#ReadwithMe: Líṣàbí Agbòǹgbò-Àkàlà

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Líṣàbí Agbòǹgbò-Àkàlà
Líṣàbí Agbòǹgbò-Àkàlà cover page
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I just finished reading Olu Owolabi’s Líṣàbí Agbòǹgbò-Àkàlà. The fast-paced historical drama text is an enactment of the titular character’s efforts to free the Ẹ̀gbá people from the imperial bondage of the Aláàfin and his overbearing tax collectors. The play is a somewhat practical and logical projection of the rebellion championed by Líṣàbí, especially as it marries military strategy with reliance on spiritual elements.

Líṣàbí Agbòǹgbò-Àkàlà is divided both structurally and thematically into four acts. Act 1 projects the power excesses of Aláàfin’s tax collectors pit against the suffering of the oppressed, overtaxed citizens of weaker Yoruba states, with particular emphasis on the Egba people. Act 2 is a build-up of the resistance movement started by the Egba people, with Líṣàbí at the forefront, using the communal farming system to instill communal responsiveness in the participating men.

Act 3 signals the beginning of a war between Ẹ̀gbá and Ọ̀yọ́, after the former killed all the tax collectors Aláàfin had assigned them. The Egba army, under the leadership of Balógun Líṣàbí, employs clever military strategy augmented by spiritual backing to defeat an overconfident, arrogant Oyo army.

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In Act 4, which is the last part of the play, Líṣàbí himself becomes a victim of conspiracy among his henchmen, who are not only threatened by Líṣàbí’s growing fame but also feel they are not given enough credits for their roles in the war.

The play makes judicious use of praise chants, analogies, protest songs, incantations, and of course, monologues. It is a go-to resource material for people learning to speak Yoruba the right way. I learnt a few expressions from the text, one of which is repeatedly used in Act 2 during the build-up of the resistance to ensure secrecy of their plans. I am holding on to that:

“Ó di fẹ́mú, ọbẹ̀ kì í mì n’íkùn àgbà.”

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