Playwright Latif Abubakar: Conjurer of compelling characters
His dreams are constantly populated by characters bursting to get on stage to unravel often funny but crucial issues.
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Whenever the characters pop up by way of his plays, there are always thousands of patrons around to laugh their hearts out and also appreciate the compelling and educative scenarios on a variety of topics.
After dealing recently with topics such as anger management and basic first aid tips in I Can’t Think Far and Judas & Delilah respectively, playwright Latif Abubakar and his Globe Productions Company are ready with a new piece called Saints & Sinners.
Dealing with the much talked-about issue of ‘galamsey’, the new play is scheduled to start showing from Saturday, August 26 at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC).
“I don’t believe in entertainment for its own sake. There’s always the opportunity to slip in something educative for the audience and that’s what I love to do,” says Mr Abubakar whose Globe Productions has been around for about eight years.
Other attention-grabbing plays from Globe Productions include Thank God for Idiots, Romantic Nonsense, You May Kiss the Corpse, Gallery of Comedies, The Second Coming of Nkrumah and What Can Come Can Come.
“It has not been a completely smooth ride but we are happy people have noticed the level of quality we put out each time and come out to patronise our shows.
“We are exceedingly grateful to everyone who has so far supported us in one way or another. It is all part of the process to move our country forward,” he indicated.
Long ago when Mr Abubakar thought of what he could contribute to this nation’s development, theatre was definitely not on the cards.
“My formal training is not in theatre. I have, however, learnt a lot along the way and I’m still learning,” the playwright pointed out.
The man actually studied Project Management and is the CEO of Globe Management Institute, a training, management consultancy and business research firm in Accra. He also manages a forex bureau.
According to him, his background in project management has been extremely helpful in his other activities and feels blessed for that.
He also feels this nation has been blessed with a lot of natural resources but we seem to have lost control of how to effectively exploit them for our own good.
“That’s how come we are indiscriminately destroying our water bodies through galamsey. It is a serious matter and we felt we could say something about it on stage but it is up to us all to help salvage the situation,” he stressed.
Saints & Sinners tells the story of Mr Agyeman, a cocoa farmer, who leases out for 10 years the only treasure of his generation for a huge amount of money to Mr Blinks, a galamsey businessman.
Unforeseen circumstances about the transaction sent Messrs Agyeman and Blinks on a collision course with dire consequences for others.
The play is on at the AICC on Saturday, August 26 and Sunday, August 27 at 4.00p.m. and 8.00pm. each day. It then moves to Tamale on September 23, Takoradi on September 30 and Kumasi on October 7.
