By Dipo Olutomi
Watching Saro you could leave with a sour taste in your
mouth – not as a result of disappointment, but from a feeling that Nigeria can
and should have much more of this kind of production. The two-hour-long musical
is the first of its kind in Nigeria – the same country that boasts some of the
biggest names in African entertainment.
The word Saro refers to freed slaves from Sierra Leone who
settled in Nigeria in the early 1800s. In the same vein, the musical, which is
set in modern times, celebrates migrants to Lagos from other parts of Nigeria,
with a focus on four talented young men (played by Patrick Diabuah, Olumide
Dada, Athony Offiong Edet and Paolo Sisiano). The quartet face a series of
challenges as they chase better fortunes in this ‘city of dreams’.
