A bit of a late review; Joburg Theatre hosted the Nigerian musical - Kakadu - as part of its Africa Month celebrations. The musical is set shortly after Nigeria's independence and charts the decent from democracy to military dictatorship and the Biafran war; a civil war that tears the multi-ethnic community apart.
The story itself traces a few different characters representing various groups in Nigeria, who get together and party in the popular nightclub, Kakadu. At first, without the context of the various names, it is difficult to understand the differences of the various groups; but the program was very detailed and helpful in this regard. The music - mostly American and British hits from the 1960s - leads a very energetic performance; with a show time of over 2 and half hours. The performances were superb, and was a great showcase of African story and theatrical performance.
For me, what was most interesting however, is that, despite the upbeat music and a love story of reconciliation across ethnic groups; the story is one of despair, as evidenced in the final song. That despite the massive human and mineral resources; how is it that the country has not progressed to that of a first world nation - and the lack of progress cannot just be laid at the foot of colonialism. Corruption, nepotism and ethnic strife are big stumbling blocks, which cost a lot and have very little to do with global super power interventions. A similar story is emerging in South Africa; and the story has a lot of alarm bells worth heeding.
