THE SAINT- Tade Adegbindin
SETTING
The setting of the play play is majorly in the Western part of Nigeria, particularly in IFE, Alabata and Ibadan. The okay also has a slight man movement from the Western part if Nigeria to London. It is in London that Aremu studies Occult Practices and Divination and gets married. Ladepo's father, Baba Agba does his fetish practices at Alabata. Ladepo teaches in Ibadan before he resigns and goes fully into his church business in the same Ibadan. It is at Ife that Ladepo and Aremu clash at Fawolu's fetish house.
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| Tade Adegbindin |
PLOT ACCOUNT
The play is a satirical comedy that captures the playwright's contrast between the modern and religious practices or festish ones.
It is centered on Ladipo who believes his own religion is the right and superior one and must bring tradition religion into subjection. Ladepo is a well know school teacher, who continues to experience different forms of hardship as a result of poor treatment of teachers and irregular payment of salaries by government. He abandons his teaching profession and goes fully into Religious pastoral work. His ministry has recorded many miracles. He is highly revered in the city of Ibadan and he was called “The Saint”. Ladepo has a young son called Aremu. Aremu has so much deep interest and confidence in occult practices which he has seen in his grand father, Baba Agba. Ladepo made many tactics to make Aremu change his belief. He sends him to London to study, in gje care of Rev. Ferguson. He gains admission to study Philosophy in the University but he also entrolled for a part time course in Ocullt Practices and Divination. On hearing this, Ladepo disowns Aremu. Aremu struggles to complete his education. He marries after his education.
Ladepo strongly condemns Aremu's Occult practices while Aremu hooks on to that passionately. The clash continues until the father and the son coincidentally meet at a native doctor's place at IFE where Ladepo comes to renew his monthly sacrifice called aworo at a well known house of the priest of Ifa. Aremu is shocked at his father’s hypocritical nature. There in the house of Fawolu, he fights his father bitterly. He threatens to kill his father with a knife but Ladepo escapes. At the end, it dawns on Ladepo that he can no longer cover his heinous hypocritical sins. So, he plunges himself into the Asejire damn and dies a painful death. A ‘convenient suicide' because he know Aremu would bring his evil deeds into the public glare.
THEMES
1. The plight of Teachers: The play portrays the poor condition of teachers in the country. Ladepo and Mope become frustrated before they open church business. Madam Tooke also bitterly comains the poor state of education in the country.
2. Strong love and passion for Traditional and Fetish Practices: in the Saint, the playwright portrays one's firm love for the traditional practices. Aremu is a perfect example of one who has undaunted and unquenching love towards his tradition.
3. Religious clash: The play presents a serious clash between the traditional belief and Christian ideals. Aremu sees the practice of his grand father as things that could humanity to flourish. On the other hand, Ladepo pretends that traditional practices are devilish.
4. Deception, Hypocrisy and Secrecy: This is dominant theme in the play. Ladepo condemns, his father’s practices and even refuses to attend his funeral, yet he uses the fetish tools to perform miracles in the form of a church. He disowns his son for believing in Ifa practices yet he is caught right inside the house of Ifa priest.
Major and minor characters
1. Ladepo: He is the father of Aremu and husband of Mope. He is a teacher before he ventured into pastoring work. He performs several miracles and signs. He rejects his son's ambition of becoming an occultic practitioner like his own father. He disowns his son, Aremu when he later finds out he changed from his course of study abroad to what he has forbidden him. He commits sucide by plunging into a ditch when his son met him at a place where he had come to renew his occultic power for his ministrarial work.
2. Aremu: He is the son of Ladepo and Mope. He falls in love with occultism after he visited his grandfather. His father later disowns him due to his willingness to study occultic practice.
3. Mope: She is the wife of Ladepo. She is also a teacher like her husband. Due to treatment meted out to teachers, she joins her husband in his ministerial work. She also frowns at her son studying occultic practices abroad and expressed great concern when Ladepo cut ties with Aremu.
4. Baba Agba: He is the father of Ladepo and the grandfather of Aremu. He is a traditionalist. Aremu falls in love with tradtional religion as opposed to Christianity after his visit to Baba Agba.
5. Rev. Fergusson: He is the guardian of Aremu when he studies abroad. He is the one who informs his parents of his decision to study course other than what his parents are aware of.
6. Adetoun
7. Iya Olobi
8. Fabunmi
9. Chief Dalemo
10. Bisi
11. Madam Tooke
