UNIMAID Theatre Arts Graduands Stage Epic Performances of Myth, Power and Heritage

The University of Maiduguri was transformed into a vibrant center of heritage and theatrical excellence as the Department of Theatre Arts presented its final-year student drama performances on Monday, August 10, and Tuesday, August 11, 2026.

The showcase featured two productions, Adesewa: The King's Daughter and If Not: A Play of the Gods. Presented through dance drama, stage performance, and film projects, the exhibition served as the academic capstone for the graduating class and offered a platform to demonstrate creative competence, cultural literacy, and mastery of African storytelling traditions.

The performances blended traditional music, indigenous languages, choreography, mythology, and contemporary stagecraft. Students portrayed the traditions and cultural expressions of various Nigerian communities through the energetic Yoruba Bata Dance, the Igbo Dance, Nupe cultural expression, and the Tiv Dance. Performers appeared in traditional attire and delivered lines in native languages.

The thunderous rhythms of Badagry drums, handled by Yoruba master drummers, provided accompaniment and guided movement and tempo, underscoring the role of percussion in African theatrical expression.

Adesewa: The King's Daughter drew from Yoruba cosmology, oral traditions, praise chants, and ritual movements. Through dance drama, the production explored the tension between human agency and divine destiny. Characters including Adesewa, the King, Esu, Obatala, Sango, the Queen, and royal chiefs were presented as embodiments of cultural identity and communal destiny. The technical crew supported the production with makeup, lighting, sound engineering, and stage management.

The second production, If Not: A Play of the Gods, was set in the mythical kingdom of Ukolo, where authority is transferred to a new leader called "Democracy." The leader later reveals a tyrannical disposition, seizing farmlands, enslaving citizens, and taking women as wives. The gods of Ukolo, including Amadioha, Sango, Agadagba, and Ogun, intervene. It is later revealed that the tyrant is Esu, the trickster deity, impersonating Democracy while holding the real Democracy captive. The gods overthrow the trickster and restore authentic Democracy, addressing themes of justice, leadership, and deception in governance.

Representing the Vice-Chancellor, the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Professor Abba Kura Shettima, delivered an address and reaffirmed the University Management's commitment to supporting the Department of Theatre Arts.

The event drew parents, academic staff, and students. Through the two productions, the Department of Theatre Arts demonstrated how academic theatre can preserve indigenous heritage, revitalize traditional storytelling, interrogate contemporary power structures, and unite communities through performance.