''Kongi's Harvest'' is a 1970s Nigerian drama film directed by

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 ...

. The film was adapted from a screenplay 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 ...

adapted from his 1965 play of the same name.Gugler, Josef (1999). "African Writing Projected onto the Screen: ''Sambizanga'', ''Xala'', and ''Kongi's Harvest''", ''African Studies Review,'' Vol. 42, No. 1 April 1999. Soyinka, a Nigerian playwright, poet, and the first African to be awarded the

Nobel Prize in Literature The Nobel Prize in Literature, here meaning ''for'' Literature (), is a Swedish literature prize that is awarded annually, since 1901, to an author from any country who has, in the words of the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, "in ...

in 1986, also starred in the leading role as the dictator of an African nation. The film was produced by Francis Oladele's Calpenny Nigeria Films. The story revolved around the degeneration of personal rule in independent Africa and satirizes the resulting tyranny in terms of the confrontation between a populist politician and a traditional ruler. It is said that the film reflected the rising trend of dictatorships and tyrannical rule in Africa in the 1970s.

Production

The film was shot in

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

.Davis, Ossie (20 September 1970). Movies; "When Is a Camera a Weapon? The Camera As Weapon", ''The New York Times''.Rosenblum, Mort (4 April 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 ...

''. It was the first production by a Nigerian indigenous company and its aim was to change perceptions about the country and the African continent.Bolwell, Edwin (15 July 1967). "Tarzan's Africa may be up a tree; U.S.-Nigerian Film Company Would Change Image", ''The New York Times''.Bunce, Alan (1 September 1970). "'There is a constant thread in all I've done'", ''

The Christian Science Monitor ''The Christian Science Monitor'' (''CSM''), commonly known as ''The Monitor'', is a nonprofit news organization that publishes daily articles both in Electronic publishing, electronic format and a weekly print edition. It was founded in 1908 ...

''. The film is based on a play created by Wole Soyinka, who also appears in the film as Kongi. In an advertisement that appeared at the time of the film in ''

The 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 ...

'', Soyinka dissociated himself from the film and denounced the major changes that had been made to his screenplay.

Plot

President Kongi (Wole Soyinka), 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 his nation after deposing King Oba Danlola (Rasidi Onikoyi), who is being held in prison. However, Kongi's real ambition is that of presiding over the Festival of the New Yam, a spiritual privilege of the king. Kongi struggles to take authority over the festival as King Oba Danlola had chosen to remain in prison rather than give up the last of his power to Kongi. The spiritual privilege is left to Danlola, who is the kings nephew and heir, and is shown to grow prized yams on his farm. Kongi attempts to find a way to make Danlola submit to his demands. A third man is introduced into the film, the idealist Daodu. Daodu is the head of a group of young dissidents, who opposes the traditional political system on the one hand and the ferocious modern dictatorship on the other. Daodu's lover Segi owns a bar where Daodu is shown to spend most of his time. Segi is later revealed to have been Kongi's former lover. The different tribes resist unification and Kongi attempts 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. Kongi eventually demands tribute from Danlola in the form of a yam, an important food in the culture. Kongi also uses 5 men convicted of Treason as bargaining chips in the battle for the yam. The day before the festival of the yams, two of the men escape, and one survives. When Kongi is on the verge of obtaining the yam the next day, the army rebels, and the soldiers take the power into their hands. In a climactic scene at the harvest ceremony, Kongi is shot dead. The final scene depicts the escaped man, Dr. Gbenga, giving a propagandist speech over the same radio once used by Kongi.

Cast

as Kongi * Rasidi Onikoyi as King Oba Danlola * Femi Johnson as Organizing Secretary * Nina Baden-Semper as Segi * Orlando Martins as Dr. Gbenga * Dapo Adelugba as Daodu

References

External links

* {{Ossie Davis 1970 films 1970 drama films 1970s English-language films English-language Nigerian films Films directed by Ossie Davis Nigerian drama films Works by Wole Soyinka English-language drama films