Mount Holyoke's African Opera 2023: Funmilayo
Channel: Mount Holyoke College
Date: 2023-06-29

The African opera series at Mount Holyoke College has become one of the signature series of the music department, produced in collaboration with the Department of Film, Media, and Theater.

The productions are performed by Mount Holyoke students and Five College students of Olabode “Bode” Omojola’s African Opera in Performance and Practice class. These operas are noted for their use of African mythology and performance practices, featuring song, chant, dance and drumming while also utilizing resources from the Western theater.

“Funmilayo,” the latest opera in the series, focuses on the life of Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti (1900–1978), a Nigerian pioneer activist who campaigned against colonial rule and resisted the marginalization of women in local government administration. “Funmilayo” features a libretto and music by Hammond-Douglass Five College Professor of Music Olabode “Bode” Omojola.

Learn more about the African opera series: https://www.mtholyoke.edu/african-opera-series