Analyzing The 'Imprisonment of Obatala'

Discuss the author and settings of ‘imprisonment of Obatala’

Imprisonment of Obatala is a novel written by Obotunde Ijimere. Obotunde Ijimere was born in Otan Ayigbagu, Western Nigeria in 1930. After leaving secondary school he joined Duroladipo’s therapy company, but soon discovered that he had no talent for acting. He attended Ulli Beiers’s-extra-mural-writers workshop in Oshogbo, and followed his advance to writing in English rather than in Yoruba. Apart from the plays in this volume he has written some shirt stories (he is not very satisfied with the results) and several other plays, including one in Pidgin, the fall of man, especially written for theatre express. The Lagos-based theatre group, Chinwenma (1972).

The drama is played on stage in the theatre. A mythical setting of the play is played in the forest, Savanna and at the two palaces of Obatala and Shango. And this can be confirmed by the following points from the principle text. Tjimeri (1966:3) considerate, “at the palace at Ife Yemanja enters carrying the new Yams whilst is seated in his throne”.

In the forest Eshu sits under a tree with a jar of palm oil as Obatala enters singing. And when the scene lights up a minute later, the forest has changed into a savanna studded with red termite hills. To the left the farmer is digging the ground and on the right Obatala rests in the shade, Tjimeri (1966:3).

Focusing in the author and setting ‘imprisonment of Obstacle’, Explain how the knowledge about the author and setting (including the title) can help a student in studying a literary piece of work.

Knowledge about the author and setting of imprisonment of Obatala helps the person studying this piece of work to have a wider view of the content and hence help the student to interpret the content easily without difficulties and enrich the student with knowledge about the characters’ lifestyle and their society and its elements (culture, beliefs and politics). Therefore, the student will be able to interpret symbols, themes, know the role of characters and interpret the plot as a whole.

Describe the character of Yemanga and Oya, and that of the other woman (OLORIS) in the play using evidence on the story.

Yemanga and Oya were wives of Obatala and Shango respective. The Oloris were Shango’s other wives.

One can describe the characters of Yemanga and Oya as people who played the role of advisors to their respective husbands. In the play Yemanga could be heard warning Obatala not to embark on the journey to visit his friend Shango as she felt it was dangerous to do so. “My husband anybody who waits for Buffalo waits for death. Anybody who waits for an Elephant waits for death. Donot provoke the gods of fate with this rash trip. The kingdom of Oya is harsh.” Yemanga warns Obatala, Oya as well advised Shango against the idea of imprisonment of Obatala.

It’s from this perspective that it can be said that, Yemanga and Oya and the Oloris are minor Characters as they serve to compliment the major characters Obatala and Shango. According to Bernado (2000), a minor character is one who serves to compliment the major characters and help move the plot or events forward.

Based on evidence from the play. How women are regarded or treated (gender issues) as you know today?

Ijimerr (1996:35) stipulates, “the young bride will leave her father’s house, pretending only to weep and will shout wildly; let me have seven times two hundred children”. ‘I captured women red like red antelopes or black indigo, but my seed was pain injected between their thighs, they swelled up horribly and died.

It is from this dimension that it can be inferred that, in this play  the main role of women was to mainly to carryout sex roles such as housekeeping, childbearing and were regarded as sex objects and ones to please men, (1966:40).

Using evidence from the play, give details on the characters of Shango and Obatala.

In the first place, Shango and Obatala were two kings of different kingdoms. Obatala is the king of Ife and god of creation while Shanga, king of Oyo and god of thunder as well as Obatala’s friend. Therefore, one day Obatala embarks on a long journey to visit his friend Shango who was looking forward to meet after a long time. While on this journey he encounters a lot of abstacles, one of them was that he was accused of stealing Shango’s favorite which led to his imprisonment.

Hence, it is from this background information that Obatala is the Protagonist and Shango the Antagonist as he works against Obatala who is the main Character.

Outline the defining episodes of ‘imprisonment of Obatala

The defining episodes of imprisonment of Obatala was when he met Eshu in the Forest which led to Obatala encountering problems such as being accused of stealing Shango’s favorite Horse which led to his arrest and later imprisoned by Shango in chapter two.

Citing examples from the text describe the main themes and the symbolism found in ‘Imprisonment of Obatala’.

 Yemaya lives and rules over the seas and lakes. She also rules over maternity in our lives as she is the mother of all. Her name, a shortened version of Yeye Omo Eja meaning, ‘Mother whose children are the fish’ to reflect the fact that her children are uncountable. All life started in the sea, the amniotic fluid inside the mother’s womb is a form of sea where the embryo must transform and evolve through the form of a fish before becoming a human being. In this way, Yemaya displays herself as truly the mother of all. 
She partakes of Olokun’s abundance as the source of all riches which she freely gives to her little sister Oshun. She dresses herself in seven skirts of blue and white and like the seas and profound lakes she is deep and unknowable. In her path of Okutti she is the queen of witches carrying within her deep and dark secrets. Her number is seven for all the seas, her colors are blue and white, and she is most often representable bythe fish who are her children.

Explain fully want happened as a result Shango putting Obatala in prison.

Obatala is the kindly father of all orishas and all humanity. He sis the owner of all heads and minds. Though it was Olorum (Olodumare) who created the universe, it is Obatala who is the creator of the world and humanity. Obatala is the source of all that is pure, wise and peaceful and compassionate. He has a warrior side though through which he enforces justice in the world. His color is white with is often accented with red, purple and other colors to represent his or her different paths. White is most appropriate for Obatala as it contains all the colors of the rainbow yet is above them. Obatala is also the only Orisha that has both male and female paths.

Thanks To

Bernardo, G. (2000). “Bernardo Gonzalez OlympicResults”. Spain: Spanish Cyclist.

Chinwenma (1972).Learning about Obatala.Washington D.C: Francis Ford Coppala.

Mackenzie, N. (2011). From drawing to writing: What happens when you shift teaching priorities in the first six months of school? Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, 34 (3), 322-340.

 Richard, L. (1985). The art of teaching writing. Portsmouth: Heinemann Press.

Tompkins, G.E. (2010). Literacy in the middle grades. Boston: Pearson Press.

Tjimeri. (1966).  Art Archaeology Literature. Understanding the importance of Literature. New York: Filmmaking.