A stage play centred on the sprawling town of Bukom and its history

pulse-ghana admin 00:27 - 13 November 2017

'Bukom' was performed at the National Theatre on Saturday, November 11, 2017.

For many people, the town Bukom is synonymous with boxing.

And so when April Communications came up with a stage play titled “Bukom” majority of the audience could be forgiven for thinking it was going to be themed on an in-ring bout.

Well, if you thought that way then you were obviously wrong!

Produced by Naa Ashorkor and directed by Nana Ama Achiaa, the stage play “Bukom” is an adaptation of legendary playwright Bill Marshall’s award-winning novel in the 1970s that focused on life on the streets of Bukom, a Ga-dominated town in Accra.

It features seasoned actors and comedians like Mawuli Semevo, Clemento Suarez, Jeneral Ntatiah, Chapman Quayson, amongst others.

The stage play combines comedy and satire to tell the story and history of the town Bukom, its people and the ways of life commonly exhibited.

It is themed on a man called Ataa Kojo, who has a knack for perfection due to the fact that he is well-travelled. However, not even his experience overseas has helped take out the ‘Bukom life” in him.

Ataa Kojo’s sharp teeth – as synonymous with most people in Bukom – sends the audience into uncontrollable laughter each time he opens his mouth to utter a word.

The subplots also feature one of Ataa Kojo’s stubborn sons called Chico, who just has the penchant for causing trouble.

Chico’s tricks, brilliance and foolishness all come into play as he tries to play smart with his elder sisters and brother. (I’m sure you might be wondering how one man could possess such invariant combination of attributes).

“Bukom” tells the story of a town driven by enthusiasm but largely restricted due to the high level of illiteracy.

The theatre seeks to showcase the old ways which things were done, as well as communicate to the audience better ways of enhancing nation-building – albeit through comedy.

The story also highlights the rich history of the town Bukom, where men are predominantly fishermen and women kenkey sellers and fish mongers.

For a theatre that was meant to be an adaptation of Bill Marshall’s novel on Bukom, being able to fuse comedy and storytelling is something the producers and April Communications must take credit for.

However, there were also some takeaways from the whole theatre.

Inasmuch as the plan was to try and be forthcoming with the exact ways of the people of Bukom, the vulgar language was just too much.

The use of words such as “ony3 toto”, “ony3 aye soormi” and the like are downright vulgar and need to be curtailed, even if when meant for comedy purposes.

But aside that the entire stage play achieved it purpose: to thrill, educate and advice.

Intriguingly, lead actor in the stage play was veteran actor Mawuli Semevo, who marked his 200th feature in theatre, making the night even more historic.