Guardian

THE premiere of the much-publicized “Kakadu” took place last week Thursday at the Agip Recital Hall of Musical Society of Nigeria (MUSON). It was very well attended. It was grand!

Before the show started at around 7.30 in the evening, invitees (consisting of dignitaries and special guests) were seen in groups - at the foyer of the Hall, chatting and exchanging pleasantries amid cocktail drinks and food - as they looked forward to the ‘Musical’. The renowned Chief Mbanefo who continues to command the air of grandeur jocularly said, “Benson, this is the imagined Kakadu, not the real one,” a statement which spoke volumes for his active involvement and participation in the unique entertainment treat provided by the trumpeter and band leader, E.C. Arinze and His Music at Kakadu (the night club) in the 60s.

Indeed, Kakadu the ‘Musical’ is a product of the fertile imagination of lawyer Uche Nwokedi (SAN) whose pen is restless and productive. It is a metaphor which figuratively tells the story of post independence Lagos (and by extension, Nigeria) in terms of the peace, love, togetherness, jollification and harmonious co-existence that dominantly prevailed until the Nigerian civil war halted this tranquility in 1967 and enthroned the ugly and venomous situation in which we find ourselves today: There is insecurity in the land; there is man’s inhumanity to man; corruption has become a way of life; love for one another has disappeared, giving way to selfishness, tribal discrimination and hatred; people are no more their neighbours’ keepers; night life which used to be the motivation for entertainment and  socialization has ceased  to exist for fear of being molested by night marauders. Before the war, Lagos was innocent; life was peaceful:

As if it was one big family, people lived together happily no matter the tongue and tribe. There was no oil boom but the economy was buoyant; everybody was happy. Night life was vibrant; power was steady; street lights were working; people went about their duties earnestly day and night. Robbery was at its lowest ebb. ‘Armed’ robbery was a product of the war as guns and ammunition found their ways into the hands of miscreants during and after the uprising. This whole scenario and its aftermath were vividly painted by The Playhouse Initiative with a lot of help from passionately committed producers, directors, musicians, dancers, actors and actresses.

I had the privilege of peeping into their rehearsals on three occasions and was thrilled by performances even as the actors and actresses were still in the process of cleaning up and perfecting their acts. On the first day, I was made to listen to the Prologue and Epilogue which had already taken shape but were still being rehearsed for frequency of impression and proper assimilation. The words were written by Uche Nwokedi himself while Ben Ogbeiwi, the musical director and obviously the principal character in the ‘Musical’ did a good job of setting the message to music and communicating the meaning intended by the writer.  Both prologue which extols the virtues of pre - civil war Lagos, and the Epilogue which attempts to chart a way forward - are musical masterpieces whose arrangement technique, melodic inventiveness and harmonic exploration are impressive and memorable.

I was confronted with the body of the Musical upon my second visit and was intrigued by the commitment displayed by actors and actresses who combined dancing with narration and singing. Despite putting up their best, Director Kanayo Omo, a stickler for perfection, was still pushing for excellence. The third visit to the group’s grand rehearsal exposed me to a full length performance with which I was quite pleased.

However, having had a full dose of this special entertainment treat, I did not think there was any need for me to see the premiere at Agip Recital Hall; I felt I had seen everything, but I was wrong. I should have missed the real essence of the show if I had not attended: New perspectives and dimensions were introduced which could not be simulated at the rehearsals namely: costumes, ambience, stage performance, enthusiasm and determination. Some of the superlatives that chased themselves through my mind in quick succession (by way of description) as I watched included, “excellent,” “brilliant,” “masterpiece!” My judgment should have fallen short of this assessment based on the rehearsal experience alone.

It is pretty easy to single out individuals for special mention in a cast of over 60 people, but not in a ‘Musical’ of this nature where the spirit of collectivism is the formula for successful production and accomplishment.

The ‘Musical’ is a gigantic project, which has succeeded in telling its story with appropriate music, using selected songs from the 60s to the 70s (for relevance, explanation and corroboration) - as vehicles for illumination. The performing band has given credibility to the whole story with genuine interpretation of the various tunes which in themselves constitute landmarks in the dynamic culture of the country.

Kakadu the ‘Musical’ is about Lagos and not the night club of the same name. The pertinent question that needs to be answered here is: Why Kakadu, the night club, as metaphor when in fact, there were hundreds of other night clubs in Lagos in the 60s? Three buildings away from Kakadu, directly opposite Alagomeji Bus Stop, Yaba was Central   Hotel owned by Chief Osuala where Rex Jim Lawson and Stephen Osadebe performed at different times. Down the road towards Lagos was Palace Hotel where juju bands performed. Opposite Sabo police station, Yaba was Ambassador Hotel where Chief Bill Friday and the Ambassador Downbeats made highlife history. Roy Chicago’s Rhythm Dandies performed at Mayflower Hotel, Mushin (then Abalabi Hotel) before relocating to Surulere Night club. Victor Olaiya, the evil genius of highlife moved from Cool Cats, Apapa Road to his Stadium Hotel in Surulere. The clubs were many!

There was Empire Hotel, Idioro (owned by Chief Kanu) where Stephen Amechi’s Empire Rhythm Skies and other bands thrilled their fans daily. Directly opposite was Lido Bar where Charles Iwegbue and His Archibogs entertained a clientele that was dominated by whites and women of easy virtue. Around the corner was Boundary Hotel which constituted an ideal residency for Fatai Rolling Dollar and His Band. Along Ikorodu Road was Bobby Benson’s Caban Bamboo while the master lyricist Adeolu Akinsanya was leading an aggregation of highlife stalwarts at Western Hotel, Mushin. The clubs were many, so why Kakadu?

As a matter of fact, this is not the first time that Kakadu is coming as a figurative expression for depicting peace, love and togetherness in Lagos. Some time ago, there was this documentary by Lagos state captioned “Kakadu, This Is Lagos.” The answer is simple:

Also known as the Magic Spot, Kakadu was established and given its identity by E C Arinze and His Music. Even though he played highlife like the others in the various clubs, it was only part of a mixed bag that also featured calypso, the Latin beat, blues, jive, fox trot, waltz, quickstep and in fact dance music of the ball room type. The band played everything. And it was this phenomenon that attracted people of different classes, races, tribes and varying musical tastes - to the club. Besides, the band was an all - star aggregation where Victor Uwaifo, Exy Ohunta and others contributed their own individual songs to enrich its repertoire and hold down the dance floor community.

When E. C. Arinze clocked 80 a couple of years ago, and I had an exclusive interview with him for my Evergreen Column in the Guardian, I asked him to flash back and recall memories of Kakadu. He started by saying, “Kakadu was the magic spot where I entertained the whole world……..” Indeed, Kakadu brought everybody together!