''Belong'' is a contemporary play by British playwright

Bola Agbaje Bola Agbaje is a British-born playwright of Nigerian origin.

British politician The United Kingdom is a unitary state with Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolution that is governed within the framework of a parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy in which the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, monarc ...

who unexpectedly finds opportunity in his remote hometown village in

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

, ''Belong'' explores the impact of

Western culture Leonardo da Vinci's ''Vitruvian Man''. Based on the correlations of ideal Body proportions">human proportions with geometry described by the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius in Book III of his treatise ''De architectura''. image:Plato Pio-Cle ...

and the meaning of home and family. Originally coproduced by the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, Englan ...

and the

Tiata Fahodzi Tiata Fahodzi (ti∙a∙ta fa∙hoon∙zi) – meaning "theatre of the emancipated" – is a British African theatre company founded in 1997 by Femi Elufowoju Jr. It receives funding as a National Portfolio Organisation of the Arts Council England ...

Company, ''Belong'' opened to critical acclaim, receiving praise for its ability to "tackle big issues" and "switch deftly between Britain and Nigeria."

Characters

* Kayode, black man, forty-five. Well-spoken, sometimes has a Nigerian accent. * Rita, Kayode's wife. Black woman, thirty-five. Nigerian, speaks English. * Fola, friend, black woman, forty. Well-spoken with a Nigerian accent. * Kunle, black boy, twenty-eight. Nigerian accent. * Mama, Kayode's mother, sixty-five. Well-spoken with a Nigerian accent * Barman/Buchi, black men, early twenties. Strong African accents. * Chief Olowolaye, Kunle's boss. Black man, fifty. Strong African accent. * Police Commissioner, (Samson Ali-Amin), black man, forty. African accent.

Plot

Scene 1

Young and aspirational Kayode has just wrapped up a failed campaign for office in Britain. By the end of the scene, his wife's friend Fola has convinced him to take a vacation to Nigeria, his homeland, to visit Kayode's mother who he has not seen for several years.

Scene 2

Upon arrival at Kayode's Mama's house, Kayode is introduced to a stray young man, Kunle, that Mama has taken in as one of her own. Following in similar footsteps to Kayode, Kunle is an aspiring politician who has brought social and education reform to his town at only the age of 28. Mama also learns that Kayode has stopped practicing his religion, and blames Rita, Kayode's wife, for it.

Scene 3

Kayode, Kunle, and Mama discuss life in England versus life in Nigeria, and how Kayode has changed since moving to England. Mama goes to bed, and Kayode and Kunle discuss politics and the meaning of family extending beyond bloodlines. Kunle expresses his appreciate for Kayode explaining how he is not trying to replace him as Mama's son.

Scene 4

Kunle and Kayode go to a bar for drinks, when Chief Olowolaye, a feared local politician enters. The Chief is under the assumption that Kayode has returned to Nigeria to invest in the Chief's political campaign after Kayode's failed run for office in England. Kayode explains this is not the case; but the Chief takes this as an insult, and the two get into a fist fight. Kayode storms out of the bar, but Kunle stays behind with the Chief.

Scene 5

The police commissioner for the town arrives to arrest Kayode on charges of assaulting Chief Olowolaye.

Scene 6

Back in England, Fola continues to criticize Rita for not having a children and accuses her of disliking Nigerians and African culture.

Scene 7

Kayode returns from the custody of the police, who have beaten him severely. Mama paid 4500 pounds as a bribe to have Kayode released.

Scene 8

Rita and Fola continue arguing about Rita's resistance to accepting her African heritage.

Scene 9

Kayode tries to convince Kunle to run together for local office. Mama supports the idea, but Kunle is offended that Kayode is trying to "save Nigeria" when he doesn't even live there.

Scene 10

Kayode continues on with his campaign without Kunle. He goes to the marketplace where he explains his goals of advancing Nigeria into the 21st century to the street vendors. He incites a chant, gaining the support of the vendors and locals.

Scene 11

The Chief threatens Kunle that if he does not win the election, Kunle will owe him 100 million pounds. On his last straw, Kunle insults the Chief and storms out on him, leaving the Chief shocked and scared.

Scene 12

Kayode is practicing his speech. Rita and Fola have traveled to Nigeria to join Kayode on his campaign but Rita gets in an argument with Kayode over whether he is going to stay in London or move to Nigeria. The play ends with Kunle entering Mama's home, coughing up blood, presumably from being attacked by the Chief. He is severely injured.

Production History and Reception

''Belong'' has received

workshops Beginning with the Industrial Revolution era, a workshop may be a room, rooms or building which provides both the area and tools (or machinery) that may be required for the manufacture or repair of manufactured goods. Workshops were the only ...

and readings around the

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and the greater

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. On Thursday, April 26, 2012 the show premiered directed by

Indhu Rubasingham Indhu Rubasingham, , is a British theatre director and the current artistic director of the Kiln Theatre (formerly the Tricycle Theatre) in Kilburn, London. Early life Born in Sheffield to Tamil parents from Sri Lanka in 1970, Rubasingham was ...

at the

in Sloan Square in London in a coproduction with

The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...

praised ''Belong'' for being "sharp, funny, touching and, finally, disturbing" but criticized the text for being highly unbelievable, claiming audience members can only enjoy it if there are good at "suspending

heir Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Officiall ...

incredulity."

Playwright

Bola Agbaje Bola Agbaje is a British-born playwright of Nigerian origin.

is a Laurence Olivier Award-winning playwright of Nigerian origin. Born in London, Agbaje has spent almost her entire life in England, living in Nigeria between the ages of six and eight. Formerly an actress, Agbaje's works explore the African condition both in England and abroad, mainly exploring the assimilation and social dynamics in African communities. Works such as

Gone Too Far! ''Gone Too Far!'' is a play written by Bola Agbaje. It was produced at the Royal Court Theatre in February 2007, and won the Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of L ...

, and ''Belong'' examine these elements alongside the tensions and conflicts between racial and ethnic identities.

Themes

''Belong'', in consistency with other works of Bola Agbaje, explores subjects such as

ethnic identity An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...

versus citizenship and values, African governmental systems and

Democratic consolidation Democratic consolidation is the process by which a new democracy matures, in a way that it becomes unlikely to revert to authoritarianism without an external shock, and is regarded as the only available system of government within a country. This is ...

, Western influence, and

social stigma Social stigma is the disapproval of, or discrimination against, an individual or group based on perceived characteristics that serve to distinguish them from other members of a society. Social stigmas are commonly related to culture, gender, rac ...

s surrounding expression of native culture. ''Belong'' boldly exposes the kind of

corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...

and practices common in Nigerian politics and business.Trager, Lillian. "Home-Town Linkages And Local Development In South-Western Nigeria: Whose Agenda? What Impact?." vol. 68, no. 3 (1998), p. 360-382.(n.d.): Web. 8 March. 2016.

References

{{Reflist British plays Fictional plays Nigerian culture