From Stage To Classroom: UNIBEN Embraces New African Drama
UNIBEN Elevates Contemporary African Drama
THE Department of English and Literature at the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Benin City, has adopted The Great Delusion, a play by Majekodunmi Oseriemen Ebhohon, as an official study text. The adoption marks a significant academic endorsement of contemporary Nigerian drama and signals the department’s continued engagement with emergent African literary thought.
Ebhohon, an alumnus of the department, wrote The Great Delusion, which won the prestigious Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) Drama Prize in 2025. The play also featured prominently at the Lagos Book and Art Festival (LABAF) 2025, a week-long literary and cultural showcase organised by the Committee for Relevant Arts (CORA).
Institutional Recognition and Scholarly Confidence
Reacting to the development, the Chairman of the Institute of Episteresurrecist Arts (IEA), Mr. Charles Odibechi Nwajei, described the adoption as a demonstration of intellectual courage and scholarly openness.
“We extend our sincere appreciation to the department and the University of Benin for their unrelenting commitment to intellectual solvency, critical inquiry, and rigorous engagement with contemporary African thoughts,” Nwajei said.
He noted that the decision to adopt a debut drama text reflects an institutional willingness to nurture innovative scholarship and amplify African-centered theoretical frameworks.
A Drama Rooted in Afrocentric Thought
The Great Delusion is a theatrical tragedy and socio-political satire grounded in the philosophical frameworks of Afrocession and Episteresurrecism. According to Professor G.G. Darah, an eminent scholar of Oral Literature and Cultural Studies, the play represents “a major contribution to the literature of diaspora civilization.”
The drama articulates a bold imaginative vision: a coordinated, global withdrawal of Black people from Western political, economic, and intellectual systems. This exodus, the play suggests, exposes the structural fragility of a global order long sustained by the unacknowledged labour and ingenuity of Black Africans.
Themes of Collapse and Restoration
The thematic architecture of the play explores concepts such as the collapse of parasitic civilization, distinctions and recognition, and the restoration of African sovereignty. Rather than centring narratives of victimhood or historical grievance, the play pivots towards a future-oriented reclamation of agency.
Through dramatic action and symbolism, The Great Delusion interrogates what happens when a world built on exploitation loses its foundational support.
Critical Endorsements and Publication
Published by Ofuname Waves Publishers, the play includes a foreword by Dr. Vibert Issa White, a Professor of History at the University of Central Florida, and a critical review by Professor G.G. Darah. Both scholars situate the work within a global discourse on Black identity, power, and self-determination.
Concluding his remarks, Nwajei said the adoption affirms the role of African universities in shaping future literary canons grounded in indigenous philosophies and global relevance.
