ART EXHIBITION: NIGER DELTA UNIVERSITY TO EXPERIENCE, A MIGHTY DRAMA, ANDAKAZI THE WARRIOR GODDESS

The Niger Delta University, NDU in Bayelsa State, Amassoma Wilberforce Island will today experience a mighty seasonal drama, allegedly the first ever Ijaw feminist stage play titled “Andakazi, the Warrior Goddess” at the department of Theatre Arts.

This was disclosed to Gbaramatu Voice Newspaper by the director of the stage drama, Romana Ajuju who assures her audience of putting up a superlative performance.

Ajuju stressed that the play Andakazi, the warrior goddess written by Dr. Benedict Binebai would be the first ever feminist Ijaw seasonal stage play to be written ever in the Niger Delta particularly of the Ijaw extraction.

She however, praised the author for the usage of language and the actions embedded in the literary piece.

According to her, the drama is indeed a great attempt by Dr. Binebai in giving a voice to Ijaw females.

In her words: ” The author has successfully created a literary space for females of Ijaw, this is a play all daughters of Ijaw must watch as Princess Andakazi’s fighting prowess transcends beyond the world of the living, I am assuring you that you will be highly marvelled to see this war goddess with so much powers for the emancipation of her people”.

Romana further, uses the opportunity to invites members of the general public especially Ijaw women and all good spirited Niger Deltans to go to the LT Theatre by 6pm to watch the play live at Amassoma.

The erudite scholar, Dr. Benedict Binebai, while writing on the plot of the drama, have this to say.

“Andakazi, a drama set in the Ancient Iduwini world, situated along the Atlantic coast of Southwestern Delta state and northwestern Bayelsa state, narrates the story of a powerful female Ijaw warrior, born into a mortal family at Amatu, a family murdered by an ambitious man, Amaba. She is saved, raised, and blessed in collaboration with the gods to stand against social dislocation. She has camaraderie in Tare-ere, who later becomes her twin sister separated from her, at birth, during the fatal onslaught against their father, Ebitimi, the King of Amatu. Meeting for the first time as victim and rescuer, Tare-ere and Andakazi, in that order, and later as twin sisters, stand against ruthless subjugators and senseless gods and demons who try to bring down humanity. Legend of Andakazi: Warrior goddess is my classic contribution to creativity in African literature.  Is it an eight-part cyclical drama created to showcase the Iduwini concept of an epic female heroism and social restoration.

“The eponymous heroine fights her battles with wisdom, power, passion, courage and endangerment, enduring and dominating the temperature of battles and daring clashes, to ensure the liberation of woman and the world held captive by dark forces. Andakazi is a defender and

combatant, a true African warrior of Iduwini brand who deploys a magical device like a staff that regenerates and appropriates other mystical advantages in battles in addition to her physical strength and belligerent intelligence.

“Against such heroic villain like Ozidi, her military image tilts more to the side of restoration than destruction. The warrior Princess deploys destruction as a necessary inkling to defeat her enemies and as a basic measure to enforce   social change, a dislocation theory rooted in the Egbesu philosophy of restoration. Intelligence, perseverance and military skills toughen her stature as a warrior Princess. Andakazi becomes widely known as a warrior goddess, after her death, appearing in battles to fight in defense of Iduwini when called upon to do so. Princess Andakazi’s fight, traverses, the land of the living through the spiritual world to the land of the dead. She is an extreme model of the Nietzschean hero structure, who stands up for her beliefs as she is an acute epitome of the hard-hitting woman, a warrior classic.

“The play, Andakazi Warrior goddess is indeed a play to watch.  It is rich in language and would be so explosive with lots of dramatic exhibitions to be directed by Romana Tare Ajuju with so much experience, a communicator turned thespian and an expert dancer.” Binebai stated.