Theatre as a Partner in Environmental Sustainability Awareness in Delta State, Nigeria

In a letter dated 27 June 2024, THESPIAN Family Theatre and Productions, based in Lagos, Nigeria, invited the Department of Creative Arts at Dennis Osadebay University to participate in an environmental sustainability project. The project would advocate for greater climate action through the presentation of a play that reflects the cultural context of the university's location, and address themes of environmental sustainability. In response, the Department appointed several lecturers to assess the feasibility of participation in this initiative. Following multiple meetings, Dennis U. Obire was selected to adapt Dennis Osadebay’s poem "Goddess of the Niger" for stage performance.

The poem emphasizes the personality of the goddess Onishe as an embodiment of Mother Nature. This representation is linked with river Niger, which plays different roles in the lives of the people who stay around the riverbank and, by extension, the city of Ahaba (Asaba), for whom the river serves as a protector; acts as a source of inspiration and sustenance for agriculture, fertility, and abundance; and provides water for daily needs of the people. It captures the connection between humanity and nature with focus on the aquatic beauty and splendor of the Niger River. It highlights significant issues of spiritual pollution and the sacrilegious actions of the Ahaba (Asaba) people, culminating in the abandonment of their worship of the Goddess Onishe. This abandonment resulted in dire consequences, including sudden death, famine, hunger, and starvation.

By positioning the Goddess at the center of the environmental crises caused by her followers’ destructive behaviors, we fostered engagement with the core message of the play.

In the original poem, the poet focused on traditional and cultural issues that were seen as sacrilegious and injurious to the spiritual and social wellbeing of the individual and the society, such as eating forbidden things, desecrating the shrine with abominable things, introducing strange jujus or religion, and so on. These issues caused the cultural and spiritual pollution that provoked the goddess Onishe to anger and made her reject the sacrifices of the people as at that time. In adapting the poem to drama, our focus shifted from cultural and spiritual pollution to environmental pollution, looking at how people have offended nature by engaging in various unhealthy habits such as indiscriminate throwing of dirt on the streets, littering drainage with plastic containers and items that are difficult to decompose, deforestation, and so on, which result in flooding that has brought severe consequences on the people. Viewing these issues from traditional and contemporary perspectives, there is connection in terms of ‘‘pollution’’ (cultural/spiritual and ecological/environmental) that requires urgent attention. This adaptation becomes important because the Ahaba people still venerate the Goddess Onishe for her protective role toward her community today and their wrong environmental habits affect her abode: the river Niger.

By positioning the Goddess at the center of the environmental crises caused by her followers’ destructive behaviors, we fostered engagement with the core message of the play. For the older generation of audience members, the goddess evokes nostalgia for a more harmonious past, while connecting her to ecological concerns presents the younger generation with an opportunity to rediscover vital elements of their cultural heritage. This foundation informed the script that resurrects the ancient Goddess on stage to warn her people about their indifference towards the environment. For the cast and crew, this endeavor has created an opportunity to reinterpret traditional poetry in a manner that effectively addresses contemporary challenges through the medium of theatre.

Creating Goddess of the Niger

The artistic process involved taking some ideas from the poem as raw material, reworking the story by infusing new ideas that aligns with the issue of environmental sustainability, creating characters and dialogue, infusing music and introducing dancers and drummers, as well as creating spectacle for visual aesthetics to suit a contemporary audience. In the course of adaptation, some lines in the poem were retained, some removed, and new dialogue added to capture the effects of wrong environmental habits and behavior.

To execute the production, we appointed students to various production roles, including director, stage manager, costume designer, make-up artist, choreographer, and sound and lighting designer. Tunde Obado Oliogu oversaw directorial operations. Rehearsals occurred over a two-month period, with performances scheduled for 29 and 30 January 2025.

Following the Christmas holiday break, the production team, including Cornel Onyekaba, Dennis U. Obire, and Tunde Obado Oliogu, strategized marketing efforts. We engaged potential audiences with a flash mob on the evening of 28 January 2025. It involved a parade throughout the university campus. The flash mob involved some of the cast and crew members using songs, dances, and acting part of the scenes in the adapted play as well as fusing other creative ideas in sensitizing the audience towards the production. The brief performances presented the issue of environmental sustainability awareness as the students of the department paraded in their full costumes and props with the orchestra rendering beautiful songs to draw the attention of the audience. During the parade, the students specializing in theatre management and administration sold tickets and marketed the production to members of the university community. This initiative piqued the interest of the university community and facilitated broader marketing outreach.

Notably, two weeks prior to the production, invitations were issued to the fourteenth paramount ruler of the Asaba Kingdom, His Royal Highness Obi Prof. Epiphany Chigbogu Azinge-Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), along with members of his cabinet and relevant government agencies, including the Ministry of Environment, and other stakeholders. On the day of performance, Professor Chike Emmanuel Onwuka who represented His Royal Highness, the Asagba of Asaba was in attendance. Another notable guest during the performance was Dr. (Mrs.) Oseji Minimim, who at that time was the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Environment. Their attendance was of tremendous benefit to the production because they can influence government’s environmental policies. Their presence during the production was crucial as it served as a source of encouragement to other audience members who saw them as high profile, influential individuals in society.

Goddess of the Niger in Performance

On the first day of the production, the audience members filled the venue approximately one hour before the performance began, and additional members of the audience were encouraged to attend the subsequent day's show. The production, lasting one hour, captivated the audience. In the opening scene, the orchestra utilized music as a narrative device to portray a land yearning for a savior. This musical introduction drew the audience's attention to the collective suffering experienced by the community. Subsequently, a custodian character extolled the virtues of the Goddess of the River and her benevolence, introducing her with the following lines:

As the lordly Niger River flows from the tropic Futa Jalon Mountains into the deep Atlantic Sea, through Affric's western stretch of land... 
(Pauses and nods)
Yes... Ohyes...its waters pass a rocky point, jutting into the Niger bed, guarded by hills and ancient rocks where the heroic Asaba town…The rays of the morning sun illuminated the sandy banks and the water below. 
(Pauses and gestures towards the rock.).
This site is recognized as the dwelling place of the goddess Onishe, who holds dominion over the ancient rock. The waters nearby exhibited ripples, disturbed by a splashing sound. A woman of exceptional beauty emerged from thedepths.
(the Goddess of Onishe steps forward from herconcealed position behind the rock and stands prominently).
Her fair, well-proportioned figure, adorned with dark hair cascading to her waist and bright eyes, was complemented by the white loincloth around her waist. Surrounding trees resonated with the melodic songs of birds, creating an anthem of welcome befitting a sovereign. A gentle breeze rustled through the leaves, appearing to approve of her presence.

Despite the reverence the Goddess received from the Custodian, the priest of Onishe, and other community members, she maintained a resolute silence to communicate her deep disappointment regarding the actions of her people, which evidently troubled her deeply.

Citizens’ persistent disregard for environmental sustainability has precipitated profound distress within many communities in Delta State, Nigeria, a coastal region interwoven with rivers flowing from the Niger River. Annual tragedies such as flooding—often resulting from illicit sand mining and the blockage of drainage channels due to improper waste disposal and non-biodegradable materials—have led to loss of life, property damage, and substantial disruption to economic activities. This context is central to the narrative of the play, serving as a major catalyst for the Goddess's discontent. Her people’s actions have transformed the once-bountiful Niger River into what she perceives as a curse rather than a blessing. Floods have compromised the river's natural balance and impeded its ability to remain within its banks. Furthermore, practices such as deforestation, unregulated oil refining, the use of harmful chemicals in fishing, and the relentless deployment of industrial technology—resulting in significant air pollution—endanger both the environment and human health, further stirring the Goddess's ire.

Despite the community's attempts to appease Onishe through various offerings, her disapproval persists. As the play progresses, the priest of Onishe recites the following lines: NWANYI ALA MGOBOGODOR. Hear my prayer! (The Acolytes and Custodian respond to the prayer.) 
AKODI ONYIMA! Receive our offerings! 
(The Acolytes and Custodian respond to the prayer.) 
Mother of our valiant race; bless our harvest 
(The Acolytes and Custodian respond to the prayer). 
Grant us health, be our guardian wherever we may go 
(The Acolytes and Custodian respond to the prayer. Following the prayer, the priest resumes his position on stage.)

The priest’s prayers and the chorused responses of the acolytes receive no response from the Goddess, a testament to the fact that Onishe is aggrieved with the inhabitants of the land. At this point in the production, to fully capture the message of cultural, spiritual, and environmental pollution, the priest and acolytes are motionless, observing what would become of them for disobeying moral and ethical values of the community. This brings to bear the fact that the Nigerian cosmology is communal, and that any breach of moral or spiritual order can affect the entire community.

The play effectively engaged the moral sensibilities of individuals present, reawakening a collective commitment to environmental consciousness.

In the Christian Bible, God instructed Saul to annihilate the Amalekites; however, Saul opted for his own interpretation, ultimately leading to the revelation that obedience is superior to sacrifice. In Goddess of the Niger, the people of Ahaba remained committed to making offerings to the Goddess, without making necessary changes in their environmental behavior; the Goddess remained unyielding, allowing them to face the consequences of their actions. However, upon further entreaties from the priest of Onishe, the Goddess chose to reveal the source of her anger, saying:

O mortal man, go tell Ahaba! My heart is heavy, my spirit is cold;your men and women have strayed… They have failed to maintain a clean environment. They contaminate the drainage systems with plastic and various refuse. They indiscriminately fell trees, essential for providing shade, enhancing beauty, and preserving the ecosystem—all in the pursuit of modernization. They traverse the streets, littering without regard for the consequences of their actions, their hearts hardened and devoid of conscience

Caught in the web of their environmentally destructive habits and grappling with the loss of the nurturing relationship with Mother Nature, the people expedited their efforts towards repentance. They promptly initiated the removal of waste from drainage systems and ceased activities that had inflicted extensive damage on their environment, reaching a consensus to permanently embody the principles of environmental stewardship moving forward.

Within the context of the production and the profound silence of the audience, it became evident that the play effectively engaged the moral sensibilities of individuals present, reawakening a collective commitment to environmental consciousness. Subsequent to the performance, audience members were invited to share their reflections on the production. Professor Chike Emmanuel Onwuka, representing His Royal Highness, commended the innovative concept of the production and reminisced about the imperative of environmental sustainability.

The adaptation and staging of Goddess of the Niger by the Department of Creative Arts at Dennis Osadebay University, Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria, can be regarded as an impactful and successful interventionist theatrical performance, as evidenced by the considerable acclaim received from the public and subsequent policy shifts among the university management concerning environmental sustainability initiatives. Following the performance, individuals displayed heightened awareness of environmental sustainability by increasingly disposing of waste in designated areas and adhering to regulations that promote ecological preservation. Currently, discussions are underway regarding the potential tour of the play to prominent locales in Delta State, aimed at further emphasizing issues related to environmental sustainability.