''Kongi's Harvest'' is a 1965 play written by

Wole Soyinka Wole Soyinka , (born 13 July 1934) is a Nigerian author, best known as a playwright and poet. He has written three novels, ten collections of short stories, seven poetry collections, twenty five plays and five memoirs. He also wrote two transla ...

. It premiered in

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Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

, at the first Negro Arts Festival in April 1966.Berry, Poyd M. (1980). Kongi's Harvest (a review). Gibbs, James (ed.). In ''Critical Perspectives on Wole Soyinka.'' Lynne Rienner Publishers, . It was later adapted as a film of the same name, directed by the American

Ossie Davis Ossie Davis (born Raiford Chatman Davis; December 18, 1917 – February 4, 2005) was an American actor, Film director, director, writer, and activist. He was married to Ruby Dee, with whom he frequently performed, until his death. He received num ...

.Gugler, Josef (1997)
"Wole Soyinka's ''Kongi's Harvest'' from stage to screen: Four endings to tyranny"
''Canadian Journal of African Studies'', Vol. 31, No. 1, 1997.Gugler, Josef (1999). "African Writing Projected onto the Screen: ''Sambizanga'', ''Xala'', and ''Kongi's Harvest''", ''African Studies Review,'' Vol. 42, No. 1, April 1999.Davis, Ossie (September 20, 1970). Movies: When Is a Camera a Weapon? The Camera As Weapon. ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''.Rosenblum, Mort (April 4, 1970). "Black Africa's First Full-Sized Movie", ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

''.Bolwell, Edwin (July 15, 1967). "Tarzan's Africa may be up a tree; U.S.-Nigerian Film Company Would Change Image", ''

''.Bunce, Alan (September 1, 1970). "'There is a constant thread in all I've done'", ''

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''. The play was published in 1967 in London and New York by

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...

( Three Crowns Books; 96 pp).

Plot

President Kongi, the dictator of an African

developing nation A developing country is a sovereign state with a less-developed industrial base and a lower Human Development Index (HDI) relative to developed countries. However, this definition is not universally agreed upon. There is also no clear agreeme ...

, is trying to modernize after deposing King Oba Danlola, who is being held in detention. Kongi demands that Danlola present him with a ceremonial yam at a

state dinner A state banquet is an official banquet hosted by the head of state in their official residence for another head of state, or sometimes head of government, and other guests. Usually as part of a state visit or diplomatic conference, it is held ...

to indicate his

abdication Abdication is the act of formally relinquishing monarchical authority. Abdications have played various roles in the Order of succession, succession procedures of monarchies. While some cultures have viewed abdication as an extreme abandonment of ...

. Daodu, Danlola's nephew and heir, grows prized yams on his farm. Daodu's lover Segi owns a bar where Daodu spends most of his time. She is revealed to have been Kongi's former lover. As the different tribes are resisting unification, Kongi tries to reach his goal by any means necessary, including forcing government officials to wear traditional African outfits and seeking advice from the man he deposed. In a climactic scene at the state dinner, Segi presents Kongi with the head of her father.

References

1965 plays African plays Nigerian plays Plays by Wole Soyinka {{1960s-play-stub