Following a successful partnership with the Spanish Embassy that saw the adaptation of the first Spanish play into an afrocentric version last year, Ghanaian Playwright Latif Abubakar has again adapted another Spanish play that drew huge patronage over the weekend.
Fused with suspense, dance, educational pieces, and a blend of rich Gonja culture, the play, ‘Life is a Dream’ which is an adaptation of a Spanish script by Pedro Calderon de la Barca had its setting in Gonjaland.
The audience who were left in awe could not help but applaud in excitement as they were treated to a buffet of drama, music and laughter, with each scene and act leaving them in suspense.
Synopsis
The play tells the story of Prince Tijani who had been imprisoned in a tower by his father, King Abdullah, following a prophecy that he would bring disaster to the Kingdom and ultimately the death of the King.
The plot which started with murmuring from Prince Tijani, who had been locked up in the tower since birth, as he recounts events of the last 30 years, wondering what exactly he had been imprisoned for, continued with him being released from prison to rule over Gonjaland as his father, King Abdullah waits with bated breath to see if the prophecy would be fulfilled.
The play focused on morality, honour and vengeance, and centred on conflict between freewill and fate, and the restoration of one’s honour.
Featuring veteran actor, Ecow Smith Asante, Bright Kekeli Jefferson, Pearl Darkey, OB Black, Kofi Boakye, Abraham Macpratt Dadzie and Ghana Most Beautiful Winner 2020, Naa Deede Botchwey, it explored escaping from life’s confusion to awareness of reality and self-knowledge as well as the deepest mysteries of human experience.
Huge patronage
Birthed in 1635 and performed on almost all stages in Europe, the play is being adapted to a Ghanaian and Afrocentric stage play for the first time
drew huge patronage that saw the conference centre filled to capacity for all four shows.
Projecting Ghana’s theatre
Celebrated Playwright and Chief Executive Officer of Globe Productions, Latif Abubakar revealed that his partnership with the Spanish Embassy does not only focus on deepening the Spain-Ghana relationship beyond traditional trade to arts and culture, but also aims at projecting Ghana’s theatre industry to the world.
“This partnership would again set Ghana on the world stage,” he said.
Describing the production as an honour, Mr Latif Abubakar who is adapting a Spanish play for a second consecutive time said, he was honoured to produce an afrocentric version of the play in the country and on the continent for the first time.
Growing collaboration
Commending Mr Abubakar for embarking on this project, the Spanish Ambassador to Ghana, Javier Gutiérrez indicated that, the play among other things, sends a strong message of always striving for goodness, whether asleep or awake.
He said, the play highlighted the growing collaboration between Ghana and Spain in the arts and cultural sector, adding that, the Spain-Ghana relationship goes beyond traditional trade to arts and culture.
“Life is a dream” is in partnership with the Spanish Embassy, M&C Group, Spain-Ghana Chamber of Commerce, The Second Coming of Nkrumah, and supported by Graphic Communications Group Limited and Homebase Television Ltd.
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