Bells University Performing Troupe displaying their talent as they present the 202? Convocation Play titled ‘Embers’ to a standing ovation by the audience.
The students, given the room to showcase and highlight their artistic prowess have been able to, over the years, display acclaimed theatrical presentations which have enriched the all-round educational package offered by Bells University of Technology.
Play Synopsis:
Soji Cole’s Embers narrates the story of victims of Boko Haram, the terrorist group that had continued to wreak havoc in many parts of northern Nigeria. The story captured the different dimensions of the crisis and the responses of the parties involved. Adding to the deeply psychological and nascent genre that included works like Elnathan John’s Born on a Tuesday and Edify Yakusak’s After They Left, Embers told a story of survival and the extent people are willing to go for it.
In a camp for internally displaced persons, three girls found solace at the feet of a woman, Talatu, who guided them and swapped stories with them. They all reminisce on their lives before the security crisis that forced them from their homes. Each person had a tale to tell and the stories show that the girls were forced to grow up faster than their biological ages.
This was obvious in the thoughtful and engaging conversations they had with one another. When one of the girls talked about going back to school, another asked, ‘How then do you speak of homes and schools and not how we need to learn to be human again’ ?
This showed that their very existence was colored by the crisis. This, it could be suggested, was a precursor to the behavior that some of them exhibited eventually.
After sharing moments and resources in the camp, it was revealed that one of the girls worked with the terrorists and had been pretending. This caused trouble for the group and the camp. It was further revealed that she was not the only terrorist in the camp.
There were several of them within the camp, disguised as victims, waiting to strike at the appointed time. The events leading to the climax of the play were also well arranged to show the tension that characterized the daily lives of soldiers.
The use of personal recollections of events made the narrative compelling. Both the soldiers and the survivors recollected events and decisions that shaped their lives.
