Another Biafra, The Untold Story

Another Biafra is the debut production from Anthony Abuah. Abuah performed and co directed alongside Ashley Forrester. The production focuses on the ongoing Niger-Delta oil crisis in Nigeria, through the perspectives

of the locals and the foreign media. En route to the Cockpit, admittedly I thought I was going to watch a live hate-campaign against the west...I couldn’t have been more wrong. I left the theatre pleasantly surprised. The cast gave a brilliant performance and the play itself was a real education piece.

The opening & closing scenes were pivotal, obviously in setting the tone but more so for those who had no idea about the ongoing oil crisis. Both scenes gave an enlightening, succinct account of past and present events which occurred in the Niger-Delta region over the last 30 years. The production as a whole is a great starting point for those wishing to learn more about the ongoing issue.

The dialogue was passionate & thought provoking and the cast which comprised of a host of rising actors were fantastic; notably Anthony himself & Marlene Nwoye - their chemistry on stage was quite apparent and I found myself captivated by their performance. Biafra maintained a good balance of seriousness Vs humour, although the topic of the oil crisis is quite a heavy, there were quite a few laugh-out-loud moments.

Another stand out performer of the night was Emmanuel Akintunde who played the role of Inok...

“Initially I was asked to audition for another role, however upon reading the script I felt more associated with Inok so it was great to be offered the role”

Emmanuel Akintunde

Albeit a small role, Akintunde gave a memorable performance, bringing Inok to life. I once heard someone say “when you have a small roll...put some Jam on it” and he sure did. Definitely one to watch me thinks.

All in all Biafra was a great production and although it's come to an end at the Cockpit Theatre, I do hope it gets picked up by a larger establishment because it's truly a story which needs to be told.

Interesting bits...

John Vidal: Environment Editor at the Observer wrote an article on the deepwater Horizon disaster which caused headlines around the world, even though the people who live in the Niger-Delta region have had to live with environmental catastrophes for decades...while the US & Europe (the benefactors & culprits) ignore it. Check it out

Chris Abani and his family were caught up in the Biafrian war (a war in which the Niger/Delta crisis has been likened to) Abani has been Imprisoned three times by the Nigerian government, and in this vid he shares personal, inspirational stories of bravery, compassionate and reclaiming humanity. Check it out.