When the much-anticipated premiere of Odigbose – The play, made it debut on MUSON Centre, Onikan, on Saturday, October 17, 2026, it didn’t disappoint. This as all the elements of theatre; this time, African theatrics, came together to give vent, colours, vibrancy and true meaning to the historic narrative of the theme of the dramatic production based on the slave trade story.

The Agip Hall on this fateful Saturday night welcomed a mixed gathering made of Nigerian and international audience; all lovers of theatre, music, dance and rich entertainment, to its bowels.

The cosmopolitan audience was held spellbound by the historic and stage presentation nuances of Odigbose – The play, written and directed by Otunba Wanle Akinboboye; renowned tourism investor and developer. He is also the creator of the La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort brand, a multiple-awards winning African themed resort, known for its promotion of a mixed blend of iconic African cultural heritage and hospitality motifs, amidst a splash of elegance and modern opulence.

The dramatic piece penned and directed for live theatre by Akinboboye, took the subdued audience back to happenings between the 16th and 19th centuries. An unravelling of the tragic moment that is better forgotten in the history of Africa.

An era of betrayals, enslavement, suffering, and pains inflicted on an innocent generation and people by brutish and heartless slave merchants, who offered all forms of inducements to the unsuspecting leaders to betray the trust and confidence of their people in selling them out for peanuts to the merchants who subjected them to some of the most inhumane treatments under hash conditions, weathers and environments.

For Akinboboye, who has added another stripe to his growing armour of creative ferment and investment in humanity, Odigbose – The play, was more than an historic and entertaining piece.

It was a creative and literary work that explored an alternate narrative from the perspective of an African, who knew the pains and sufferings that his forebears were subjected to and has through the years committed himself to not just repudiating it but reversing it by investing in the promotion of the best of Africa through his Continent Building and Motherland Beckons platforms and of recent, his IPADA Initiatives.

He noted on the night that the dramatic piece was inspired by his desire to reverse and correct what he described as the misrepresentation of the African side of the story by outsiders.

Akinboboye noted that for centuries the story of the transatlantic slave trade had been told by others, adding that with Odigbose, Africa was reclaiming its voice.

According to him; “Africa tells its own story, in its own rhythm, with its own tears and its own truth, with its author, director, cast and crew within its hallowed soil.

“The story of the African slave trade has been told by outsiders in many different ways, often misrepresenting the African side of it.

“A wrong impression has been presented that it was our kings who were willingly selling their subjects to the white men, but with this play, we try to correct that impression.”

He described most of the slaves from Africa soil as prisoners of war not just slaves as painted by the slave masters and their European collaborators.

“The white men supplied weapons to the African kingdoms and set them against one another to buy prisoners of war, he said, adding:

“They knew that no one would willingly hand over people, so they brought arms and weapons of war so that armies could go to war and they could have prisoners of war.’’

Produced by Atunda Entertainment, Akinboboye’s musical and entertainment productions company, Odigbose – The play premiere, was a truly total African theatre, with rich display of music, songs, dance, choregraphed movement, pageantry, and costumes, as well as poetic and oratory display.

The premiere was under the auspices of Motherland Beckons – IPADA Initiatives in conjunction with the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA).

… voices from the audience

The members of the audience were thrilled, entertained, educated and inspired by the production, describing the evening as well-spent and a fulfilling one.

Renowned Nigerian awards winning script writer, Tunde Babalola, who is also the screen writer for the film version of ‘Odigbose’ currently under production, said; “It really was a tremendous experience for me. It was that way because I last watch that play about 20 years ago. When it was staged at his Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos resort, La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort and I base my film adaptation screen play on that stage play I saw then.

‘‘Bravo to the cast and crew, bravo to Otunba Wanle Akinboboye and bravo to Atunda Entertainment Productions for staging such a great production.’’

Justice Eniola Adejare Fabamwo of the Ogun State High Court, described Odigbose as an interesting and thought-provoking performance.

She shared her reflections on the importance of historical awareness and the value of theatre in preserving cultural heritage, saying:

“The play Odigbose was particularly interesting. I came across the invitation online, and being a lover of history, especially historical theatrical performances, I was naturally interested in attending.

“What particularly surprised me was that a production of this nature, staged at such a prestigious venue, was being offered to the public free of charge. I consider this a commendable initiative and appreciate the organisers for making it possible.

“The history of the slave trade has always been of particular interest to me. Understanding our past is essential to appreciating our present and making informed decisions about our future. Historical productions such as this bring events beyond the pages of books, presenting them in a manner that is both engaging and instructive.

“I would particularly encourage young people to attend performances of this nature. While social and recreational activities have their place, we should equally make time for cultural and educational events that broaden our knowledge and deepen our understanding of our heritage.”

She commended and expressed appreciation to Akinboboye for the production: “I thank Otunba Wanle Akinboboye for this initiative and acknowledge the efforts of the cast and production team. The performance was colourful, engaging and provided valuable insights into aspects of the slave trade and its historical significance.

“I hope that more opportunities will be created for the public, particularly the younger generation, to experience historical and cultural productions of this nature.”

NACCIMA, National President, Engineer Jani Ibrahim, said history has been corrected: “Tonight, history has been corrected for the past, present and future generations. We are no longer in the dark about what actually transpired during the slave trade. I want to thank Otunba Wanle Akinboboye specially for this great historic achievement.”

For the Daramolas (Husband and wife), it was a greet evening: “We enjoyed ourselves. It has been a great evening.” The wife added; ‘‘we saw Odigbose. I cried a little (laugh). The drums. The story of our people being taken away, it touched us.”

Abayomi Davies, an Art enthusiast and music teacher, said he was impressed by the cast. “Their comportment on stage, the line delivery, it was so real like the play was actually taking place in real life. And that essentially what a good cast, injects into a stage play.”

While Mrs. Lilian Okechukwu said: “The part that impressed me most was the wresting match. There were so many people on stage all at the same time, yet everyone had their significance and they all played their various roles very well. ‘‘Also, the love scenes looked very real. Are you sure those two are not deeply in love in real life?’’

Professor Wasiu Babalola of Atiba University, commended the historical presentation, saying; “There is no better time to tell our stories than now. And we must tell it in our own way. In our own younger days, we learnt about the slave trade from films like The Roots, the story of Kunta Kinte produced by the West.

‘‘But now our children use Internet to get the information. So, we have to tell this story in a manner they will understand what actually happened.”

According to the Professor of Hotel Management and Tourism: “When you say Odigbose, it means you are leaving. It is bye-bye forever. Now we are saying Odigbose. And that word now has more meaning to our tradition, that despite all we faced, we are still here.”