In a tribute to one of Africa’s most influential playwrights, a virtual seminar titled “This Is Our Chance Revisited” is set to commemorate the centenary of Dr. James Ene Henshaw (1924 -2007) on August 29, 2024.
The event, which is to begin from 12pm, is organised by the James Ene Henshaw Foundation, and will explore the themes and enduring lessons of Henshaw’s seminal play, This Is Our Chance.
Henshaw was a physician by profession who, in his own words, “strayed’ into writing.” His plays capture the pulse and moments of African society and speak of the tug between tradition and modernity, of the declining morality of a newly independent society, of the failure of becoming, in political and ethical terms, among the evolving elite.
Henshaw attended missionary schools, Sacred Heart School, Calabar and Christ the King College, Onitsha before going on to study medicine at the National University of Ireland, Dublin and the University of Wales, Cardiff, United Kingdom, where he qualified as a chest physician.
Back in Nigeria, he had an illustrious career in medicine, serving as Senior Consultant-in-charge, Tuberculosis Control, Eastern Nigeria (1955-68), and finally as Director of Medical Services in the former South Eastern State of Nigeria. He served in various professional and public service positions and earned several honours, including Officer of Order of the Niger (OON) and Knight of the Order of St. Gregory (KSG) from his Holiness Pope Paul VI.
His first seminal play This Is Our Chance (1958) has since gone on to become one of the most popular drama works by an African writer, with several reprints and staged by professional companies, schools, colleges and universities across the continent.
Henshaw remains one of the most popular, if not critical, playwrights to have emerged from the African continent.
One thing for which Henshaw will be remembered is the fact that his was the first attempt to be regarded as authentic African drama to be performed by African people. As Henshaw himself recounted of This Is Our Chance, he had set out, consciously, to write plays whose scenes take place in surroundings that are not far removed from Africa.
In his personal life, Henshaw was a devoted husband and father to eight children who kept his family very dear to his heart. He died on August 16, 2007, just after working on his last project, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar into his native Efik language.
Dr James Ene Henshaw Jr, who runs the foundation dedicated to his father is planning a virtual seminar to celebrate his playwright’s centenary, which actually falls on his birth date, July 29, 2024.
When the seminar kicks off, Mallam Denja Abdullahi will give a brief introductory address and Peter Olorunnisomo will review the play, just as Dr. John Yesiebo of the University of Port Harcourt will speak on the theme of “Maintaining Tradition in the Onslaught of Modernity”. Also, Director of Arojah Theatre, Abuja, Mr Jerry Adesewo will speak on “Tribal Enmity – The Role of Theatre in Nation-building” as Secretary-General of Pan-African Writers Association, Dr Wale Okediran harps on “Damba and the Challenge of Leadership,” Dr. Ekua Ekumah of University of Ghana, Legon, speaks on “The Role of Women in This Is Our Chance” and Prof. Liwhu Betiang of the University of Calabar speaks on “Reflection – Why Henshaw is Important in the History of Nigerian Drama”. After a 30-minute break for comments and questions, Prof. Effiong Johnson of the University of Uyo will dwell on “Musings on the Plays of James Ene Henshaw,” with Dr. Patrick Jude Otteh of Jos Repertory Theatre making critical remarks to bring the seminar to a close.
