BETRAYAL IN THE CITY NOVEL
Published by
East African Educational
Publishers Ltd.
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Westlands, P.0. Box 45314
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KENYA.
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East African Educational Publishers
Ltd
C/O Gustro Ltd
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UGANDA.
Ujuzi Books Ltd.
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TANZANIA.
East African Publishers Rwanda
Ltd.
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Opposite Kigali Institute of
Education
P.0. Box 5151, Kigali
RWANDA.
© Francis Imbuga 1976
I All righs reserved
First published by East African
Educational Pu
Reprinted eighteen times
. This impression 2012
Reprinted 2012 (twice), 2013
(twice), 2014
ISBN 978-9966-46-360-9
Printed in Kenya by
Printpoint Ltd
P.0. Box 30975
Nairobi
Act. One
Scene One
Early morning. A lonely grave
surrounded by dry thorny
branches. A wooden bowl sits at
the centre of the grave; in it,
a few silver coins. When the
grave is fully lit, it will be seen
that a crack runs right across
it. Birds, insects, frogs etc. join
in song. A drum beats, stops,
beats again and stops. In the
distance, a male voice laments.
Now the lament fills the air
as Doga enters immediately
trailed by his wife, Nina, weeping
silently. Slowly, they move
towards the grave. Suddenly the
song dies on 0090’s lips. He
stands still, transfixed to the spot.
Nina peers forward, then
nervously movesback step by step;
Doga turns and sees his
retreating wife. ~
DOGA: Nina, stop where you are!
What sort of mother are
you? Do you 'now fear to set eyes
on this evil that
has been done on your own son’s
grave? For hours
and hours you shook with grief.
For days you wailed
over his still body as those who
saw him die unfolded
the staiy. Will you now tremble
at the mere sight of
the shadow of that evil? Come,
come help me put
the thorns in place before the
morning grows out of
our hands.
NINA: Who would have thought they
would follow him
even to his grave? Only the final
night, yet with it
the ceremony is gone.
DOGA: It is now clear that the
man at whose hands
my son died lives among us even
now. This is proof
enough. What we ignored as empty
talk now begins to
take on grave meaning.
NINA: But where was Jusper when they did this? We
asked
him to keep watch, didn’t we?
Where was he when
the murderers followed his
brother beyond the
grave? Did they get at him?
DOGA: Come, see for yourself. Smell Nina, smelL
Does not
the smell of petrol penetrate
your nose? Look, it
was no common earthquake that
made this crack.
This is the work of a stray clansman,
one who thinks
he has the strength to fight those
who taught him
how to hold a spear. Thank heaven
they did not get
at him.
NINA: God be praised. But but where is Jusper? I do
not understand why he did not
shout for help when
he saw them do this to his
brother’s remains!
DOGA: You forget the boys illness. We were not sure
that
he would stay here all night.
Besides, what with
last night’s downpour, they must
have tried to
do it while he took shelter. When
he returned, he
frightened them away.
NINA: But where is he now? Doga, my heart fails me.
This
is not our day. Let us get away
from this place, We
shall return when we know where
Jusper is. Look, it
seems there was a struggle here.
.
DOGA: Jusper is alright where he is.
NINA: He is our only hope. If they should harm him,
I will
hang myself and raise a curse
upon the whole clan.
DOGA: Hope? I am surprised that you still talk of
hope.
Nina, we buried our hope the day
Adika was gunned
, down. Come,,let us not waste
any more time. Get me a.,
soil.
NINA: But what do you ...?
2
DOGA: Get me soil,
did you hear? Soil! We must fill this
Crack and for a while disguise the evil that lives
among us. The ceremony must go on
as planned.
I do not want the spirits of the
dead to turn wild
with anger on account of a
ceremony unperformed.
NINA: It would be wrong for us to sit on this evil.
We
cannot outwit our ancestors. Let
us do what is
expected of us. Let us send word
to the sub-chief
and …
DOGA: The sub-chief! Who is the
sub-chief? A mouse does
not share a bowl with a cat.
NINA: It is the noise he makes
that fear.
DOGA: The sub-chief! Who is the
sub-chief? Have you so
soon forgotten the rumour that
now bears the same
weight as noble truth? Nina, when
dry thunder tears
the sky before our eyes, do we
forget the storm
of yesterday? The sub-chief! The
sub-chief! .Did he
not come from that same stomach
that mothered
Chagaga?
NINA: Nothing we do will bring Adika back. You
know
how patiently we have waited for
this day. A little
delay will do no harm, but if we
hide the truth ,I
fear something will go wrong.
DOGA: The ceremony shall go on as planned. I do not
want
it delayed, A cloudy sky does not
always cry rain.
NINA: But if they should know what has happened,
they
will whisper and say we ignored
tradition. They will
boycott my son’s shaving
ceremony. Please Doga ,
let us report this matter.
3
DOGA: Tradition condemns the
shedding of a kinsman’s
blood. Nina, what will you teach
me about tradition?
Go get me soiL (Exit Nina. Doga
picks up the money
fiom the bowl) Cold, cold money.
Three cold silver
coins. No warmth, no life. What a
strange way to
appease the dead. Adika, my son,
do not let them
deceive you with money.
When you came into this world to
search for your
death, you found money here. Now
you are silent,
but money is still here. Do not
let them tempt you.
Follow them to the bitter end.
Follow them up the
hills and down the valleys. (To
audience.) What is in
money that is more precious than
life? Only a handful
of coins cost us a son, killed in
the city. People say
there were many of them, all
marching in the same
manner. Suddenly, the shooting
broke out. People
fled in all directions, but my
son’s lonely body lay
in the middle of the street. Only
four bullets were
fired that day. Adika had four
bullet wounds in his
chest. Two weeks after we buried
him, the sub-chief’s
brother was dismissed from his
job. Rumour
has it that he later said he did
it in self-defence.
(Prolonged laugh from off stage.)
That is the voice
of the brother of the silent one.
They were our only
children. When he heard of the
death of his brother,
Jusper was never the same again.
He became wild at
the funeral, singing songs of
vengeance; then they
came and took him away. Said he
was dangerous to
peace loving people and had to be
cooled down.
When they brought him back after
three months,
4
he was no longer the son we
knew.(Second laugh.
This time it’s much nearer. Doga
hides behind the
bush as Jusper enters, still
laughing. He wears a red
gown. He suddenly stops, stares
at the grave then
turns to the audience.)
JUSPER: People say I am mad. My
own mother thinks I am
Out of my mind. My father calls
me crazy. But that,
(Points to the grave.) that when
I show them will
prove I have sense here. (Points
his head.)
here is powerful; that is why
Regina accepted me
for a boyfriend. That is why I
know the difference
between the sun, Jupiter and
Jusper. Hey, come to
think of it! You and I have never
seen Jupiter, except
...? Except on paper. Jupiter! —
Absent sir. Jusper!
Present sir. Justice! Absent Sir.
Yes I've got it.
Jupiter and justice are one and
the same.They
are neither here nor there. No.
That is a debatable
point, a philosophical point.
That is me, Jusper
Wendo, Esquire, almost B.A.,
Kafira University.(A
bird sings.) I like that bird for
its bravery. Comes
to the wrong place and doesn’t
even bother to
keep quiet about it. Coming to
this ceremnony is
positively criminal except for
close relatives like me.
(Strides to the grave.) Adika!
Adika! Please come and
back me up. Come help me stop
mother and father
from growing old. We’ll need
them. We’ll need every
available person. You know what?
We have even
accepted the contribution of
birds. We need songs,
war songs … Adika! Adika! … Alright you are
too late. (Begins to imitate his
favourite cowboy.)
5
Brother or no brother you gonna
join the struggle by
force. We gotta restore human
dignity, right? Wake
up, man! Alright; you’re rioting
in your grave and
you gonna pay for it. You gonna
face the squad, and
this time it’s gonna be public.
(Picks up two sticks
and holds them as if they were
two pistoLs, one
in each hand.) Squad, attention!
Aim! … one, two,
three, two, one, fire!
Tutututututututu! Squad, at
ease! Hey, sergeant, why you
lookin’ sad eeh? He
ya brother or somethin’? Don’
worry, don’ worry.
You were sen/in’ your bloody nation,
right? (Enter
Nina with soil.)
NINA: Jusper, where were you?
JUSPER: Serving the nation.
NINA: How could you desert your brother?
JUSPER: It was an order.
NINA: What order? You take off that thing and
go and put
on something decent. The others
will soon be here.
JUSPER: Is Regina with them?
NINA: Perhaps.
JUSPER: Girlfriend Number One; she ought to come.
NINA: She’s far away in the city. Where is your
father?
DOGA: (Whispering rather loudly.) Do not detain
him. Let
him go.
JUSPER: He can’t go; he is dead.
NINA: My son, please go and put on a clean shirt.
JUSPER: A clean shirt? No. Not after the murder.
NINA: What shall we do now? The illness creeps back
on
him. Jusper, do you know what day
today is?
DOGA: Don’t remind him
6
JUSPER: Come and see for yourself. (Points at the
crack.) Do
you see this river, all this
water? I threw him in
there. Don’t tell me he swam
away, because he
didn’t. He was dead when I threw
him there.
NINA: He thinks he has killed you. Please do
something
before he spoils the ceremony.
DOGA: I told you to shut that mouth!
JUSPER: Alright, I will shut up. Nobody need know I
am a
murderer. (Throws the stick
away.) After all, it was
great fun. Now I know how they
feel when they do
it. Shall I go and confess I did
it? .
NINA: Yes my son, go and put on a clean shirt and
then
you can confess.
JUSPER: Do you think they will
harm me if I address the
rally? .
NINA: No, they won’t. Just go and put on your shirt
first.
JUSPER: Will they put him in a government coffin, do
you
think?
NINA: Good God! What shall we do?
JUSPER: I will go and recommend a
government coffin with
many handles so that everybody
will help lower
him into the grave. (He smiles,
stands at attention,
salutes, then exits, military
style.)
NINA: He has never behaved like this before.
DOGA: His eyes were full of sleep.
NINA: Why did he think he had killed you?
DOGA: It was his brother he thought he had killed.
I saw
him address the grave as if Adika
sat right on top of
it. It was both strange and
frightening.
7
NINA: I hope he will be calm at the ceremony. What
shall
we do if he grows wild? We can’t
lock him up during
his brother’s ceremony, can we?
DOGA: It is his fate. They locked him up during the
burial
NINA: Come, let us put this day
in God's hands. The drummers will soon be here(They kneel in front of the grave
and sing.)
When we walk with the Lord
In the light of his way
What a glory he sheds on
When we do his good will
He abides with us still
Unto all who will trust and obey
Trust and obey
For there is no other way
To be happy in Jesus
But to trust and obey
NINA: (Praying.) Father, Maker of all that crawl
and all that
fly, we are dry of words, but we
put this day in your
hands. We ask this through Jesus
Christ our Saviour
Amen. (Jere and Mulili enter, the
latter carries a
bottle a beer, from which he will
drink every now and then.)
JERE: Old people, you waste your time. There is to
be no
ceremony.
DOGA: Is it to us you speak?
MULILI: No ceremony! That the final.
DOGA: A shaving ceremony is no child’s play.
MULILI: Who you call child, eeh? Jere, you tell him.
Tell him what I does with stubborn old mens.
8
JERE: The ceremony is cancelled in the interest of
peace.
DOGA: In the interest of peace? Whose peace?
MULILI: We wants no anymore bloody bloodshed. We have
seen enough. Just who you wants
to murder next?
DOGA: Murder? Me? Young man, have you nothing to
do with your time that you come
and throw your
weight about the grave of an
innocent, harmless
dead? And you young man, is this
a time to laugh?
JERE: We are on duty. We serve the nation.
MULILI: Repeat to them Jere, repeat. Tell them this
grave
no longer belong them.
NINA: You took our all, but you will not take the
grave
from us. If you do not go now, I
shall strip and
show you the poor naked bones you
have left me.
Do you want to be blinded by the
nakedness of your
grandmother’s agemate?
JERE: No, we do not ask for blindness. You see,
this
friend of mine does not belong
here. He doesn’t
know our ways.
DOGA: Then he should keep quiet instead of turning
our
hearts over and over.
MULILI: Big coward. Why you doesn’t let her get on
with
it. How many naked body I have
seen and I am still
Mulili with my two eyes, natural?
Look, no glass
goggles.
DOGA: Let us forget he ever was born. Young man,
the
shape of your head even with that
thing on is a
familiar shape. Tell me, are you
not Kaleka's son?
JERE: I am.
9
DOGA: Then listen to me. Your
father and I shared the same knife at circumcision. What devil makes you look
me in the face?
JERE: I do not look you in the
face. I know the bitterness
in your heart.
MULILI: Big coward. Jere, you a woman! (They stare at
him
briefly.)
JERE: Old man, if I had the power, I would let you
go
on. I would even take part in the
ceremony. I knew
Adika well.
DOGA: Do you know that even as we stand here, a
stranger
who hardly knew him lies in
prison because of him?
MULILI: That no matter. He go against law and order.
Tell us new thing or make clear out of here. You are
tresspasser.
DOGA: Empty words will be your
downfall. May you die the way Adika did!
MULILI: Hey Jere, did you heard that? You tell him me
I am man with action, not words. Come on tell …
JERE: Shut up! (Silence, then Mulili chuckles
softly.) Old
man, do as I tell you for the
moment. It’s safer. Look, this is the signed order.
NINA: Do not show us letters when you know well
what you did to our eyes. You have blinded us, left us in darkness, and then as
if that is not enough, you show us letters. Look young man, that is where our
eyes are — under that mound.
MULILI: Your people full of
primitive. Instead going to find how the other is, they comes and get stuck with
dead one.
10
DOGA: What other one?
MULILI: You see now, he now being
pretend. All they wants the bloody ceremony.
DOGA: Kaleka's son, what is it he talks about? What
pretence
does he mean?
JERE: He talks of Jusper.
DOGA: What about Jusper?
JERE: I can’t believe it. I can’t believe you are
in the dark.
NINA: What has Jusper done?
JERE: Have you seen him at all since last night?
NINA: Yes he was even here this morning. We asked
him to guard the grave last night, but when we arrived this morning, he was not
here; then after a little while, he came. See they did while he was away! (Jere
inspects the grave.)
JERE: God, I can’t believe it.
MULILI: What have happen? Have the guard eat the body?
(Laughs loudly.) .
JERE: Be serious for once you devil .
MULILI: I am professional soldier by profession.
JERE: I didn't believe the rumour. It is good he is
dead.
DOGA: Who?
JERE: Chagaga.
NINA: The sub-chief’s brother?
JERE: Yes. (Pause.) Jusper killed him.
DOGA: Jusper!
NINA: Jusper!
JERE: Yes. last night.
11
NINA: This is a trick!
JERE: It is no trick. People saw him drag the body
to the river, and when they sent a search team there they sure enough found the
body.
NINA: This is a trick!
JERE: He even confessed it himself.
DOGA: Confessed? When?
JERE: A few minutes before they sent us here.He
came dressed in a white shirt and confessed. Beat his chest in front of all the
people and said he had done it.
At first people ran away from him,
as if he suffered from some horrible infectious disease. After a while they
picked up stones and started to stone him.The whole crowd was throwing stones.
When he fell down, the people took to their heels, thinking him dead.
DOGA: He is not dead then?
JERE: No.
DOGA: Where is he now?
MULILI: All small murderers get arrest.
JERE: They took him away and
asked us to come and guard the grave.
NINA: It was all my fault. I sent him to them. I
assured him that they would not harm him. I wish I knew what rally he said he
wanted to address.
MULILI: You see. I says these too
be murderers.
DOGA: If Jusper killed Chagaga, then he is not mad.
We
lack a name for his illness. But
days have changed.
Kaleka’s son, I have nothing else
to offer you;
(Handing him a pocket Bible.)
take this. May God
open your eyes to the suffering
of your people.
13
JERE: Even if it means killing a friend?
MULILI: These you call friend?
JERE: Then I did wrong. I let you get away with it.
I saved you.
MULILI: Who, me you saved? How? When?
JERE: When you let Mustafa
escape, did I open my mouth? Why should we not allow these two to perform a
harmless ceremony for their dead in that same spirit?
MULILI: Mustafa’s case be different . Nobody likely
to know he go across border.
JERE: Will you help me ?
MULILI: No. Not this. It too dangerous.
JERE: Then I'll do it alone. I
shall go to the village and announce that the ceremony is on.
MULILI: You Jokes. You expects me to quiet about it?
JERE: No I don’t, but I will go on. These are my
people.They have done no wrong. Look at the grave. This is proof that their son
was murdered. The man wanted to rid himself of the ghost by burning the body.
MULILI: You still believes in ghost?
JERE: (Losing his temper.) Put
that bottle down and listen to me. That boy there died for Kafira’s progress. He
was slaughtered like a goat and sacrificed for a non-exrstent peace and harmony.
Surely he deserves this ceremony!
MULILI: The fellow should ought
have know best than incite
his fellow students to rioting.
They should ought
have follow proper channels.
JERE: What do you know about
proper channels?
MULILI: This, that even although majority lecturers
at Kafira University be expatriate, that not his business. He go there to learn,
not criticise policy that he know nothing about.
JERE: Do you know they only acted
referees in a match between our own sides? It was an empty battle
where we fought against
ourselves.
JERE: Who say that? Who say we fight each against
ourself? They cross the river, go the other side
and call themself intellectual.
They hurl abuse at our symbol of national securicor. A lot public fund and time
go be wasted to bring the situation back to abnormal. They were retard
progress, not for progress.
JERE: I refuse to kneel down for theoretical
progress.
MULILI: Then become student now. (He looks at Jere, goes
to the grave, scoops some soil and lets it fall between his fingers.) Dust to
dust, ash to …
JERE: Will you shut up you heartless brute! "
MULILI: Brute? Where you get that from?
JERE: Get out of my sight! (Aims a pistol at him.)
MULILI: (Hands up.) Alright, I am sorrowful. I honest
doesn’t know it will affect you.
JERE: Get out of my sight now! (Mulili begins to
walk off. Jere shoots as Mulili dives offstage.)
MULILI: Hey you, what you thinks you do? You shall
pays for it!
JERE: Go shoot your mouth wherever you will. (Jere
goes to the grave, takes a coin from his pocket and drops it into the bowl. He
kneels down and bends over the grave in prayer. Lights fade out slowly.)
15
Scene Two
A prison cell equipped with the
usual prison stuff: pail, mat
blanket, etc. At one of the
comers, Mosese sits with his back to
the audience. Suddenly, the door
is opened and Jere pushed in.
He falls just short of Mosese,
but the latter is unmoved.
JERE: My friend, why ...
ASKARI: Next time you call me
your friend, you will lose a tooth. What makes me think I am a better man than you?
Do you think I live off answering such foolish questions? You are inside, I am
out, now if that doesn’t make sense to you, something else will.
JERE: Alot of things don’t make sense
to me, you included.
ASKARI: My God, this is the wrong place for you. The
place for lunatics is three doors down the corridor.
JERE: You mean three doors up the corridor?
ASKARI: That could land you into
more trouble. Three doors up the corridor is the office of the head of this
institution.
JERE: Is he in or out?
ASKARI: In, and he won't be of much use to you when I
start educating you.
JERE: Has it ever occurred to you
that the outside of this cell may well be the inside of another?
ASKARI: (Looking around to make quite sure that no
mistake has been made.) Look, people don’t question things here. You make your
own life more unbearable.
JERE: I know, but do you know chameleons?
ASKARI: I have had enough of you and your chameleons.
16
JERE: They are masters of
environmental adaptation.
ASKARI: You waste your time. Now I see why you tried
to make yourself champion of justice, bleeding meaningless words.
JERE: My experience during the
last few weeks has made it necessary that I talk. It is as if I have been born again.
I have never felt so confident in my life.
ASKARI: That is why you are best
ignored. Here I am wasting time talking to you instead of helping the others to
fill in forms for your rehabilitation.
JERE: Rehabilitation? After only two days?
ASKARI: Yes, you will need it. It’s the only way out
of here, otherwise you will never be allowed to mix freely. You see, we have
research stations dotted all over the countryside. Experiments at these
research stations show that rehabilitation is invaluable for all who pass
through here. You should be thankful that in spite of your contribution to the
national headache, we still give your future some consideration.
JERE: I am truly grateful now that I know what
awaits me.I didn’t know you took such pains.
ASKARI: Experts had to be
imported to give meaning to the data. It wasn’t the type of work any of these
local pretenders would handle.
JERE: I see your point. No previous experience,
eeh?
ASKARI: Don't cut me short. You
do the listening, I talk.
JERE: You work like the meteorological department. No
public questions into methods used, and no assurance.
17
ASKARI: I can see you have come
to stay. What has the meteorological department got to do with what goes on
here?
JERE: They advise people to
spread their blankets out, then unexpected rain falls from the seemingly clear
sky. By then, it is too late to fetch umbrellas.(Silence.) Who is he
ASKARI: A more sensible man than you. Used to be a
drug addict though. Hey you! What do you think you’re doing showing us your
back?
MOSESE: I have no front.
JERE: Dead right. Shake my five, shake my five.
ASKARI: Shut up! You, can't you
talk?
MOSESE: It is prudent to be
silent. But it doesn’t prove I am dumb.
JERE: Dead right once more. It’s amazing the people
you bring here.
MOSESE: I said everything in
mitigation. All I had to say,but it did not help. Words have lost meaning to
me.Rehabilitation, nationalisation, africanisation. What do these words mean? What is africanisation in
your mother tongue?
ASKARI: (Visibly embarrassed.)
I—I don’t answer such foolish questions. You answer him. What is africanisation
in your mother tongue?
JERE: Do you and I share a mother tongue?
ASKARI: Correct! Now don’t you ask any other foolish
questions. I am here to see that you ask
questions.
18
MOSESE: Then why were you so
uneasy when I was silent a little while ago? Why do you now stop me from asking
questions?
JERE: It’s a perfect example of
what goes on outside. No one is sure of what should be done.
ASKARI: You are wrong. Our assessment has never been
wrong. Take this fellow, for example. When they brought him in last night, he
was all questions. We calculated that two mature strokes would ease the
tension.It worked perfectly. This is where the research stations come in. You
see, like all liquids have different boiling points — incidentally I did pure
physics up to and including ’0’ level — like all liquids have different boiling
points, human beings have different breaking points. At your trial, there was
enough evidence that your breaking point would be just before the end of your
present jail
term.
MOSESE: At least you are honest.
ASKARI: Your friend here is two
years weaker than you. Congratulations!
MOSESE: Thank you. (Silence)
Sometimes I wonder why a man of your understanding should have accepted this
job. I honestly think you are in the wrong place.
ASKARI: Many prisoners say that to me, but that is
just because they don’t understand Kafira. If they did, alot of them would not
be prisoners. It doesn’t pay to have a hot mouth. Perhaps you were right when you
said silence is the best ship home, only you realised it too late. It is now
common knowledge that you are a great talker. If you decide to be silent, you will
have to explain what it is you are keeping quiet about. That is how prisons
work. You have to show a kind of consistency of character at the same time as
you show a marked improvement.
MOSESE: In that case, there can
be no hope.
ASKARI: There is. Think about what I told you last
night. It is the chance of your life. You can’t afford to stick to your
principles. No. Not here. That is what I told that student from the mental
hospital. He took my advice and will be discharged tomorrow.
MOSESE: Do you mean the boy whose brother was killed?
ASKARI: Yes; he has recovered, but he has nothing to
go back to. His parents were found dead in their hut.
MOSESE: His parents dead?
ASKARI: Yes, dead. Perhaps that is why he has been
pardoned.
MOSESE: Will you do me a favour?
ASKARI: What?
MOSESE: Ask him to see me before he leaves. I have a message
for him to take to my sister.
ASKARI: Tell your sister to be careful. That boy’s
head will never be straight.
MOSESE: I like the boy. He is very like his brother,
and like me.
ASKARI: Think about last night’s suggestion. It’s the
only way I can help you. That way you will see I am not blind to these things.
20
MOSESE: I can't see myself doing it.
ASKARI: All the same, think about
it. I am not asking for an answer now. And don’t listen to this fool. He poison
your mind. (He turns to go.)
JERE: Hey you, please return my book. The senior
officer said I could keep it.
ASKARI: The senior officer said so, did he? Tell him I
said no. We do not want any more trouble from you. (Exit.)
MOSESE: You came with books?
JERE: Only one book.
MOSESE: A novel?
JERE: No.
MOSESE: A play?
JERE: No. A bible. The New Testament. You
see, I am a religious man.
MOSESE: You?
JERE: Yes. I am a believer. I believe in
travelling light. That is why I carried the book. "
MOSESE: The Bible is a curious thing to deny someone.
Why
did they do it?
JERE: You we, we were two men in the cell. Two
strangers.We were very bored just sitting there and looking at each other, so
we decided to do it, just to pass time.
MOSESE: Don’t tell me you bent so low.
JERE: You draw conclusions too soon.
MOSESE: That is what prison does to a man, but I
wasn't
always like this. There were
times in my past when I never drew conclusions. There were indeed times when I
never fetched my umbrella at the sight of clouds, however dark. Now that is
only a thing of the past.
JERE: Yes, a thing of the past,
like the game of last night. Do you remember Pilate?
MOSESE: Pilate? Yes, Pilate is supposed to have
humiliated Jesus.
JERE: Yes, he actually caned him. Not many of us
come by such an opportunity.
MOSESE: Opportunity?
JERE: Yes, opportunity. The opportunity of
stripping a king and caning his buttocks. In a way it is a pity that it had to
be Pilate. Can you imagine the sense it would have made if only a common man
had done
the caning?
MOSESE: I am not with you.
JERE: No? It would have been positive. As positive
as when a sick right eye is plucked out lest it infects the left one.
MOSESE: You seem to be quite at home with the Bible.
JERE: Yes I am. I taught religious knowledge for
three years before I was drafted into the army.
MOSESE: You are a soldier?
JERE: I was until I came face to face with
reality. They sent me to my own sub-location to restore peace and order. It took
me only two days to change my mind. My friend, there is fire outside.
22
MOSESE: That is not new. That fire has always been
there. Ever since the take-over. Mind you, things were worse before.
JERE: I thought hard before I made up my mind. Then
I said to myself, if they take you in, carry a bible with you. It might restore
your faith in humanity. It hasn’t. You need first hand experience. You need to
live the lives of those you fight for. That is why it is important not only to
read that Pilate story, but to live it. Only then can you understand that
situation and link it with ours. Perhaps that is why it was strangely fulfilling
acting Pilate in a cell.
MOSESE: Is that why they took the book from you?
JERE: Yes. My co-actor cried out. I wonder he
had the guts to go against the law. He was Jesus and I Pilate. That was
unfortunate casting. I had wanted to be Christ but he would not hear of it.
When it came to the caning, he couldn't stand it. He wailed like a woman in a
death home. When the guards came, I
tried to
explain to them that I was only faithfully following the script but they didn’t
believe me. They stripped me naked, caned me and took the book away. That, to
them, was an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth; but then they were wrong.
They should have let him do it. (Silence.) Stranger I think you and I will get
on well together. Fancy me talking to you, telling you all these things without
even knowing who you are. I am Jere Kaleka.
MOSESE:
I am Mosese wa Tonga.
23
JERE: Mosese wa Tonga? Why did you take on a name
like that? Oh, I am sorry. I am glad to meet you.
MOSESE: Me too. (They shake hands.)
JERE: It’s a curious name, Mosese wa Tonga.
MOSESE: I know. It means "remember the past”. I
took it the day after I was arrested. A strange way to be loyal. Do you
remember the great row over the changing of names?
JERE: Only vaguely.
MOSESE: Blows were exchanged in the planning
committee over whether the changing of names should be item number one or three
in the development plan. Boss had just changed his name; hence the anxiety of some
members to put it top. I changed mine for different reasons. I had no choice
but to change it.
JERE: How is that?
MOSESE: You see, the day before they arrested me, I
attended a funeral. One of my students had been murdered in cold blood. His
brother has been here but he is to be discharged tomorrow.
JERE: Is he the one the Askari was talking about?
MOSESE: Yes.
JERE: I see. I think I …
MOSESE: You think what?
JERE: Never mind.
MOSESE: I have never seen anything like it before.
The atmosphere was tense at the funeral. I thought for once that things would
change in Kafira. But during the speeches, I learned the bitter truth. Kafira
wasn’t going to change after all. No. Not because of the death of one small
student. A handful of politicians tried to turn the funeral service into a
political rally. The service must not take more than ten minutes. The coffin
should not be carried by students. Weeping in public is illegal for the
academic staff. I couldn’t bear it, so I told them my mind. The following day
they came for me.
JERE: What did they charge you with? Weeping in
public?
MOSESE:
No. Being in possession of an illegal drug. One kilogramme of opium. When they
searched my car, they sure enough found the drug. I laughed. I had heard
similar stories, but I never thought it would ever happen to me. The man who
planted it on me was called Nicodemus. Nicodemus was my name too, but I dropped
it the following day.
JERE: I would have done the same. (Silence) You
have been in for the last one year, haven’t you? "
MOSESE:
Yes. How did you know?
JERE: I have heard about you. I also know your
sister.
MOSESE:
Who -- Regina?
JERE: Yes. Does she visit you?
MOSESE:
He comes twice a month. They won’t allow her to come more often.
JERE:
She must find it hard going without you.
MOSESE:
She is too soft for a prisoner’s sister. Too soft. I saw it In her eyes when
she came yesterday. I saw betrayal in her eyes. Stood in front of me and said
she wanted to go and plead for my release. I nearly slapped her. What weakness!
JERE: Perhaps she knows
you stand a chance. Is that why the Askari said there is some hope for you?
MOSESE: No. That is different and more ridiculous.
They would have me clown on stage before I am released. And that isn’t a
certainty either.
JERE: Clown on stage? Whatever for?
MOSESE: A certain head of state is due to visit
Kafira, in a few weeks’ time. Now, because of his love for the dramatic, Boss
has decided that a play be performed. For the visiting head of state as part of
his entertainment.The ludicrous part of it all is that he wants the play to be
acted by prisoners. (Laughs.)
JERE: That’s not funny. Why?
MOSESE: It would symbolise national unity. That would
show prisoners actively involved in nation building.
JERE: What then has that to do with your release?
MOSESE: If the exercise is a success, he has promised
the release of six hundred prisoners.
JERE: I see. In that case I feel we should
volunteer even if we won’t be released.
MOSESE: I will not bend so low.
JERE: I don't see it as bending low. To me, that is
sacrificing one’s dignity in order to rescue others from inevitable misery. Just
think of those six hundred families that will be re-united
26
MOSESE:
I cannot do it. Among my friends, that would be equivalent to kneeling in front
of Boss and pleading for mercy. Same thing as my sister wanted to do. That
would imply guilt, and I am not guilty of anything.(Enter Askari with a mug of
tea.)
ASKARI: Here, tea with milk, yet you don't even
belong to my tribe. You need a tall relative to get anything these days. And
you, because you think I am a junior officer, you can feed on your saliva. Do
you know what we call it?
JERE: Tea with milk.
ASKARI: Nonsense. The term is selective breeding of …
JERE: Progressive layers of humanity. It an
epidemic of breaking points.
ASKARI:
Unless you are careful, I will recommend that you be shifted to that other
cell. I don’t believe they are any crazier than you are. (Sound of whistle;
Askari rushes off.)
JERE: What was that for?
MOSESE: Trouble in one of the cells. Here, take a sip
before he returns.
JERE:
Thank you. It's the only way to beat selective breeding, by being firmly united
against it.
MOSESE:
That is why I don’t believe in such crap as the last shall be first, and
blessed are the poor for they shall inherit the Kingdom of heaven! For years we
waited for the Kingdom, then they said it had come. Our Kingdom had come at
last, but no. It was all an illusion- How many of us have set eyes upon
Kingdom? What colour is it?
JERE: I wouldn’t know, but I guess it’s blood
red.
MOSESE:
It was better while we waited. Now we have nothing to look forward to. We have
killed our past and are busy killing the future. Sometimes I sit here and look
far into the past. There I see my mother slaughtering the biggest family cock.
Once every year she slaughtered a senior
cock to mark the birth of Christ. Our children will never have such memories.
Now there is blood everywhere. Cocks are slaughtered any day, many times a
week.
JERE: Things will change.
MOSESE: Perhaps. That is why I prefer to wait and
see. I will stay here and remain loyal
to my principles.
JERE: Change will never come that way. You have to
make up your mind to take part in that play. That way you will have an
opportunity to meet face to face with Boss . That way, you will have given him
something to feel ashamed of.
MOSESE:
You talk like that Askari. He sees me silent and thinks I am about to break,
but he is wrong. He doesn't realise that silence is a weapon just like any
other, I don't have to give legal public lectures to reveal what it is I sit
on. We all know what should know be
done, but we dare not talk beyond whispers.We are dictators, of ourselves.
Buying my release by acting in front of a visiting head of state would be to
betray our course. Why do people sit and watch in silence as the disease
spreads deep inside? I will never forgive them. They watched in silence as
soldiers beat up my innocent sister, forcing her to give evidence against me.
JERE:
You mean the …
MOSESE:
Brutes! Murderers! Beat up my innocent sister until she lost hearing in one
ear. Why beat a woman? Why didn't they beat me?
JERE: I
am sorry.
MOSESE:
What did you say? What did I hear you say? Now listen you! I hate people who
say that to me! I hate people who sympathise with me!
JERE:
You need some rest. (Mosese goes to a bundle of rags and lies down. He is still
shaking with rage. Jere puts a blanket over him as Askari enters.)
ASKARI: What was that noise? Fighting again? You
senseless brute! You were in the other cell and there was trouble. Now you are
here and there is more trouble. Do you know I have seen people hang for less
serious offences?
JERE: I
know? Innocence can be an Offence"
ASKARI:
Next time you cause trouble here, you won't know when I climb on you.
JERE:
Leave us alone. You don't understand our language.
ASKARI:
Rioting in a public cell is not a language. I give you just one more chance. If
you cause any more
29
JERE:
There is no trouble here. If you want to come face to face with trouble, look
out there, not here. It’s out there where selective breeding blossoms.
ASKARI:
You are not fit to live above the ground, you mole!And just in case you didn’t
know, I have once killed a man in this very cell.
JERE: Congratulations! How did you manage?
ASKARI: I am now more convinced that you are insane.
Give
me that
mug and sleep. (Jere hands mug to him.)
Thank
you, and remember what I have just told
you.
Don’t disturb him. (He turns and goes off. Jere
begins
to organise where to sleep. Suddenly Mosese
utters
a terrible war-cry. He wriggles violently as if
in a
fight and then stops suddenly. Now he stands
up
slowly as if in a slow motion picture. His eyes
are
wide open and unblinking. He walks round the
cell
greeting old friends and relatives. Jere, now
frightened,
edges against the wall. At some stage, they are so close to each other that
when Moseses stretches his hand, Jere has no alternative but to shake it.)
MOSESE: Yes I was. All of us were scared that it
would go on and on. Pardon? No, I have no immediate plans … Well, yes, I guess I will take up this job
they are offering me … It is my conviction that the majority will have to go.
No point in hiding what has got to be … Yes, in the hands of the people …
Exactly, you’ve put it better than I could ever have … That is a difficult one.
Let’s just say I got a certain amount of satisfaction from it. You see there is
a kind of satisfaction you get out of knowing that you are honest with yourself
and with the people … No, I don’t exactly mean that. I would find it difficult to
take pride in whatI had not helped to build. Of course I am referring to those
things we could have done ourselves. Yes,yes.
JERE: Mosese, are you sick?
MOSESE: Yes, that is why I am accepting the post …
No, I will forgive, but I will always remember that I forgave them.
JERE: Mosese, can you hear me?
MOSESE: I don’t know about that. I suppose I will
marry,yes That was inevitable. In such a struggle, sacrifice is necessary. Thank
you. I am glad you think so … I wonder if you would have said the same thing
last evening Yes, thank you. See you at the celebrations. (He shakes a few
hands and waves to well-wishers, then enters a car; quietly goes back, lies
down and covers himself as before. Jere tip-toes to where Mosese now lies,
bends over him for a moment, then slowly moves down stage and looks intensely
at the audience.)
JERE: When the madness of an entire nation
disturbs a solitary mind, it is not enough to say the man is mad. (Fade
lights.)
31
Scene
Three
A small
room with main and kitchen doors. A bed is neatly spread along the back wall.
By the left wall is a clothes stand on which a woman’s clothes hang. Regina
enters by kitchen door, soap and towel in hand. She puts the two away and
proceeds to wear shoes. Jusper enters by main door and tip—toes towards Regina.
He wears his red academic gown.
JUSPER:
Tututututututu! (Regina screams as Jusper laughs.)
REGINA:
I have a mind to spit in your face. How dare you do that to me?
JUSPER:
That is hardly a way to welcome a boyfriend Regina! It’s happening everywhere,
you know. They come quietly when you are least expecting them and before you
realise it, they have pounced on you like hungry leopards. It’s happening
everywhere. It happened at my brother’s grave too, only this time I was a trifle
quicker. Now, don't look at me with those worried eyes. I only wanted to see
what you would do if it happened to you.
REGINA:
Next time, knock! And you better take off that thing It makes you look more
dangerous than you really are.
JUSPER:
More mad you mean? Regina, look at me. Look at my eyes. Do you see madness in
them?
REGINA: Sit down and have some rest.
JUSPER: What do you see in my eyes? (Silence) Regina,
don’t be like the others. Don’t try to kill me. You and your brother are the
only people I have in the world, but Mosese is in; that leaves you —you alone
to build or destroy me.
32
REGINA
: You need rest.
JUSPER:
I don’t. I will never have rest. How can I ever rest
with
the death of my entire family on my nfind?
Those
brutes murdered my parents in exchange
for my
release. Gave me good treatment knowing
well
that I had nothing else to lean on except my
student
status. I will get my revenge some day, even
if it
means going it alone.
REGINA: Jusper, you promised. You promised to be a
good
boy. Do
you now talk of revenge? Remember what my
brother
told you before you left prison. What did he
say?
What did he tell you to do?
JUSPER:
To close my eyes, block my ears and pretend that
nothing
is happening. But he was wrong. Madmen
don’t
pretend. Regina, don't take sides with them.
They
only use us as scapegoats, a kind of outlet for
their
anger. It’s a shame.
REGINA:
It's a shame to wear that thing in the streets, and
worse
to have it on under my humble roof. Don’t
they
teach you manners at th
I am a
philosophy student, not a student of
rrmrrrrers.
Regina, the street disease has caught
up with
you. You have lost your fighting spirit like
everyone
else in the street. As we marched up and
rluwn,
some of them even shouted abusive words at
m.
Beggars leaning on street walls told us we were
wasting
time.
Hwy
were right; you waste your time.
II 0-.
.r year ago since we lost more than time. All
lire
alrult'nts want is his photograph printed in the
lm M
newspapers. We are prepared to pay for it
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