When Yibo Koko announced _The Cardinal_, many assumed they were about to watch the life and times of Cardinal Rex Jim Lawson. After all, “Cardinal” was the title affectionately bestowed on the highlife legend by generations of admirers. But Yibo Koko resists the obvious.
_The Cardinal_ premiered on Friday at Terra Kulture and, like every good work of art, it stayed with me long after the curtain fell. I found myself returning to it, wanting to sit with it a little longer and absorb its layers before putting my thoughts into words.
Far more expansive than a conventional biographical tribute. Set in Port Harcourt of the late 1960s and early 1970s, it uses the highlife music of Rex Lawson, Prince David Bull, and other Niger Delta legends as the backdrop for a much larger story about dreams, hustle, and artistic perseverance. That is precisely why the play is not called The Life and Times of Rex Lawson.
At its heart, _The Cardinal_ is about a young man’s (Odili) dream to revive the city’s highlife and immortalize the life and legacy of its legend Rex Lawson. Boma Bonnie and others. Through him, we witness the realities that every dreamer knows all too well; unpaid rent, landlord wahala, and the everyday struggles that threaten to kill ambition.
Personally, _The Cardinal_ felt less like watching a play and more like revisiting a memory. Much of that is owed to the production design, which, in my opinion, is the play’s strongest asset. It becomes a character in its own right, transporting me back to an era of communal living. Having spent part of my formative years on Rex Lawson Street, the rhythms of Rex Lawson’s music and the spirit of old Port Harcourt felt instantly familiar. Watching from Odili’s shared compound to Orupolo Lounge, every space has a pulse, every corner a story. In this world, nothing remains private. One neighbour’s problem becomes everybody’s business. _You carry woman for outside and you get wife for house, yard people go talk o_.
The costume design is equally unwavering. Grand, feisty, bright, bold, and rich, it carries the cast effortlessly. A scene featuring the ensemble in matching sneakers and sandals immediately made me think about the sheer cost and effort required to pull off such a visually cohesive wardrobe. So when Yibo later mentioned the scale of the investment in the production, it all made perfect sense.
The introduction of the music mogul chief Dokunbo quickly became my favourite character, reminding me so vividly of my dearly beloved Uncle Victor who had just returned from obodo oyinbo and was determined to finish all of us with an accent so strong that even after he left the room, the accent stayed behind.
Ultimately, Cardinal is a nostalgic remembrance of the good old days of Port Harcourt city and of a young man’s dream of becoming. It pays homage to creatives everywhere, whose aspirations may seem impossible, impractical, or even difficult to justify, yet who remain unwavering in their pursuit. In many ways, it spoke to me as a creative not simply about chasing dreams, but about creating work that preserves our stories and carries them onto the world stage.
Without a doubt, the life and times of the remarkable yet tragically short-lived Rex Jim Lawson could easily make for a sweeping biographical production with global appeal. So for those craving that story, _The Cardinal_ may feel like a departure.
But creative interpretation has always been the artist’s prerogative, and Yibo Koko makes a deliberate choice not to be constrained by biography. Instead, he asks a far more enduring question.
*What does Rex Lawson’s legacy mean to those who came after him?*
I admire that decision.
The conversation, then, should not be about whether the play strays from Rex Lawson’s story, but about who are the Odili’s of today, determined to preserve our cultural memory? Who are the Chief Dokubos willing to invest in dreams? Who are the patrons, believers, and custodians ensuring that the art, music, and stories of the Niger Delta are not only remembered, but carried forward for generations to come?
That, perhaps, is _The Cardinal’s_ greatest achievement.
Finally, one could also read _The Cardinal_ as a reflection of the director’s own journey, his commitment to the arts, his persistence, and ultimately his triumph.
As the play rightly says:
_”To all those wey dey say this music work no fit pay my rent…”_
Perhaps _The Cardinal’s_ is the answer.
Alua,
Sandra T
