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A Dance of the Forests by Wole Soyinka

 A Dance of the Forests by Wole Soyinka


This blog post aims to explore and analyze aspects of "A Dance of the Forests" by the renowned Nigerian writer Wole Soyinka. It is part of a thinking Activity and assigned by Megha Trivedi, a faculty member in the Department of English at Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University (MKBU) in Bhavnagar, India.


Wole Soyinka

Wole Soyinka was a Nigerian playwright and political activist who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986. He sometimes wrote of modern West Africa in a satirical style, but his serious intent and his belief in the evils inherent in the exercise of power were usually evident in his work as well.

A member of the Yoruba people, Soyinka attended Government College and University College in Ibadan before graduating in 1958 with a degree in English from the University of Leeds in England. Upon his return to Nigeria, he founded an acting company and wrote his first important play, A Dance of the Forests (produced 1960; published 1963), for the Nigerian independence celebrations. The play satirizes the fledgling nation by stripping it of romantic legend and by showing that the present is no more a golden age than was the past.


He wrote several plays in a lighter vein, making fun of pompous, Westernized schoolteachers in The Lion and the Jewel (first performed in Ibadan, 1959; published 1963) and mocking the clever preachers of upstart prayer-churches who grow fat on the credulity of their parishioners in The Trials of Brother Jero (performed 1960; published 1963) and Jero’s Metamorphosis (1973). But his more serious plays, such as The Strong Breed (1963), Kongi’s Harvest (opened the first Festival of Negro Arts in Dakar, 1966; published 1967), The Road (1965), From Zia, with Love (1992), and even the parody King Baabu (performed 2001; published 2002), reveal his disregard for African authoritarian leadership and his disillusionment with Nigerian society as a whole.


Other notable plays included Madmen and Specialists (performed 1970; published 1971), Death and the King’s Horseman (1975), and The Beatification of Area Boy (1995). In these and Soyinka’s other dramas, Western elements are skillfully fused with subject matter and dramatic techniques deeply rooted in Yoruba folklore and religion. Symbolism, flashback, and ingenious plotting contribute to a rich dramatic structure. His best works exhibit humour and fine poetic style as well as a gift for irony and satire and for accurately matching the language of his complex characters to their social position and moral qualities.(Britannica)


A Dance of the Forest 

  1. A  proposed alternative end of the play 'A Dance of the Forest' by Wole Soyinka


As the chaos and violence reach a crescendo on stage, with the Forest Head and Aroni engaged in a brutal struggle, a sudden hush falls over the scene. The previously raucous Forest Spirits and Half-Child slowly back away, their faces etched with a mix of fear and awe.


From the shadows emerges a towering figure, shrouded in a shimmering cloak woven from vines and leaves. It is the embodiment of the Forest itself, ancient and powerful. With a sweep of its arm, the Forest Being separates the warring factions.


"Enough!" its voice booms, shaking the very trees. "You foolish beings squabble and destroy like selfish children, blind to the consequences of your actions."


The Forest Head and Aroni freeze, transfixed by the entity's commanding presence. The Forest Being continues:


"This land cries out, its rivers choked with filth, its trees hewn down without remorse. The scattered tribes have strayed far from the path of balance and respect for nature's bounty."


It levels an accusatory limb at the assembled figures. "You all bear the stain of greed and corruption upon your souls. Until you learn humility and heal the wounds you've inflicted, harmony shall remain forever out of reach."


With a wave of its hand, the Forest Being banishes the stunned beings back to their realms. As they scatter, it turns its terrible gaze outward.


"The dance has just begun. The forests will have their reckoning."


The stage is plunged into darkness as a haunting chorus of animal cries and creaking trees rises, signaling the start of nature's wrath.


Here are some proposed alternative endings for Wole Soyinka's play "A Dance of the Forests":


Redemptive Ending:

As the chaos reaches a fever pitch, a blinding light envelops the stage. From this light emerges a radiant being, a manifestation of the life force of the forests itself. With a sweep of its ethereal arms, it calms the warring factions. In a mesmerizing speech, it reminds them all of their interconnectedness and need for balance with nature.


One by one, the angry spirits, gods, and humans are humbled. Eshuoro renounces her curse. Ogun sheaths his sword. The Forest Head and Aroni embrace as equals. Even Demoke realizes his arrogance and vows to make amends. The play ends on a transcendent note, with all pledging to heal the rift between humanity and the natural world.


Pyrrhic Victory Ending:


Demoke finally succeeds in ripping off the mask of the powerful Eshuoro. But in doing so, he unleashes an unspeakable evil force that has been trapped behind it. This primordial malevolence turns on all - human, spirit, and god alike.


One by one, the various factions are devoured by this ancient evil as punishment for their sins against nature. Even Ogun's might cannot stop it. In the end, only the Forest Head is left, having futilely tried to warn them. The stage is empty except for the Forest Head's ghostly laments over their hubris as the curtain falls.


Open-Ended Ending:

After the disastrous gathering and struggles, Demoke finally understands the need for humility and environmental stewardship. He climbs down from the totem pole, a changed man. Likewise, the Forest Head, Ogun, and others also have realized their errors.


Supernatural Intervention Ending:

As the violence and mayhem reach a fevered pitch, suddenly the stage is plunged into darkness. When the lights return, all the human characters have vanished without a trace.


Only the nature spirits like the Forest Head, Aroni, and Eshuoro remain, looking around bewildered. A thunderous voice then echoes from the heavens, chastising the deities for allowing the destructive hubris of mankind to go unchecked for too long.


The voice proclaims that for their negligence, the forests will be stripped of human inhabitants until they learn to be better custodians. The spirits are left alone on the stage, sobered by this turn of events and contemplating how to one day welcome humankind back into the forests.


Sacrificial Redemption Ending:

After surveying the wreckage of the gathering, Demoke has an epiphany about the havoc his arrogance has wrought. Resolving to make amends, he climbs back atop the totem pole.


From this height, he delivers an impassioned plea for forgiveness from all - the spirits, gods, and even the living forests themselves. Recognizing there is no other path forward, Demoke then sacrifices his life by leaping from the pole.


His death shakes everyone present. In a shocking twist, Demoke's selfless act purifies the stage. The curse over the land is lifted. Former adversaries like Ogun and Eshuoro embrace. Nature and humankind are metaphorically rejoined as one in a spiritual rebalancing. The play closes with Demoke's sacrifice serving as the catalyst for harmony.


Human Return to Nature Ending:


Disgusted by the escalating violence and unable to achieve their goals, the gods and spirits alike abandon the debacle and retreat back into the forests. Only the human characters remain on the stage amidst the ruins.


With the supernatural entities gone, the humans have an existential moment of clarity. They realize their perceived supremacy over nature was hubris. Chastened, they too exit the stage, resolving to reconnect with the natural world they have become estranged from.


Write a note on the play 'A Dance of the Forest' by Wole Soyinka with the reference of the document titled "CRITICAL COMMENTARY ON A DANCE OF THE FORESTS"


The play begins with the arrival of two dead ancestors who have been summoned by the living, but instead of being revered, they are shunned as "obscenities" due to their bitter resentment. The Forest Father character then forces four living characters to confront their true selves and the repetitive patterns of their weaknesses and crimes, along with the company of the dead couple. The play is described as being rooted in ritual and song, and as reviving the awareness of the theatrical tradition's connection to these elements. Soyinka's work is praised for its poetic and inventive use of language, likened to the impact of Irish dramatists on the English language.


Wole Soyinka's play 'A Dance of the Forests' deals with the theme of acknowledging and confronting one's past mistakes and misdeeds. The play explores the conflict between the desire of the dead ancestors to hold the living accountable for their actions, and the reluctance of the living to face judgment for their sins.


The African Forum praised Wole Soyinka's work for reviving the connection between contemporary theater and its roots in ritual and song, which has been largely forgotten. This echoes the rare achievements of dramatists like Federico García Lorca and Bertolt Brecht in restoring an awareness of what has been lost in mainstream theater traditions. Soyinka's play "The Road," which was presented in London during the Commonwealth Arts Festival, was highly acclaimed for its innovative and revitalizing use of the English language, likened to how Irish playwrights over the past two centuries have reimagined and reinvigorated the language. His novel "The Interpreters" was also lauded by an American critic as a work of genius, drawing comparisons to James Joyce.



Work cited : 

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