By Onyeka Ezike

The Westernisation of storytelling, especially in Nigeria, is partly responsible for the dearth of cultural values, according to some experts.

To stem this tide, foremost Nigerian actor and filmmaker, Chris Iheuwa has published a stage play titled ‘The Quest’.

Deploying rich storytelling techniques replete with proverbs and subtle poetry, Iheuwa delves into themes that held sway in the pre-colonial era but are still relevant to present-day Nigeria.

Employing English, pidgin and Igbo languages, ‘The Quest’ tells the story of Chibude, a simple man from Umueze community. He is worried because he is yet to find a wife and has been unlucky in that regard.

He tells his brother, Ibe: “I need a wife. All my mates are married with children. See Ikenga, he has three children now. What of Amadi, even Chinedu of yesterday, we all did Iwaakwa the same year, yet they are all married with children and I do not even have a girlfriend.”

Driven by his quest to find a soulmate, Chibude ventures on a journey to Umuoni. His journey is not without adventures. He is accosted by a vigilante guarding the communities. Despite being of help to him, he is brutally attacked by marauders who beat him terribly and left him for dead on the streets.

Meanwhile, in Umuoni, in keeping with tradition, eight men have come out to fight for the hand of the eligible maidens in the community. After several rounds of battle, Iwebuka and his friend, Agunta, were left for the finals. Iwebuka emerges winner of the competition, and by so, the groom for Ifeoma.

At about the same time, Ifeoma, an only child, decided to come to the aid of Chibude as he lay dying on the street and was avoided by the people of Umuoni. She takes him to her father’s house where they all nursed him back to health and he settles into a life with the family.

This development agitates Iwebuka who is afraid of losing his betrothed to a foreigner from another land.

The events that follow sheds light on some of the issues that still bother the typical Nigerian society to this day including the caste system, patriarchy, subtle feminism, and others.

Speaking on the play, Iheuwa said that he created it to document history and remind Nigerians of the richness of the African culture, the beauty of the Igbo language and the many benefits of communalism.

“The Quest is one of the many works I have. This is the first published one. Although it hasn’t been staged yet, an excerpt is planned for theatre in The Mill, the University of Bradford’s Art Theatre Auditorium before December. The Quest not only highlights some of the issues we face in society today, but how beneficial our practices in the past were to shaping a welcoming society,” he said.