The stage depicts the abode of a Yoruba King.
There are two female praise singers.
Both are singing the arrival of the King. Shortly, the King appears in the traditional regalia.
The singers curtsey, the King ignores and observes them strangely.
The singers are surprised, they withdraw to a corner and look on.
| AMUNIWAYE: |
(Sighs) A
King’s life is full of fun. Yes, it is. The life is very rosy and most
exciting. It is a life of joy and merry making. But unfortunately and
unknowing too, he is enveloped in bondage and found in chains. He never
realizes this until there is no way back. |
|
The
royal life has its bad side too. It could be likened to the
flying-squirrel; well molded by the Creator, yet deformed with the arms
longer than the thighs. But if I have to live my life again, I’ll still
want to live a royal life. |
| PRAISE
SINGERS: |
All hail the King. |
|
King
Amuniwaye, the only Elephant that sends tremor through the
jungle, I hope your body is sound today my lord. |
|
One
out of several thousands. The husband of the fair-complexioned. |
|
One
who married the robust and father of uncountable number of children - you
shall survive. |
|
When rain falls on the parrot’s tail, it still remains
creamy red. Even when it showers on ‘yiriyun’ plant the flowers remain
bright. |
| AMUNIWAYE: |
We know that already, and it has always been
like that since the days of our elders. Tell me more, the words of our
elders are full of wisdom. |
| PRAISE
SINGERS: |
King Amuniwaye, listen to the words of my
mouth, if Shango * is withering the ‘Araba’ tree and splitting the
‘Iroko’ tree, it can’t destroy the Immense-tree. |
| *Shango
is the Yoruba god of thunder and lightening. |
| AMUNIWAYE: |
That is it again. The world is like this. The
praise singers shower praises on you until you crumble like dominoes, while
they back away and leave you to your fate all alone. Kings go, kings come,
but the praise singers remain in the profession after pushing them into
abyss. They are never seen, even when the sword of Damocles is dangling
over your head. |
|
I can still remember the story of my friend,
the womanizer. He liked women, and everyone knew. When he snatched the wife
of commoner, nothing happened to him. Then he snatched the bride of a
prince, with the backing of some nobles. When the prince became a King, my
friend’s house was set ablaze on the King’s orders. All that he had
left was a small dress. The nobles deserted him for the fear of being
reprimanded for their roles. |
| (Adin
enters with Ojuro. Adin carries a sac on his shoulder. He puts the sac
down as they greet the King). |
| ADIN: |
My lord, the King and second to the gods. |
|
It
is you I greet. May you live long. |
| AMUNIWAYE: |
I greet you Adin. I hope there is no trouble.
I know your presence always ushers in exciting moments. |
| ADIN: |
(Chuckles) I’ve only come to fulfill one of
my obligations as a loyal citizen. |
| AMUNIWAYE: |
(Puzzled) I cannot imagine what it is Adin. |
| ADIN: |
Em.......... this is my daughter, my lord.
I.... brought her to you as an annual gift. I think it’s the right time
I start having a claim to the royal family. |
| (Ojuro
backs off, slightly unhappy and she grumbles. She has no choice). |
| AMUNIWAYE: |
(Chuckles) You see what I was just talking
about. This is one of the joys of Kingship. People rush to the palace to
present gifts like a swarm of bees struggling for a place in the beehive.
Adin, I really thank you for your gesture. It’s just another feather to
my cap. |
| (Chuckles
again, Ojuro pinches her father still displaying a slight protest. The
King Screams) |
|
Abeke! Abeke!! |
|
| OJURO: |
It's not easy marrying a King father. |
|
All
that glitters is not gold. |
| ADIN: |
(feeling unconcerned) I’m so happy today,
I’m very happy...really happy. |
| (Abeke
enters) |
| ABEKE: |
I’m here my Lord. I heard you calling my
name. |
| AMUNIWAYE: |
Abeke, I’m happy to inform you that today
another feather is added to my cap. That is my youngest wife. |
| ABEKE: |
(Joyfully) Oh...I’m so happy too. I never
knew. I saw them entering the palace but I though they came to settle some
quarrels. |
| ADIN: |
(with delight) No. I brought her to the King.
She is the youngest wife. |
| ABEKE: |
(dances and sings briefly) She’s beautiful
my lord. |
| (She
picks the bag containing her belongings, holds her hand and sings the
song) |
| Song: |
The new bride will deliver babies |
|
If our Creator wishes |
|
|
The
new bride will deliver babies. |
| ABEKE: |
What are we waiting for? Let’s go inside, and
I will show you what the palace looks like. |
| (Ojuro
follows Abeke reluctantly). |
| AMUNIWAYE: |
Look at her. Oh! What a pity! She still
behaves like a child. |
| ADIN: |
When will they ever grow my lord. That’s how
they behave (He prostrates on the floor to greet the King). |
|
My
Lord, I greet you. I want to quickly go to my farm before the sun rises.
The heavens have just wept bitterly, and the land will now be easy to till.
I do not want to harvest late this year. |
| AMUNIWAYE: |
Thank you Adin, my in-law. May we live long to
repay ourselves. |
|
I
thank you for your gesture. I’m so happy. If everyone is like you, the
whole town will know peace. |
| ADIN: |
It is nothing my lord. It is part of our
tradition, and the fault would have been mine if I had failed to perform my
duties. Good-bye my lord. |
| AMUNIWAYE: |
Good bye Adin. |
| (Exit Adin). |
| AMUNIWAYE: |
This is another practical example of what I
was saying. Another new bride, for me - free of charge during the rainy
season. The King enjoys a lot, but a day’s suffering when the enjoyment
stops is unimaginable. Anyone who looks at the fowl critically will
notice that it sweats profusely from its comb down to its tail. |
|
But
before the tide of my reign turns, I will work these women. If the people
do not like me, the majority will not put me here. And I too will show my
love to every one. |
| PRAISE -
SINGERS: |
You are like that my lord. You never
discriminated. Whenever you wrestled the ebony black to the ground, the
light complexioned is equally floored. Your affection to them really
surpasses monkeys to bananas. Just continue to strip them relentlessly,
son-of-the-slippery-customers. |
| (Amuniwaye
stands up, observes the praise-singers briefly - ignores them, takes a
gentle stride and speaks). |
| AMUNIWAYE: |
I shall continue to strip them undauntedly. |
|
Even
those with broke-pots will never escape. |
| (Exit
praise-singers. Abeke enters seemingly puzzled). |
| ABEKE: |
What is it my Lord? I noticed you have been
talking all alone, or is it because you now have another cover-cloth?
(Gestures to mean woman). |
| AMUNIWAYE: |
(Happily) Thank you Abeke. You are a good
woman. Thanks for your concern. I’m just imagining what tonight has in
stock for me with another goat in the lion’s den. |
| ABEKE: |
(Jokingly) I ought to have known you were in
your usual moods my lord. |
|
Your happiness when fresh meats were thrown into the hyena’s
abode always led to love trio lets. Just like my first experience. I am
not disrespecting you my lord. |
| (She curtseys and turns away. As she walks away, the King’s
attention is on her as she flaunts her buttocks until she goes off view) |
| AMUNIWAYE: |
Gracious! Still after these years of
togetherness, they still send messages through my spine. |
| (The
Layabout enters and prostrates) |
| LAYABOUT: |
I greet you my lord, the King, second to the
gods. |
|
I.....have.... |
|
| AMUNIWAYE: |
What have you come to do in my palace you
Layabout? Or are your Godfathers not sponsoring your meals again? I know
you must be hungry as usual, you red-headed lizard. |
| LAYABOUT: |
My lord, I’ve only come to pay homage. |
|
We
always recognize you as our father. |
| AMUNIWAYE: |
I don’t thing you recognized your father. |
|
You
still haven’t explained your presence here. Before you decided to visit
me, you must either be a friend or an enemy. You have never been a friend
or a reliable ally. You have always hobnobbed with my enemies - Jemi and
Jamu. They must have sent you to come and spy, just as they killed my
predecessor. |
| LAYABOUT: |
My lord, I felt I should not be like the rude
flood that passed in front of the King’s palace without a word of
greeting. |
| AMUNIWAYE: |
And I maintain that your presence is ill-timed
and weird. Have you heard about it? You have heard with your elongated
ears. You heard I now have a new wife, and they sent you to come and spy? |
|
Go
in and look at her. Tell me - of what use are the pitiful looks of the
wall gecko on the winged termite? |
|
I
cannot see the reason why you are for the vulture’s association with the
Head-shaver. |
| LAYABOUT: |
My lord, I mean no harm. There is no hamlet
without a leader. Neither is there a village without a head. Even in the
colony of the Termites, the Queen and the King Termites are respected and
guarded. |
| AMUNIWAYE: |
(Furiously) But when termites pay homage, they
never dress themselves with the intention of harming their King. Their
bodies are never inflated with charms to kill their Kings. They guard and
surround their kings with no grudge till the dying moments. |
| LAYABOUT: |
But........but.......... |
| AMUNIWAYE: |
Strip yourself if you have no evil intentions.
Let me see your body if you are not putting on charms. |
| (The
layabout stands on the spot and looks with dismay). |
| AMUNIWAYE: |
Shame! Shame on you. You did not know I was
already informed. It was your sponsors with their late friend, Jambu that
killed my predecessor, King Gberu. |
|
Now,
you walked into my palace with your shrimp-head wanting to kill me. Now
depart from my sight, and don’t let me see you again. If you are not
careful, I will ask the guards to arrest you |
| (The
Layabout runs out of the palace). |
|
Look
at him like a soaked-fowl. They think I am alone, but the gods are with me.
My instinct never failed me, and I know their intentions. I should now go
and see Oloko, the medicine man. |
|
Abeke!
Abeke! |
|
| (She comes
at once) |
|
|
I
feel like soaking my eyes in sleep when I return from this outing. Prepare
my sleeping place. |
| ABEKE: |
All right my lord. (She goes) |
| BLACKOUT |
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