BACKGROUND OF THE PLAY
The play Once Upon an Elephant by Bosede Ademilua-Afolayan explores the deep-rooted issues of leadership in Nigeria and African societies. It examines the challenges of dictatorship, the desperate quest for power, and the collective effort required to restore democracy in oppressive regimes. Through its narrative, the play exposes the corruption, secrecy, and even diabolical practices that often accompany authoritarian rule. It emphasizes how dictatorship frequently collapses abruptly, as portrayed by the resistance led by Iya Agba, Desola, Odekunle, and Delani, who, fed up with oppression, unite to overthrow the tyrannical ruler, Ajanaku.
Setting
The play is set in a fictional traditional African village with Yoruba origins. The community lives in simplicity, untouched by foreign cultural influences. However, the story reflects Nigeria’s and Africa's political realities, shedding light on contemporary leadership issues within a traditional framework.
Plot Summary
Once Upon an Elephant is structured in fourteen acts without scenes and begins in media res. The current king, Akinjiobi, is gravely ill, and the question of succession stirs a conspiracy. Ajanaku, one of the king's sons, collaborates with Serubawon, a medicine man and priest, to secure the throne. With bribes and secret rituals, Ajanaku manipulates elders like Ogundele and Odejimi to support his claim. Eventually, after King Akinjiobi’s death, Ajanaku is crowned king in a grand village square ceremony.
As king, Ajanaku exhibits tyranny, seizing fertile lands under the pretext of resolving disputes. Iya Agba, the late king’s widow, repeatedly challenges his actions and accuses his wife, Omoyeni, of abandoning her true lover, Delani. She further casts doubts on the legitimacy of Omoyeni’s unborn child, suggesting that Serubawon might even be Ajanaku’s father.
Ajanaku’s reign reaches its darkest point when he rapes Desola, Serubawon’s daughter, during a ritual in the forest. The ritual, IJEDODO, is a horrifying act requiring the sacrifice of virgins to sustain the ruler’s power, leading to their slow and painful deaths. This event, combined with Ajanaku’s other atrocities, becomes the catalyst for rebellion as oppressed individuals band together to resist his rule.
Through its vivid characters and intense narrative, Once Upon an Elephant portrays the devastating consequences of unchecked power while emphasizing the strength in unity against tyranny.
It is later revealed that Serubawon was Ajanaku’s real father because Serubawon had an affair with Adebisi, the second wife of the late king. It was also Serubawon that caused the sickness of the late king (Serubawon confessed to these). Iya Agba had seen Adebisi and Serubawon having sex, and in other to cover their abomination, they both lied against Iya Agba and she was sent out of the palace. Iyale leads in Demoke, Odekunle carries Desola on his back while the others wait outside. Iyale comes to ask Iya Agba for help, Desola could neither stand nor talk and the IJEDODO ritual was beginning to take effect on her.
It was the intervention of Iya Agba that altered the situation. At the JOBELE ceremony where Ajanaku expected to attain immortality, Iya Agba led the victims of Ajanaku to reclaim their lives from him. Desola embraced Ajanaku to take her life back from him and Odekunle wraps a charmed red cloth around his neck which makes him weak and later killed him. Serubawon committed suicide, he was ashamed to face his family after all the atrocities he had committed. Omoyeni’s pregnancy belonged to Delani and they were reunited after Ajanaku’s death, and Omoyeni went into labor. A new king was to be announced soon, and hopefully through a more democratic process.
MAJOR INCIDENTS IN THE PLAY
1. Serubawon performs some rites on Ajanaku but some elders were not in support of Ajanaku taking the throne.
2. Serubawon and Ajanaku bribe Odejimi and Ogundele with gifts.
3. Desola and her lover Odekunle meet secretly in the bush.
4. Ajanaku is crowned king at the village square.
5. Iyale, Odejimi’s wife advises him to stop worrying about the new king.
6. Odejimi believes that Iya Agba is insane.
7. Iya Agba accuses Ajanaku of taking what doesn’t belong to him.
8. Iya Agba accuses Omoyeni of leaving Delani to marry Ajanaku and also that she was carrying a bastard.
9. Iya Agba hints that Serubawon might be Ajanaku’s real father.
10. One of the men of Oguno who brought a complaint before stabs himself.
11. Ajanaku rapes Desola.
12. Desola tells her father Serubawon what Ajanaku did to her.
13. Serubawon goes to the palace and almost choked Ajanaku to death.
14. Omoyeni reveals to Iya Agba that Delani is the father of her child and not Ajanaku.
15. Iyale leads Demoke and others ask Iya Agba for help, Desola could neither sit nor talk.
16. Serubawon confessed his crimes and also revealed he was Ajanaku’s father.
17. Iya Agba leads Desola and others to the palace where Desola hugs Ajanaku in order to break the IJEDODO ritual and regain her life back.
18. Odekunle places a charm on Ajanaku’s neck and he falls to the ground dead.
19. Desola regains herself and Serubawon commits suicide.
20. Omoyeni goes into labor.
CHARACTERS/CHARACTERIZATION
Ajanaku/Olaniyonu; He is the protagonist of the play. A tyrant king and Serubawon’s real son. He was thirsty for power and plotted with Serubawon to make him king even though he wasn’t the first son of king Akinjiobi. He forcefully took people’s lands and also married Omoyeni against her will. Ajanaku ended up raping his half-sister Desola in order to complete the IJEDODO ritual. Through the help of Iya Agba, he was killed on the day he was going to complete the ritual and become immortal.
Serubawon; An elder under the kingship of King Akinjiobi, a seer and medicine man. It was he who caused the death of the king and also helped Ajanaku ascend the throne. He later revealed that he was the real father of Ajanaku, he had an affair with the King’s younger wife Adebisi and they both connived to lie against Iya Agba because she had seen them having sex. Ajanaku ended up raping his daughter Desola so Serubawon had no choice but to confess his crimes and due to shame, he committed suicide by hanging himself on an iroko tree.
Iya Agba; The former, falsely accused and disgraced wife of King Akinjiobi. She was falsely accused by Serubawon and Adebisi because she caught them having sex. It was she who led the victims of Ajanaku to ritually reclaim their rights and lives from him. She was never in support of Ajanaku being crowned king.
Omoyeni; The wife to Ajanaku. She agreed to marry Ajanaku because he threatened to destroy her family if she didn’t accept his proposal. Ajanaku also threatened to kill Delani, her lover. She later revealed to Iya Agba that Delani was that father of her child and not Ajanaku. She went into labor at the end of the play after she and Delani got back together.
Other characters in the play includes;
Odejimi, Ogundele & Odegbami; Elders in the village.
Iyale; Odejimi’s wife.
Odekunle; Odejimi’s son and Desola’s lover.
Desola; Serubawon’s daughter.
Demoke; Serubawon’s wife.
Delani; Omoyeni’s lover.
Yele, Lere, Dele; Odekunle’s friends.
Yosola; Desola’s friend.
King Akinjiobi; The late king.
THEMES
Dictatorship; This is seen in how Ajanaku takes over the throne. When he became the king, he refused to listen to advice from the elders, he forcefully took over lands and always wanted to have his way in all issues. When the people of Oguno brought a complaint before him, he refused to help simply because they did not increase the tribute, they gave to him. He even ordered one of the men to be stripped naked but the man resisted and stabbed himself instead. Ajanaku’s rule was very different from that of his father king Akinjiobi.
Betrayal; Serubawon, who was the trusted friend of king Akinjiobi slept with one of the king’s wives (Adebisi), and he also ruined the king’s health which led to his death. He also plotted to have Ajanaku; his bastard son enthroned as king even when the king had other sons.
Poor Leadership/Injustice; Ajanaku had poor leadership skills. He oppressed the land and the people in it, he caused pain to the people. He used his power and position as king to forcefully take things from people and even threatened them with death. Injustice is seen in how Ajanaku decided on the land case, he decided to take the land because of how rich the land was, hereby leaving the real owners in pain.
Bribery and Corruption; The process with which Ajanaku came into power is fraught and filled with bribery and corruption. Ajanaku and Serubawon uses gifts to bribe and induce the Guild of Hunters and elders to support him in his quest for the throne. This shows how leadership processes in Nigeria and Africa at large has been monetized.
Internal Colonialism; When the people of Oguno came to Ajanaku to ask for help because they were being invaded by neighboring tribes, Ajanaku treated them badly. He didn’t mind that they have been paying tributes to him, he demanded for more tributes from them not minding their plight and he eventually refused to help them. This highlighted the difference between king Akinjiobi’s reign and that of Ajanaku.
Other themes in the play includes;
Ø Rape
Ø Triumph of good over evil
Ø Adultery
STYLE AND TECHNIQUE/LITERAY DEVICES
Diction/language; The play is written in simple and transparent English. The playwright also made use of indigenous words drawn from the Yoruba language and culture. For example; “Ajanaku” is a Yoruba word for an elephant or a strong person. But in the play, it also serves as a metaphor for and oppressor or a dictator. “Baale” is a Yoruba word/expression which means “my husband or my lord”. The expression was used by Iyale to refer to Odejimi her husband.
Foreshadowing; This is when an event is revealed to the reader earlier in the novel, and the event comes to pass later in the novel.
When Ogundele (a hunter) was invited by Serubawon to the secret meeting, he said “….until we know why Serubawon suddenly wants our values twisted, we are clutching at nothing” (pg. 19). These words foreshadow the revelation later in the play by Iya Agba that Ajanaku was Serubawon’s son.
The Use of Innuendo; Innuendo is an indirect and usually a malicious implication.
Iya Agba uses innuendo to speak most times throughout the play. An instance was when Ajanaku called her mad and she replied saying that “the lizard may resemble a crocodile, but they are certainly different” (pg. 36). This innuendo referred to Ajanaku and it meant that he was not the biological son of Akinjiobi, and therefore not fit to be king.
Dramatic Irony; Dramatic irony refers to when a situation or event is known/understood by the audience but not by the character. An instance was when Ajanaku was boasting that he was responsible for Omoyeni’s pregnancy but the audience actually knew that the child belonged to Delani.
Situational Irony: Situational irony occurs when the outcome of an event or situation is the opposite of what is expected. For example, Serubawon’s cruelty ultimately backfires, resulting in harm to his family. His daughter, Desola, is raped, and he eventually takes his own life. Similarly, Ajanaku also meets a tragic end by losing his life at the conclusion of the play.
Other techniques used in the play include:
- Foreshadowing
- Allusion
- Suspense
- Rhetorical questions
- Madness as a motif
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