Book Review: A Play Of Giants By Wole Soyinka

The most prestigious accolade a writer can achieve in the world of literature is the Nobel Prize. This distinguished award is given to outstanding writers whose works are not only exceptional, but also have impacts on society and culture. Simply put, the Nobel Prize Award is like an Oscar award for writers. There are just a few Africans who have won this prize, and one of them is Wole Soyinka. Wole Soyinka is a Nigerian playwright, poet, novelist, and essayist. He was born on July 13, 1934. Wole Soyinka, like many African writers, uses his works as a tool to critique, “butcher, and batter” the contemporary issues that are predominant in African society. His works revolve around the complexities of the African experience. He dives into colonialism, the impact of colonialism, and other contemporary issues.

One notable thing about Wole Soyinka’s works is the use of satire. In literature, satire is a powerful tool employed by writers to bring out the ills of society, as well as proffering solutions. Wole Soyinka, through his works, exposes the absurdity of the Nigerian (his home country) government. One of his plays in which he uses Satire is A Play of Giant.

Although Wole Soyinka is a Nobel Prize winner- One of the few Africans to grease his hands with the award (another Nobel prize winner who is also an African is Gurnah Abdulrazak.) I find some of his works difficult to comprehend. While some of my friends who are also book lovers agree with me, others are of a different school of thought. After reading The Interpreters by Wole Soyinka, I decided to take a pause on reading his works, not only because a friend recommended I read A Play of Giants.

The impact of colonialism on African soil is still fry today, even in the 21st century. The terrible effects defect of self-rule is one of the biggest challenges of colonialism. After colonialism died down, it brought about the usurpation of African dictators such as Idi Amin. These dictators are given absolute power, and they use it as they please. A play of giants exposes the tyrannical nature of African leaders- the giant dictators.

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The play is set in the Bulgarian Embassy in New York. The president of Bulgaria, Kamini, a dictator, is seen at the Bulgarian embassy in New York while his citizens suffer back in the country. Kamini is seen with three other dictators- Guema, Kasco, and Tuboum. It is to be noted that the characters are real-life representations of dictators who have terrorized African soil. Guema represents Macias a Guema of Equitoral Guinea, Kasco represents Jean Baptise Bokassa of the Central African Republic, Kamini represents Idi Amin of Uganda and Tuboum represents Amobi to Sese Seko of Congo.

These four characters are gathered in a room (an office) in the Bulgarian Embassy in New York. Kamini, the main character of the play is their host. The conversation between these dictators mirrors their lack of understanding of issues of politics and economics. As dictators-selfish leaders, all they care about is power and the desire to gain more power. They are always willing to do anything to crumble those who come their way. The absoluteness of their power is evident in how Kamini punishes and silences those who try to voice out their opinions.

Over the years, one notable way in which people deal with dictators is through coups. In Wole Soyinka’s A Play of Giants, the oppressed people, tired of getting oppressed, decided to voice out and take action.

Although A Play of Giants by Wole Soyinka is a masterpiece, it has not been able to really DO anything in society. Drama and literature, in general, often serve as a platform to showcase societal issues rather than directly resolve them. In essence, A Play of Giants has been able to present the issue of dictatorship to the world, but it hasn’t been able to eradicate it. I rate this book 6 out of 10, and I recommend that every book lover should try it out.

Note: All images in this post are mine.