted colonial influence and orchid against promotion of Africanisation were all assassinated. Meanwhile this assassination was planned by the west.  Our adaptation reflects a pan African perspective of the moribund and  exacerbating colonialist orientation of contemporary Africans looking back into history. Our bodies and dance are used as objects of resistance to counter the post colonial bias and question the misinterpretation of African believes and norms.

Project Description

Naija is an artistic exploration and performance piece inspired by Sir Frederick Lord Lugard's ‘’Dual Mandate’’. The book not only serves as a theoretical justification for colonial exploitation but also seeks to legitimize the system of British rule in Nigeria and its economic interests in Africa. Lugard’s narrative frames the colonial encounter as a benevolent and civilizing mission, while simultaneously degrading African civilizations, cultural norms, and social values, portraying them as inferior or even barbaric in comparison to European standards.

In this project, we confront and deconstruct the colonial narrative established in Dual Mandate, highlighting its enduring effects on African societies. The text is reinterpreted to expose how colonial powers, under the guise of development, systematically exploited Africa, stripping it of its resources, heritage, and self-determination. We dig into the legacy of colonialism, which has continued to impact Africa in various ways — through the imposition of Western ideologies, the erosion of indigenous cultures, and the perpetuation of socio-political instability. 

The work also draws parallels with the experiences of Africa in the 20th century, especially under the leadership of figures like South Africa's Pieter Willem Botha. Botha's apartheid government, which sought to uphold the ideology of white supremacy, reflected a broader colonial mindset that saw African leadership as incompetent and unstable. Botha's policies and speeches, which defended apartheid and demonized African leaders who opposed it, are scrutinized in the context of the performance.

 

The project critiques both historical and contemporary colonial attitudes toward Africa and its people, illustrating the continuity of oppressive systems even after formal colonial rule had ended. The exploration of revolutionary African leaders such as Thomas Sankara, Steve Biko, and Robert Mugabe is central to the project’s thematic investigation. These leaders resisted colonial and neo-colonial influence, advocating for Pan-Africanism, self-determination, and the "Africanization" of their nations. Their assassination or silencing — often attributed to covert operations supported by Western powers — is part of the ongoing struggle against African liberation movements. In the case of leaders like Sankara and Biko, their voices were stifled because they posed a threat to the colonial legacy that still lingers in global politics. In ‘’Naija Area’’, we seek to examine how colonialism’s psychological and cultural impacts have trickled down to present-day Africa. The adaptation interrogates the present-day African identity through a Pan-African lens, acknowledging the struggle to break free from the shackles of colonial thinking and the systems that continue to impose it. 

 

The project utilizes the bodies, voices and sounds created by the performance as powerful forms of resistance to the colonial and post-colonial biases that continue to distort the perception of African norms, values, and identities. By engaging with movement and performance, we aim to challenge the misinterpretation and vilification of African cultures and beliefs. In this adaptation, the body becomes a site of reclamation — reclaiming African history, tradition, and identity from the colonial narratives that sought to suppress them.

Naija Area, coined from the name River Naija, is a reflection on the enduring effects of colonialism on Africa, a call to revisit and reevaluate the stories we have inherited, and a reclamation of African identity through art, performance, and collective memory. The work aims to provoke a deeper understanding of the colonial legacy, its effects on the African psyche, and the ongoing struggle for cultural and political self-determination.