The Gods Are Not To Blame

This semi-staged reading will take place at the Almeida, as part of Six Artists in Search of a Play.

Inspired by Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, The Gods Are Not To Blame follows King Odewale on a rousing journey to discover what is bringing such bad luck to the people of his kingdom, only to find that the answer lies close to home…

Considered an allegory of colonialism and a response to the Nigerian Civil War, Ola Rotimi’s play considers the roles of fate, ethnic distrust and hostility, and the legacy of colonial conquest in the fall of a flawed hero.

The Gods Are Not To Blame was first staged in Nigeria at the Festival of the Arts in 1968 and awarded first prize in the African Arts/Arts d’Afrique playwriting contest in 1969.

Ebenezer Bamgboye on why he chose this play: “To me, Ola Rotimi is undoubtedly the Shakespeare of Nigeria, and perhaps even of Africa! The Gods Are Not To Blame is a prime example of his excellence and idiosyncrasies; visceral, thrilling, poetic and an enshrinement of the quintessence of Nigerian culture. I count it as a great honour to be able to bring life to his words and hopefully to contribute in a small way to bringing greater recognition to his name and work.”