019_the mighty fall
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The Might y Fall
Fir st Publ ished 2012Copyr ight Usm an Balarab e Al iyu 2012
ISBN 978-978-
All r i ght s reserved.No part of th is publ icat ion may be reproduced or
t ransmit ted in any form or by any means, except for use inreview s, w i t hout t he pr i or perm ission of t he Copyright ow ner.
Al l perf orm ing r ights of t h is Screenplay are fu l ly prot ect ed,and permission to perform, except for educat ional purposes,must be obtained in advance from Usana Books, at UsanaPubl ishing Com pany Limi t ed, Usana Com pl ex Minna-Nigeri a.
This book is sold subject to the condit ion that i t shal l not ,by way of t rade or o therwise, be lent , re-so ld , h i red out orotherwise c irculated without the publ isher s pr ior consent inany form of b ind ing or cover o ther than that in which i t ispubl ished and without a s imi lar condit ion including th iscondit ion being im posed on t he subsequent pur chaser.
Printed and Published by:Usana Publ ishing Com pany Lim it ed,Usana Com pl ex, 39/ 41 Broadcast ing Road,P. O.Box 1584Minna, Nigeria.Email:[email protected]
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T he Might y FallBy
Usman Balarabe Aliyu
Dram a Coll ect ion 04Usana Complex Minna 2012
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The Scriptw rite r:
Usman Aliyu was born of Aliyu Muazu, Sarkin Yakin Minna,and a fair ly quiet lady, Amina Usa, on Wednesday June 17,1953 in Minna, Niger ia.
His Academic quest ran thus:Elementary Education, Minna and Sokoto: 1960-66Secondary Educat ion, Bir nin Kebbi : 1967-71Higher School Cer t if icat e (HSC) i n 1973, Sokot o.
Bachel or s Degree (BA), (ABU) Kano: 1974-77Post Grad uat e Diplom a (PGD) i n 1982, London.
His ot her engagem ent s w ere:Co-operat ives, Abuj a unt i l June 1972.Nat ional Yout h Ser vice (NYSC) 1977-78, Lagos.Television Production at (NTA) 1978-84, Minna.Fil m Prod uct ion, Usana Com pl ex Minna 1984-96.Bricks Manufacture, 1997-2006, Minna and Funtua.
Ot her Plays by t he same Playw ri ght :Ret ailing Powe r The Children of t he RepublicYan T sakin DaulaThe Mighty Fall
Usman Al iyu was a fam i ly m an wit h chi ldr en.
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The authors epitaph:
All ow m e cry God for t hose who can t cryMake me be heard f or t hose who can t be
Let me d ie f ree,Let me not l ive in chains,
I thank you God for al l ow ing me beAl l t hat I had w anted t o be
Dedicate d to:
Malka, Baiwa & Kabo
So Ponder ed:
Let us a l l yearn t hat t he t yrants w i l l be gone for good!
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Basis for this Scre enplay: The Might y Fall
Man has alw ays sought pow er and he has alw ays m isused i t .This screenplay is a historical trace on such abuse in thekingdoms of the Sahel region of the present day Nigeria. Theplay is a lso meant to show how other men, with guts anddeterminat ion, have always struggled against powerfu ltyrants, at t imes with success, but most t imes with d isastrousconsequences.
Usman Al i yu 2012
List of Main Characters:Maikarf iWazir iTurakiGadangaBaiwaMaizafiTa a l laMeenaDantsiroLabboDogaraiSubjectsChief Wives & Maid
Main Locations:The Royal CourtStreamTow n Squar eFulani Sett lementHil l y l andscape
Usman Aliyu 2012
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ACT ONE
INTERIOR: CHIEF S COURTMAIKARFI, strongly bui l t , in his late fort ies, is the chief ofAina, a town located in the heart of subtropical Hausa Land.The Chief, dressed in a big overf lowing gown, topped overwith si lken overal ls (alkibba) and embroidered sl ippers, sitsalmost steep on his throne (karaga), whi le the court is in
session in his palace. Two subjects, in work-outf i ts, squat onthe f loor wi th the i r legs drawn in , and the i r tummies a lmostf lat on the ground. The court sent inels (dogarai) , hef ty mendressed in red gowns t ied at t he waist , f orm ed hal f r ing roundthe at tendees of the court . Wazir i , the Prime Minister, Turakiand the other counci l lors, a l l in heavy gowns with th ickembr oidery, w ait on t he chief s p leasure, in si lence.
MAIKARFI[ MAIKARFI, w it h a sw eep of hand]
You w ant t o glue yourselves t o land?Land i s ours t o dispose at w il l .
Now, we t ake what w e gave in t r ust . . .THE SUBJECTS
But , your highnessDOGARAI
Out w it h you, baseHis m aj est y has rul ed out .
THE SUBJECTOur parent s made i t mal l eable
Wit h their sweatMAIKARFI
(Aft er a pause)Neit her you nor your parent s
Had given us cause f or t ol eranceTHE SUBJECT
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Our l ord, we w ish no harm ,We cause no t roubl e
MAIKARFIYour presence is trouble enough.
Turaki, (Addressing the fat man to his r ight)Be pl eased w it h our f avour
TURAKIMay your rei gn be long, (bow ing)
COURTIERSSarki m ai duni ya
MAIKARFIWe shall certainly straightenWhat our fat hers had l ef t croaked
THE SUBJECTSRanka ya dade, t his is unj ust
DOGARAIAw ay you base, away f rom his Maj est y's sight .
MAIKARFIWaziri , see t o our w ishes.
The court chorus the Chief wi th great salutat ion as thedisgruntled subjects are roughly dragged out. Wazir i looks att he scene wi t h unease, w hile he scri bes on the court scrol l .
SHIFT TOOPEN GROUND: MOMENTS LATERThe subjects are dumped on the path. They struggle up tothe i r feet and sob the i r way in to the town. They soon meetGADANGA, a young man in h is late twent ies. As the two men
approach, he halts his cutlass sharpening and stands up togreet t hem.
GADANGAGood af t ernoon, f athers.
[Not ices t he i r ru f f led condi t ion]What happened to you?
SUBJECT IThe chief has stung us again,
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Our l and is t aken aw ay.[ With l i ngering bi t t erness]
GADANGAWhat!
SUBJECT ISay no more, m y chi ld.
His ears are long and m anyWit h t hem he has caused many t o woe
GADANGAOur anguish have been m any
But , t here is a wage for everyt h ing.SUBJECT IIOur constant prayer is for del ivery
GADANGAThat may not be long, we hope.
SUBJECT IIMay our Lord grant us such endur ance!
SHIFT TOSTREAM- MORNING: FEW DAYS LATERA col lect ion of teenage gir ls are f i l l ing their pots at a stream,by a cur ve overlooking a mount ain. MEENA, a sixt een year ol dbeauty, walks up stream to f i l l her brass pot . Suddenly, thereis a roar. MEENA screams, lett ing the pot sl ip. The other gir lsst ir incomprehensively. DANTSIRO, a strongly bui l t lad in hislate twenties, busts out laughing as he pops out of the woods.The gir ls rel ax and j oin in t he hoax.
MEENA
So, it is you, Dantsiro?DANTSIRO
Who did you t hink i t w as, Gadanga?[ MEENA coil s shyl y] You are a pret t y girl .
MEENA[ Sm il ing] St op t easing me.
DANTSIROYou are our w if e. I can say what I please.
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MEENANot yet , you grabby hand!
DANTSIRODo I t el l Gadanga t hat ?
[ MEENA picks up her pot as DANTSIRO walks up st ream . ]MEENA
No!The other g ir ls hurr iedly p ick up their pots and scramble upthe river bank, as a DOGARI (one of the chiefs sentinels,dressed in large red gown) drags a horse to the river. MEENA
cast s a quick glance at him and low ers her head.DOGARIAre you not taught to salute your elders?
MEENAGood m orni ng.
DOGARI[ Recognizing t he m aid]
Ah! You ar e Maizaf i 's young maid.How t im es pass. You have grow n bloom .
A real breed for t he palace you are m ade.[ MEENA cont inues t o f i l l her pot , f eel i ng unease.]
DOGARIHow w i l l you l ike t o be the Chief 's w i f e?
MEENAI hate h im !
DOGARIWhat!
[MEENA is coy, while the man treads away vanishing from hersight . Af ter awhi le, MEENA is just l i f t ing the pot to her headw hen Gadanga w alks in.]
GADANGASalam! [ MEENA glances at him ]
Would you l ike m e t o walk you home?MEENA(Shyly)
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Alr i ght , lead t he way.[GADANGA relieves MEENA of the pot while she takes over his
hoe and a l i t t le basket. They walk back to h is farm wherehelps him do some l i t t le w ork. They decide to l eave. Along t hegrassy path, MEENA runs a l itt le ahead, kicking the grass withher bar e feet . GADANGA w at ches her del ightf ul l y.]
GADANGA[ Throwi ng a short st ick]
Here, catch i t .MEENA
[Missing and GADANGA laughs]I t w as t oo fast .GADANGA
No, you w ere j ust t oo slow .MEENA
Alr ight , t ry again.GADANGA
Now [He throws and MEENA catches]MEENA
I got i t . [They laugh and proceed]GADANGA
Dant sir o! [ He cal ls out ]DANTSIRO
[ Shout ing back f rom t he ot her farm ]I am c omi ng.
MEENA[Col l ect ing back her pot ]
I wi l l t e l l you what happened at t he st ream.GADANGA
I have been t old. (While l aughing)MEENA
How? By whom? [With surprise]GADANGA
By Dant sir o, of c ourse,[ To DANTSIRO as t he l at t er j oins t hem ]
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Have you finished?DANTSIRO
Yes. How are y ou Meena?MEENA
I know you do not keep secret s![ DANTSIRO laughs. ]
Anyway, i t is not t hat .DANTSIROWhat is i t ?
MEENA
It i s what happened af t er you have lef t .[They face her, expectant ly]GADANGA & DANTSIRO
What happened?MEENA
Maikar f i 's Dogari came.[ Imit at i ng t he Dogari ]
How w ould l ike bei ng the chi ef 's w if e? [ She laughs]GADANGA
Let t hem t ry , I w i l l k i l l them.[They m ove home bound]
DANTSIROYou know w hat; t h is is not a laughing mat t er.
[ With some concern]GADANGA
Why not? You don't mean...[ GAGANGA f aces him ]
DANTSIROExact ly, al l t he chief 's w ives had been got t hat w ay.
GADANGAIt is because t heir parent s al l owed t hat .
DANTSIRONot a l l .MEENA
I don't t h ink I l ike t h is.
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[ She is beginni ng to b e appr ehensive]DANTSIRO
The last one was against the mother's wish.They st ole her aw ay.
MEENAPlease, st op i t .
GADANGA[Concluding]
Anyway, I am sure t he man w as j ust j oking.SHIFT TO
THE CHIEF'S STABLE - NOONThe Dogari has just f inished tying the horse at the stable.MAIKARFI is nodding his head in deep thought.
MAIKARFI[Turning to the Dogari]
You said she had a br ass pot ?DOGARI
Yes, m y lor dMAIKARFI
What day is i t t oday?DOGARI
Thursday, my lordMAIKARFI
You also not i ced t he wid e bir t hmark on her?DOGARI
Yes, your m aj est yMAIKARFI
Then, t hat i s i t . She is t he most desir able?DOGARI
A perfect gir l , she is, my LordMAIKARFI
Those w it h hidd en knowl edge had said so;By such a mark shall be t he bearer of our nam e;
If your tongue proves your eyes,You wi l l cert a in ly draw closer t o us.
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Serm on Waziri t o usDOGARI
Right aw ay, m y Lord[MAIKARFI walks away into the main quarters.]
SHIFT TOTHE CHIEF'S COURT - AFTERNOON[ MAIKARFI sit s on hi s t hrone having a m eet ing w it h WAZIRI.]
MAIKARFIWe are seri ously in t his, Wazir i
Touched w e are b y a r ising desir e;
I t i s not t he shape, b ut what i t shal l bearA m aid so mar ked is one to b ear us fr uit sWAZIRI
[Very concerned]I am aware of t hat fore t e l l ing, my Lord
But , t h is one is a lready bet rot hedMAIKARFI
Bet rot hed, even so, t o whom?WAZIRI
To a rel at ive, Gadanga, son of Baiw aMAIKARFI
Neit her he nor any of his is our rel at ionSett lers are no relat ives
They j ust enj oy our past w eaknessWAZIRI
My Lord, t hey had r uled once,They are c locked by t hat respect .
MAIKARFIYes, t hey ru led, b y decei t .
Pl anted as t hey wer e by our enemyNow, we are the r ight fu l ownersWe can give r ein t o our w ishes.
WAZIRIAnother probl em, my Lord
MAIKARFI
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Yes? Of lat e you are a r egist er of t hem.WAZIRI
I t i s t he fat her; he is a winding.MAIKARFI
Madne ss is no obstacle.We shal l pet h im suf f ic ient t o t ame h im.
WAZIRIMy Lord, t his m at t er needs no rush.
MAIKARFIWe have heard your voice;
Our w ishes do not rhym e wit h i t .[ Wit h a w ave of hand]You b e gone.
WAZIRIYes, m y Lord.
[ Taking leave wi t h a bow as Turaki w alks in]TURAKI
Salut at ions t o your Maj est yMAIKARFI
Turaki , w e have an ache in t h is heart .TURAKI
We are a st rong nat ion, your Maj est y.Your st ir is enough horr or t o any enem y.What t r ib e would be source of t rouble?
Your m aj est y!MAIKARFI
Ah, Tur aki , I wished i t w as t hat .
No drum beat ing, nor f l owi ng blood,No t he sm og of burning hut s
Give ache to our heart .TURAKI
Then, your maj est y should be f r ee f rom w orryMAIKARFI
Yet , w e are t rapped by somet hing gent ler ,We have t aken a f ancy on som eone
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Upon w hom our f ut ure may rest .TURAKI
That , your maj est y, is a re l ief .No maid i n t his dom ain is but yours t o t ake,
Name her; your m aj est y shall have herMAIKARFI
Then, be i t . A m aid of MAIZAFI she is,Foret old t o be the key to our l i neage;At t end t o us t o harvest your dreams.
SHIFT TO
EXTERIOR: MAIZAFI'S COMPOUND: LATE AFTERNOON[MAIZAFI, Meena's father, is a skinny man of average height.He si t s on t he ground, l eaning by t he w al l of h is round hut , asGADANGA, DANTSIRO and MEENA wal k in. ]
MEENAFat her, I have somet hing for you.
MAIZAFIWhat is it ? [ Ext ending his hand]
MEENA[Handing out ] Your f avouri t e
MAIZAFIYes, t hat is good. Mango is alw ays good f or t he body .
[GADANGA and DANTSIRO bend in greeting]How is your farm? [Addressing GADANGA]
GADANGAIt is coming up fine. MEENA is also helping.
MAIZAFI
Do you? [MEENA nods. He smiles, reflectively]MEENA
I really work hard, don't I? [To GADANGA]GADANGA
Yes, you do.MAIZAFI
That is w hat I am l aughing at .MEENA
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But , I do not spoil anyt hing.MAIZAFI
Those days, gir l s never helped at t he f arm s!MEENA
What is wr ong wi t h i t ?MAIZAFI
Wel l , may be not hing. May be t hey were j ust lazy.[DANTSIRO and GADANGA giggle]
MEENAThat is not f a ir ; m ot her helped you.
MAIZAFITo cause com m ot ion, yes. [ He laughs]MEENA
I wil l ask her.MAIZAFI
No. . . She m ay end up br eaking the house![GADANGA and DANTSIRO take their leave]
DANTSIROSee you later, Meena.
MEENAIs t here any dance t onight?
GADANGAYes.
MEENAI wi l l come i f mot her al lows me.
[ She goes inside l eaving her f at her w it h a glee]SHIFT TO
TOWN SQUARE: SAME DAY: NIGHTYoung girls dance in a circle. GADANGA and DANTSIRO stand att he ri m of t he open space cleared f or dancing. MEENA walks tothe head of the drummers, whispers to h im. A d i f ferent tuneis played. She walks to GADANGA and pulls him in to thecentre. There is applause. The pair dance brief ly alone; soon,they are joined by other pairs. After a while, GADANGA and
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MEENA inch their way out of the arena to a long log of woodon whi ch t hey sit eyeing each ot her, shyly.
MEENAMy mot her wants t o know
GADANGAWhat?MEENA
Our w eddi ng, you have not said anyt hing.GADANGA
I am w ait i ng f or t he end of t he season.
Wi l l t hat be al r i ght?MEENA[ Sm il ing] I guess so.
GADANGA[ Looking up at t he fu l l m oon]
I t hink w e should go home now .MEENA
Don t you want anot her dance?GADANGA
No. One is enough for t oday.I have a lo t o f w ork to do at t he farm t omorrow.
[They walk away, whi le the drums cont inue piercing themoony night ]
SHIFT TOEXTERIOR: STREET: THE NEXT DAY: MORNINGTURAKI and two DOGARAI are briskly walking along the street;t hey t ake a bend and com e across WAZIRI on t he way.
WAZIRI[ Af t er casual greet ings]
Turaki, w here t o in such a hast e?TURAKI
To exec ut e his Maj est y's pl easure.WAZIRI
Of w hat nat ure, may I ask?TURAKI
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Of al l peopl e, his m aj est y's Pri m e Minist erShould be t he most knowl edgeable.
WAZIRI[ Sensing t he sarc asm s]
Wel l , not in t h is.TURAKI
Not in t h is, t he chief being marr ied?No, Waziri no
WAZIRII know of h is int ent ,
But , not t o t h is extentTURAKIWel l t hen, even the madman of t he town,
Soon t o be his in-Law seems m ore inf orm ed.WAZIRI
[ Taken aback]Did you not t e l l i n for m his Maj est y
The girl is betrothed to Baiwa's son?TURAKI
You expect me t o dw el l on such detai ls?I should know where his fancies go,
And t here my own w i l l go.WAZIRI
But , you know w hat t he cust om is.TURAKI
Yes, I know, but cust om f eeds no one,Those who guide t he cust om do t he feed ing,
I f t hey change, we change w it hout chal lenge.What t hey give as new w e t ake.
WAZIRIThere may be conf l ic t on t h is, Turaki
Think i t over w it hout a rush.TURAKI
There is conf l ic t , a lways.Going against t he chief is a conf l i ct ,
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Going against your ow n w ish is a confl ict ,My w ish goes aft er his wish t o avoid confl ict .
WAZIRII can see you have alr eady t aken sid es.
TURAKIIn th is mat t er, one th ing I know f or sure,
His maj est y is sw ept , you cannot hold h im back.WAZIRI
I hope t o see him again, bef ore any harm is done.When t rouble i s asleep, i t should be l ef t t o sleep.
[ They walk away on t heir separat e ways] SHIFT TOEXTERIOR: MAIZAFI'S FRONTAGE: MOMENTS LATER
TURAKI calls on MAIZAFI. He informs him of the chief's intent.MAIZAFI, without hesitat ion, rejects the proposal. Turakiw arns him of t he consequence of h is re j ect ion. ]
SHIFT TOINTERIOR: THE LOCAL MOSQUE NEAR MAIZAFI'S HOUSE: NIHGTMAIZAFI addresses t he congregat ion, aft er t he pr ayers, on t heChief s machinations. Others also complain of some abuses.They resolve t o make a deput at ion t o Wazir i .
SHIFT TOINTERIOR: TURAKI'S HOUSE NIGHTTURAKI tells the Dogarai COMMANDANT on the Chief's intentand t he need t o be vigi lant . The man observes t hat h is f orcesare becoming unpopular. TURAKI advices, People are subduedby force not by w ords.
SHIFT TOINTERIOR: THE NEXT DAY: WAZIRI'S HOUSE: MORNINGWAZIRI receives the delegation on Maizafi 's case and on otherunpleasant mat t ers. He promises t o take i t up wit h t he chief .
SHIFT TOINTERIOR: THE INNER QUARTERS OF MAIKARFI: MORNING
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MAIKARFI's most senior wife wants to verify the rumour of thechief s upcomi ng marr iage. No , Maikarf i says t he gir l coming
is a slave. The marr ied wom en, t herefor e, should not w orry.SHIFT TO
INTERIOR: THE COURT ROOM: MORNING: LATERThe courtiers are seated. MAIKARFI enters at the blow of ahorn. People come forward to greet h im, in turns. Someonestands to complain on the Fulani incursions into their farms.SARKIN NOMA is asked t o see t o i t . Anot her pe rson b r ings sacksof goods, saying he has heard of t he wed ding ceremony. There
is applause. SARKIN FADA is asked to collect the gift. TURAKIstands to say that MAIZAFI has will ing given his daughter tothe chief to wed. WAZIRI t r ies to ra ise object ion but isst opped. He is asked t o record t his m em orable event .
SHIFT TOINTERIOR: MAIZAFI'S ZAURE: NOONTURAKI leads a delegation of elders to MAIZAFI. They presentgif ts which MAIZAFI rejects, vehemently. Turaki feels insulted.
SHIFT TOEXTERIOR: GADANGA'S FARM: NEXT DAY: MORNINGGADANGA and DANTSIRO discuss what transferred at MAIZAFI'scompound the day before. They express disgust and alarm atthe issuing disorder.
SHIFT TOEXTERIOR: WITHIN MAIZAFI'S COMPOUND: NOONMEENA is blowing the f ire inside the compound. Her mother,TA'ALLA is in her room. TURAKI and some DOGARAI burst into
the compound.TURAKI
There she is, get her.[ Tw o m en l i f t ed MEENA up t o t he shoulders]
MEENAMother , help me. Put me down.
TA'ALLA[At t racted by t he comm ot ion]
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Turaki , leave my daught er a lone.TURAKI
[ Rest rai ning Ta'all a]Get o f f , woman.
TA'ALLAYou cannot t ake my only chi ld.
TURAKIThe chief w ant s her.
[TURAKI pushes the woman down as they go with MEENA]SHIFT TO
EXTERIOR: INSIDE BAIWA'S COMPOUND: SAME TIMEMAIZAFI is rounding up his conversation with Baiwa on thechief 's intention and his fears of what might happen.
MAIZAFII wil l be going.
BAIWAAlr ight , greet Ta'a l la f or m e, p lease.
[ MAIZAFI wal ks out t aking a t urn t o his com pound.]SHIFT TO
EXTERIOR: WITHIN MAIZAFI'S COMPOUND: MOMENTS LATERTA'ALLA is still crying as MAIZAFI comes in.
TA'ALLAMEENA is gone.
MAIZAFIWhere?TA'ALLA
They came and t ook her aw ay.
MAIZAFI[ Li f t ing his w if e up] What happened?
TA'ALLAThey t ook Meena away.
MAIZAFIWho t ook her aw ay?
TA ALLATuraki and his m en!
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MAIZAFIImpossible!
[He let Ta'alla drop as he dashes into his room for a cutlass]SHIFT TO
PATH TO THE CHIEF'S PALACE: MOMENTS LATERMAIZAFI, a weapon in hand, hurries along the path. GADANGAand DANTSIRO, coming back from the farm, meet him. Theygreet him . He passes t hem w it hout responding.
SHIFT TOSAME PATH
GADANGA and DANTSIRO st and by t he p at h ponde r ing on w hatt he mat t er is. They dec ide to t ra i l h im.SHIFT TO
GATE OF THE PALACEMAIZAFI brandishes his cutlass, trying to force his way inagainst the wall of Dogarai. They haul away. He stands andcharges on. They throw him away as GADANGA and DANTSIROget s t o t he scene. They knel l t o help h im up, entr eat ing.
MAIZAFIMy daught er w i l l not go, I sw ear.
[The two youths exchanged apprehensive glances]SHIFT TO
INTERIOR: COURT ROOMMAIKARFI and WAZIRI are having quite a thorny chat.
WAZIRIYour Highness, this undertaking is prone,
Impregnat ed wit h r isks
MAIKARFITalk t o us of r isks?
We, the chaser of hundred warriors,You speak to us of risks?
WAZIRIWomen, your highness are snares,
We have fists against warriors,No claw s against t he net s of w om en.
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MAIKARFIThe m aid by age is a w oman,
By buil d she is of our t ast eBy her marking she holds our destiny.
WAZIRIMy lord, t he maid is a lready bet rot hed.
MAIKARFIWe are decided on t h is mat t er, Wazir i ,
Be by our sid e and pr osper ,Or let your opin ion be your l onely com pany.
SHIFT TOINTERIOR: MAIZAFI'S ROOM NIGHT[ MAIZAFI is l ying in bed , eyes f ixed up, w hil e Ta'all a sobs. ]
TA'ALLAMy onl y daught er , Oh God. [ She cr ies]
MAIZAFI[Sitt ing up and raising his arms up]
God, give me t he st rengt h t o f i ght t h is monst erTA'ALLA
AmenSHIFT TO
EXTERIOR: OPEN AIR: NIGHTGADANGA and DANTSIRO sit by a fire. DANTSIRO goes for twigsw hil e GADANGA sit s si l ent ly. They feed t he f ir e.
DANTSIROI cannot underst and t h is. . .
Yet t hese peopl e are t he keepers of our values?
[ GADANGA j ust eyes t he r ising f l ames]DANTSIRO
Anyw ay, w e should w ait and see.He is bound t o give her up. . .
[He feeds t he f i r e]GADANGA
I don't t h ink I can wait .I wi sh I had t aken your f lash t hought seriously.
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DANTSIROWhat could you have done?
Not hing, now , a l l w e can do is t o wait .No hast e , j ust t ime t o t h ink i t over .
GADANGAI w ish I can
[Spi t t ing in to t he f i re ]No, I cannot t ake i t
[ He st ands up]You w il l excuse m e, I am going in.
DANTSIROGood night , t ry t o get some sleep, t hough.SHIFT TO
EXTERIOR: THE TOWN PANORAMA - DAWNGradually, the sun envelops the town in golden rays. MEENA isbeing attended to by elder women. She sobs heavily. MAIKARFIwalks in. The women salute h im and vanish. He walks to her,trying to touch her head. She withdraws in disdain.
MAIKARFIYou are a lucky one and I am a t oler ant m an,
With you, I wi l l be more than t hat ,Though m y desir es rage l i ke f ir e.
MEENAThen let me go home
[ MEENA at t em pt s t o mov e as he bars her ]MAIKARFI
No, my dear,
Not hing goes out of my t rap.Your home is here now
MEENA[ Spit s out ]MAIKARFI
They alw ays react t hat w ay.You w il l change aft er t he cerem ony, I assure you
[ MEENA eyes him hat ef ul ly]
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SHIFT TOTHE CHIEF'S COURTROOM
The court is f ul l as t he Chief st r id es in. Wazir i is conspicuouslyabsent . The Dogarai m ake a semi cir cle round t he chief.
MAIKARFIWhere is our Wazir i?
[ Waving at t he vacant space]TURAKI
[ Bowing lowly]Not her e, your maj est y
MAIKARFIWhy not ?TURAKI
No one can say, your m aj est y,A lose dog has m any wonder ing spot s
MAIKARFISend f or h im , q uick.
We w ould l ike t h is event celebrat ed in st y le.TURAKI
Hakika, I w i l l pass t he wor d around,Especial l y t o t he Ruggan Ful ani
SHIFT TOEXTERIOR: WITHIN MAIZAFI'S COMPOUNDSom e w om en are hel pi ng to do Ta'all a's house chor es.
WOMAN II t i s a p i t y
[ She pours out w ater int o a pot ]
WOMAN IIThere is nothing to say,
Subj ect s obey, hoping for t heir m ercy.WOMAN I
To t h ink he is t w ice her age.WOMAN II
That is w hat men pref erThe j u icy part of a w oman's l i f e,
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When t hat is f in ished t hey t hrow t he shel l away.WOMAN I
If only Ta'al la can overcom e it ,She l ooks aw f ul t hese d ays.
WOMAN III doubt t hat , I wish she wi l l eat t hough
[ She w alks int o Ta'al l a 's hut w it h a pot of por rid ge]Ta'al l a is sit t ing on the m at , leaning against t he bed. She looksvery haggard. In f ront of her is her f ood unt ouched.
WOMAN II
Ta'all a, [ no response]Please eat something.Here is your por rid ge. I t t ast es good.
[No response, Ta'al la st irs vacantly, the woman leaves theplat e on t he mat and goes out , d isappoint ed]
SHIFT TOEXTERIOR: WITHIN BAIWA'S HOUSE - MORNING
GADANGANo, mot her , w e must f ight h im.
BAIWANot now m y dear, we f ear is a defeat .Everyt h ing has i t s own appoint ed t im e.
GADANGAWe have t o resolve to f ight , m ot her,
Perchance i t w i l l be in accordance wi t h h is decree,BAIWA
We need t ime t o consul t , t ime t o prepare.
There is alw ays a day of reckoni ng.SHIFT TO
EXTERIOR: FULANI SETTLEMENT - DUSKDogarai , on horseback, t roop into the Fulani camp, thecomm andant b l ows t he t r umpet as t he Fulani st art t o gather.
COMMANDANTThe chief, Maikarf i , the son of Maiyaki,
Orders you to give,
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As gi f t , a cow each per fam i ly,For t he occasion of his w edding
[There is a general rambling of discontent as the Fulani startt o wi t hdraw. The elder among t hem comes forw ard]
ELDERWe w i l l l i ke t o confer w i t h ourselves,
I f t he chief 's warr iors would a l lowDOGARAIWhat f or?
COMMMANDANT
Alr ight , shrewd m an, hur ry up,We come in p eace, yet t hat is changeable,If y ou choose t o disobey
ELDERMeyat t i , w arr ior
[ Dogarai p ose, eyeing t he young l adies around]SHIFT TO
UNDER A TREE- A MOMENT LATERThe elders of t he camp are having a heat ed debat e on t heirr esponse t o t he chi ef 's dem ands.
ELDERIs i t your m ind?
The st and of al l of us is not t o yield?THE ASEMBLY
[In unison]Yes. We are t ir ed.We are r esolut e.
And w e are ready.SHIFT TO
EXTERIOR: BY THE HUTS - SAME TIMESome of t he dogarai have disemb arked and are t ryi ng t o gigglew it h some of t he t eenage gir ls against t he lat t er 's w ish.
COMMANDANTI hat e t o burn t h is p lace dow n,
But t he shrew d Fulani, I suspect ,
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Want t o p lay some t r icksThe elder Fulani fo l lowed by his people t roop in. One young
lad tr ies to push his sister away from the dogari. The dogaripushes him dow n. Ot hers move in.
ELDER[Intervening]
Gent ly, young blood, no need f or hot br eath nowCOMMANDANT
Yes, w here are t he cows?ELDER
Negge w ala!DOGARAIWhat?ELDER
No cow s, so w e r esolved[The dogari slashes with his weep at the elder. A young Fulanicharges at h im , t ry ing t o pul l h im down f rom t he horseback]
THE COMMANDANTThis is w hat you w ant?
We w i l l burn t h is p lace down,Boys t or ch it t o ashes,
Take what is of useSHIFT TO
FULANI SETTLEMENT DUSKThe dogara i charge in wi t h l i t t o rches; t hey throw t hem on thehut s. There is yel l ing and comm ot ion al l round. The Fulani t ry,in vain, to hal t the assault . A dogari bursts into one of the
huts, smashing pots and calabashes, while the inhabitantsplead. One dogari is pul l ing down the structure of the grainst ore. An old w oman is st ruggl i ng t o get out of her smoky hut .Another dogari is dragging out some sheep and goats. A dogariis wrest l ing with a maid. He drags her. A Fulani youth goes torescue her; he str ikes the Dogari wi th a c lub, the man fa l ls.The comm andant cal ls out t o h is men by t he t r umpet .
THE COMMANDANT
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Alr ight , le t us go.[The Dogarai w i t hdraw w i t h t he i r loot , leaving t he set t lement
in f lames. People r un hel t er-skel t er, screaming and yel l ing]SHIFT TO
INTERIOR: NEXT DAY: MEENA'S ROOM: PALACE - MORNINGTears flow down on MEENA's cheeks, as she lies stirring at theraf t er . An e lder ly wom an enters t he room.
WOMANIs t here anyt hing you want, your royal t y?
[ No response. The w oman goes out of t he room w it h a shrug.]
SHIFT TOWITHIN THE PALACE: A MOMENT LATERKULUWA, the senior consort of the Chief waits as the womancom es out .
KULUWAHow is she?
WOMANStony! His majesty has made a choice!
KULUWAWe have been here, happy at last ,
I do not know w hy he wants herWOMAN
I learnt she w as for et oldKULUWA
[Sarcastically]So t hey said of us!
[ Wit h an air of of f ence, she walks away.]
SHIFT TOEXTERIOR: WITHIN MAIZAFI'S COMPOUNDMAIZAFI sharpens his sword at the grinding stone. Beside himis a col l ect ion of ot hers w eapons.
MAIZAFI[ To himself ]
I have fought bef oreI fought the Fulani
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I beat o f f t he ZamfarawaWhat is a sm all f ight t o me again?
[He runs the blade careful ly through his f ingers to test i tssharpness]
MAIZAFIJust w ait MEENA
Just await my coming[ He st ands, col lect s his w eapons and w alks int o t he hut . ]
MAIZAFI put s on h is w ar d ress. Ta'all a looks on.MAIZAFI
It is a w ar. I f I succeed, you see m e,If I die, God bless us,T i l l we meet in t he garden.
TA'ALLABut , mai gida, you are alone
MAIZAFINo, I am not alone;
God is alw ays w it h me,As we rise against oppression.
TA'ALLAI am afra id, malam
MAIZAFIDon t be a f ra id ,
This man w i l l st op at not hing;[ He pic ks up his sword ]
He is bent at ki l l ing us, anyway.[ He places his r i ght hand on her head]
Be at home,We shall m eet here again on in heavens.[ He cast s a surveying glance at t he room ]
[ Ta'all a breaks dow n cr ying as MAIZAFI walks out .]SHIFT TO
INTERIOR: THE CHIEF'S COURT: AFTERNOONMAIKARFI is seated while WAZIRI squats by him
WAZIRI
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Your highness,The domain is tense
MAIKARFIThat is for our w edding!
WAZIRII am afr aid, your hi ghness,
The l and is crying not l aughingMAIKARFI
And w hy does i t cry?WAZIRI
Out of d iscont ent , your highnessMAIKARFIAt ot her t im es, your words,
As t hey seek t o hurt ,Would have drawn our anger;Learn t o choose bet t er w ords,
If you are against us,Tarry away f r om our venom
WAZIRII am l oyal, your highness
But , t he tow ns are complain ingMAIKARFI
To st at ion our f eeli ngs on such achesWi l l r u in our crown
WAZIRIThe Fulani had been overran
MAIKARFI
Disobedi ence has it s pri ce;We wi l l do i t t wice over i f t hey t ry again
WAZIRIWe have broken a t r uce betw een us
MAIKARFITruce i s sought by t he w eak,
We are not w eak.Treat i es are drawn
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To give you t i me t o prepare,And w e are ready.
We are st rong, w e don t need t r uce,We can break t reat ies as w e pl ease.
WAZIRIBut, your highness
MAIKARFIWe are b eing bored by you, Wazir i
WAZIRIYour highness, I fear revolt
MAIKARFIThen, do not cause it ,By your stand, you have given much away,
Of your in t ent w e are in form ed,You ta lk o f revol t ?Let i t come, Wazi r i
Our resolve, w e wi l l show t hem.[ Wit h a w ave of hand, he signif ies his displeasure at Wazir i ]
You show no int erest in our happinessYou shall be away f rom our pr esence
If w e perceive change in youYou shall draw n ear
SANKIRA[ In a loud voice]
You stand displaced old man![ Aft er a br ief , MAIKARFI addr esses t he gath er ing]
MAIKARFI
That we d id , for our domain.We are det erm ined t o punish,
No, t o cut away the rot t en ones,Befor e t hey infest t he restLet i t be known, t h is long,Our p at ience w as our w ish,
Not f ear. Turaki[ Turning t o t he man, Turaki bows forw ard]
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We now confer on youAn addit ion, t he conduct of our w edding
[There is a general applause][Tur aki st ands and moves t o t he t hrone, bowi ng lowl y]
TURAKI[Bowing forward]
I shal l do t hat , your m aj est y,Wit h utm ost p leasure
[ The sound of Kakaki and Algait a f i l l s t he air]SHIFT TO
GATE OF THE PALACE MOMENTS LATERWaziri comes out of the palace gate. Suddenly, MAIZAFIcharges in, the dogari bars him. MAIZAFI slashes his sword incomplete rage. Wazir i is taken aback. Other sentinels chargein. MAIZAFI is pierced. One of the men raises his sword high tocut t hrough t he old m an, Wazir i shouts out , t he man does nothesit at e, and in goes t he bl ade; bl ood gushes out .
WAZIRIAllahu-Akbar
People soon gather, murmuring; the dogarai t ry to containt hem. There is a lot of com mot ion as re inf orcement com es in.The people are hurr iedly d ispersed. Turaki instructs that theChief is not t o be dist urbed w it h new of such minor incidence.
SHIFT TOEXTERIOR: OPEN GROUND: CONCURRENTLYPeople gat her, discussing t he happenings in t he tow n, and t herumour of the gathering of Fulani at the surrounding vi l lages.
SHIFT TOMAIZAFI S COMPOUND: MOMENTS LATERMAIZAFIS corpse is prepared for burial. Ta'alla is in sorrow.GADANGA, DANTSIRO and ot her peopl e sit , in t ear s.
SHIFT TOMAIZAFI'S BODY IS IN WHITE SHROUDThe people l i f t i t . In the background, t he cal l t o Zuhr prayers
SHIFT TO
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TA'ALLA'S ROOMThe woman is transf ixed, quite obl ivious of her surrounding as
other w omen gave vent t o the i r gr ie f .SHIFT TO
AT THE LOCAL MOSQUE CLOSE TO MAIZAFI'S COMPOUNDMAIZAFI's corpse is in front of some rows of people at theconcluding part of the funeral prayers. GADANGA andDANTSIRO help carry the bier.
SHIFT TOGRAVEYARD - AFTERNOON
MAIZAFI's body is lowered inside the grave. Sand is poured in.People knel l for a short prayer. Then, the people d isperse.GADANGA and DANTSIRO rem ain by t he grave .
DANTSIROWil l t here be any work t oday?
GADANGANo. Not t oday or any day.
DANTSIROMeaning?GADANGA
We are in t he midst of dest ruct ion,Why const ruct ?
DANTSIROWhat w e can't change, w e to l erat e, mat e
GADANGAWhat w e cannot bear, w e change, m y fr iend
DANTSIRO
That is equal l y t rueGADANGA
Then, let us change itDANTSIRO
How?GADANGA
Fight . Fight i t t o remove i tThat is t he way t o change i t .
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[ Add resses t he grave]Be r est assured, f at her,
Your d eat h shall b e avenged..FAGE OUT
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ACT TWOFADE IN
EXTERIOR: HIGH ANGLE OF THE TOWN -ZOOM TO THE PALACE
INTERIOR: CHIEF'S SECOND ROOM -MORNINGMAIKARFI sit s on t he im per ial b ed. His senior w if e w alks in.
KULUWAI am here, mai-g ida
MAIKARFIThe ceremony is up t omorrow
KULUWAYes, mai-gidaMAIKARFI
All t he arrangem ents depend on youKULUWA
Alr ight mai-g ida, b utMAIKARFI
What is i t again?KULUWA
It i s nothingMAIKARFI
Say w hat is in your m indKULUWA
Since you said so,What is her posit ion?
MAIKARFIWhat do you mean?
KULUWAWell w hat is she?
Is she a wif e l ike us or w hat ?MAIKARFIAh. I see
Does t hat bot her you?Well , she is l i ke t he last one.
Are you happy wit h t hat?
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KULUWAThe last one st art ed l ike t he one before her
She ended up l ike t he one befor e, l ike us,Shari ng bed , shari ng you
MAIKARFIHave I proved inadequat e in any way?
Or have your f avours f al l en short ?KULUWA
But , age l eaves a mar k on m e,Much mor e t han it does on you
MAIKARFII st i l l p lough t he f ie ld , don t I?KULUWA
Yes, you do; but , you know,With every new comerThat has become r are
MAIKARFIThat is because of w ork,
However, at my age and posit ion,Being wit hout a copy haunts m e.
You wil l understand.She is prom ised t o give me an heir
KULUWA[ She is t err ib le hurt by t h is]
I know I am chil dlessSo are al l t he w omen in t his house!
MAIKARFI
You have no blameBut , underst and w hy I do w hat I do.I am search ing, so I spr ead m y seeds
Hoping for a dump t o hold t hem t o sprout[ He pul l s her t o h imself ]
We have come a long w ay t oget her, Kuluw a!KULUWA
I am afra id
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MAIKARFII know . But , I am in need,
Whatever i t t akes I w i l l doWhatever i t w ant s I wi l l give.
KULUWAHow l ong wi l l t hat be?
MAIKARFIBe pat i ent ; t he end is here.
SHIFT TOEXTERIOR: WITH THE HAREM: LATER
KULUWA is with two other women. They are curious to knowt he out com e of KULUWA's chat w it h t he chiefKULUWA
Let us go in, y ou know his ears are l ongSHIFT TO
INTERIOR: KULUWA'S ROOMThe wom en fol low KULUWA int o her room
KULUWAHe said i t is a big aff air, and I sense it
LAMIDoes that mean he loves her?
BINTAShe is a new im pr ession t hat is al l ,
I f you ask me, i t wi l l w ane of fKULUWA
I don t t h ink soBINTA / LAMI
[In unison]Why?
KULUWAHe had a dream , a vision or somet hing
Or som eone t el l ing him she wil l bear an heirBINTA
That is not new ;They said t he same t hing about m e
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LAMISo it w as on me,
They al l l ied t o get c lose to h imKULUWA
I don t t h ink we should wai t t o seeWhether t he for t une- t e l le rs l ie or t e l l t he t ru t h ,
We can st op t his aff airBINTA / LAMI
How?KULUWA
Easy; j ust leave t hat t o meIf w e are agreedBINTA
Yes, but wi l l i t work?KULUWA
Sure, Meena has a young man outsideLAMIWel l?
KULUWAWe wi l l use him t o break th is up.
SHIFT TOEXTERIOR: IN FRONT OF TURAKI'S HOUSEThe COMMANDANT detests the orders TURAKI is giving him. Hehates order ing the people t o do force l abour.
SHIFT TOA PATH IN THE TOWNThe dogarai ar e busy f orcing people t o do some cl earing. Each
is holding a long whip which occasional they lash on someone.DOGARI
Clean i t , you base!SHIFT TO
EXTERIOR: BAIWA'S HOUSE - AFTERNOONGADANGA is tying some pieces of wood in front of the house.An elderly woman comes in. She introduces herself as theJAKADIYA, from the Chief's palace.
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JAKADIYAI am looking f or a yout h named Gadanga
GADANGAI am Gadanga
JAKADIYAThen, I have a m essage f or you
GADANGAWhat message and fr om w hom?
We wel come no message fr om t he chiefJAKADIYA
My boy, be not rude t o meMy message is from whom you most desire,If you don t w ant t o hear i t , I wi l l go
GADANGAPlease overl ook m y hast e
I am one badly brui sedJAKADIYA
It is f rom Meena; m ay I go?GADANGA
From Meena, pl ease w aitWhat is i t ?JAKADIYA
She w ant s you t o com e for herNext w eek af t er t he ce lebrat ions
Go over t he sout hern w allShe wi l l be w ait ing,
I f you cheri sh her
GADANGAThank you very m uch
I cert a in ly do, t e l l her I shal l b e t hereJAKADIYA
You wi l l keep t h is secret , w on't you?GADANGA
Cert ain ly, I am t he one most in need of i t .SHIFT TO
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INTERIOR: MEENA'S ROOM IN THE PALACEMEENA is sit t ing on her bed. A maid i s busy t idyi ng up.
MAIDIs t here anyt hing you want me t o do, your r oyal t y?
MEENA[ Af t er a pause]
NothingMAID
You look t i redMEENA
I feel sick!MAIDTry t o look forward
MEENAHow can I? [A pause]
I w ish I can see Gadanga againMAID
Your royal t y put h im behind you, p l easeMEENA
Forget him ? How can I ever f orget him ?[She is agitated]
MAIDI am sorr y
But his m aj est y wi l l be sadMEENA
I don t mind and I don t careWhy should I?
I hate h im for ru in ing meI loat he him for k i l l ing my parent
MAIDIt w as an accident , t hey said
MEENAIt w as pla in murd er
And t i l l I d ie I wi l l ho ld h im f or t hat[She breaks into tears and heavy sobs]
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MAIDPlease
MEENALet me be
[ She hides her head under t he pi l low ]SHIFT TO
INTERIOR: KULUWA'S ROOM - A MOMENT LATERKULUWA, LAMI and BINTA are cheerful. Jakadiya has just toldt hem about her encount er w i t h Gadanga.
KULUWA
You are sure he under st ood?JAKADIYAYes. He wi l l come, in t he night
I see in t hat yout h a brand of f i reEasily kindled by love and honour
KULUWAThese qual i t ies are more t o our benef i t .
Make the Dogarai rise to the occasionBINTA
I hope i t worksKULUWA
Sure, i t wi l l w ork,I wi l l warn Ranka-ya-dade of the impending event
He wi l l be m ad t o know of t he gi r l 'sCont inued af f a i r wi t h her form er su i t or
LAMIHe wi l l cert a in ly send her packing
KULUWAThree of us are sisters already,
We don t want any addi t ionThank you, Jakadiya,
You wi l l cer t a inly draw benef i t by t h is.SHIFT TO
INTERIOR: DANTSIRO'S ROOM - AFTERNOONGADANGA seem s rest l ess; he st ands w i t h DANTSIRO.
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DANTSIROYou th ink t hat is t rue?
GADANGAI am posit ive, she sent t heir Jakadiya.
I wi l l goDANTSIRO
But , t he wal l is h ighGADANGA
[Thought fu l ly ]I near ly forgot t hat .
Wel l , I wi l l have to f ind a way t o jum p i tDANTSIROSuppose you are caught?
GADANGAI wi l l f ight m y way out t hen.
I must bui l d som e ski l l s by pr act ice.SHIFT TO
EXTERIOR: THE TOWN ROAD - AFTERNOONThe roads have been l ined up with stones and the treesdecor at ed wi t h t he Chief 's insignia
SHIFT TOEXTERIOR: THE CITY GATE - AFTERNOONDogarai cl ear t he w ay for some camels and donkeys laden w it hgi f t s f or t he Chief . Three Fulani youth come t o pass.
DOGARI I[ St opping them ]
And you, w here do you t hink you are going?
YOUTH IIn to t he ci t y
DAGARI IWel l , w here are your parents?
YOUTH IThey are at home, w hy?
DOGARI INo yout h comes fr om your p l ace w it hout an escort
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YOUTH IWe are not here for t he celebrat ions
DOGARI IThen, w hat are you here for ?
YOUTH IWe are her e t o see Waziri .
DOGARI IThen go back, Wazir i si t s not in p alace
YOUTH IWe wi l l v isi t h im st i l l
DOGARI IOh no, you don t[ He bars t hem w it h his spear. His superior w alks in]
DOGARI IILe t t hem be , o f f i cer .
We don t want any t rouble t oday[ The Fulani youths w alk in t hrough t he gate]
SHIFT TOALONG THE STREET - LATE AFTERNOONThe t hree Fulani yout h are w alk ing t o Waziri 's house
SHIFT TOWAZIRI'S ZAURE - MOMENTS LATERThe Fulani youths informs Waziri that al l the Fulani campshave decided on w hat t o do t o det hrone MAIKARFI.
SHIFT TOEXTERIOR: WITHIN BAIWA'S COOMPOUNG - LATE AFTERNOONGADANGA is having an archery exercise. Baiwa calls out on
him t o come f or h is meals.GADANGA
No, not now, mot herBAIWA
What are you shoot ing?GADANGA
Not hing, I am j ust doing some pr act ice.SHIFT TO
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EXTERIOR: MOMENT LATERGADANGA is having a rope climbing exercise up the tall tree in
the compound.SHIFT TO
INTERIOR: GADANGA'S ROOM - AT NIGHTGADANGA is having some boxing exercise. Baiwa walks in. Hepauses t o greet her.
BAIWASomething is happening to you.
You do not eat , you do not sleep,
What is w rong?GADANGAI am j ust t ry ing t o keep f i t , m other .
BAIWAYou don t t h ink of war, I hope.
GADANGATo avoid war, we m ust prepare for one.
BAIWAAlr ight , i t is enough for t oday.
Have your m eals and go to sl eep.. SHIFT TO
EXTERIOR: THE TOWN AT NIGHTThe town is asleep. Occasionally, dog backings pierce the air.Vir t ual l y, not hing moves. Baiw a's compound i s no except ion.
SHIFT TOINTERIOR: GADANGA'S ROOM NIGHTGADANGA is fast asleep, having a dream.
ECHOAvenge, avenge, and st and t o f ight
[ He wakes up w it h a st art . He rubs his eyes. Everyt hing isquiet . He walks t o t he door and peeps outside]
SHIFT TOEXTERIOR: BAIWA'S COMPOUND NIGHTDarkness and sil ence envel ops everyw here.
SHIFT TO
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GADANGA'S ROOM NIGHTGADANGA goes back to bed.
SHIFT TOINTERIOR: THE CHIEF'S ROOM NIGHTMAIKARFI is shifting on the bed, MEENA sleeps on the otherbed. He gets up and walks to her side, cast ing a lustful glanceat her. He sits on the edge of the bed extending his hand tot ouch her. MEENA wit hdr aws sharply w it h a scream.
SHIFT TOOUTSIDE CHIEF'S ROOM NIGHT
Dogarai are a lert . They almost rush to the door. One of themhalt s t hem, shaking his head, signifyi ng t o let go.SHIFT TO
INTERIOR: CHIEF'S ROOMMAIKARFI cur ses and goes back t o hi s bed di sappoi nt ed
SHIFT TOBAIWA'S COMPOUND - DAWNGADANGA is having a weight l if t ing exercise. Baiwa comes outto remind h im that i t is t ime for prayers. The whole townechoes w it h t he cal l t o prayers.
GADANGAI have prayed alr eady, mot her.
[He walks into his room]SHIFT TO
INTERIOR: WAZIRI'S COMPOUND AT ZAURE - DAWNWAZIRI leads the people of his household, including the threeFulani youths, in the morning prayers. They conclude the
pr ayer and shake hands.FULANI YOUTH I
Wel l , I th ink w e wi l l depar t before l ight sets in.WAZIRI
Tel l h im t o get pr eparedBut you should be low at t he mom ent
YOUTH IHis plan is t o st r i ke t oday
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WAZIRII t i s t oo ear ly, i t w i l l be dangerous,
Our m an is at t he height of h is powerYOUTH II
But w e have our w eapons readyWAZIRI
That is not enough.You need symp athy f rom t he people
I f you mount t oday, t he t own wi l l count er ;There w i l l be b lood bath, Maikar f i wi l l go f ree
And t hat is not w hat we w ant .YOUTH IHakika
[ They move to t he door]WAZIRI
Greet your fa t her for meHe wi l l soon hear f rom me
[ The youths depart w hi le Wazir i t urns in]SHIFT TO
EXTERIOR: THE SUN RISES ON AINA[ The t own i s drow n by t he sound of drums and t rumpet s]
SHIFT TOINTERIOR: TURAKI'S ROOM - EARLY MORNING[ Turaki i s dr essing up. His w if e looks on fr om t he bed. ]
TURAKIOur t im e has come, Maimuna
Upst ar t , t hat is what t hey cal l me.
I wi l l show t hem our scheme in t he fami ly[ He is put t ing the gow n whi ch covers his f ace]
My parents wer e not hing in t h is t ownBut , my ch i ldren w i l l be somet h ing
[ He looks at her]They wi l l b e somet hing t o reckon wit h[ He goes t o a basket t o col lect his hat ]
Waziri is f inished
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He has been t he lear ned ass bl ocki ng meNow, no more!
[ He walks t o her t aking her hand]From now on not hing st ops m y being
What I want t o beTo be ahead, you hear t hat ,
To be on the l ead[Punching her as she smiles]
You wi l l be proud[ He walks out ]
SHIFT TOTURAKI'S COMPOUND - MORNINGTuraki, feel ing great, he surveys his horse being saddled. Theservants greet him. He goes and pats the horse on the f lank.They lead t he horde out side.
SHIFT TOTOWN SQUARE - MORNINGThe town is coming t o l i f e . Sounds of t rumpet mixed w i t h t hehumm ing of b irds. People have st art ed t rooping t o t he palace.
SHIFT TOEXTERIOR CHIEF'S PALACEMusici ans and dance groups of vari ous kin ds are gat her ing.
SHIFT TOWITHIN THE CHIEF'S PALACEDogarai are slaughtering animals. Music at the background
SHIFT TOINTERIOR: HERAM - MORNING
Women d ress up t heir chi ld ren f or t he celebrat i ons.SHIFT TO
MEENA'S ROOMMEENA is being dressed up. She remains moody and passive.Tears are dr oppi ng dow n her cheeks.
SHIFT TOINTERIOR: MAIZAFI'S COMPOUND - TA'ALLA'S ROOMTa'al l a is cryi ng w hil e a w om an sit s by her side.
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TA'ALLAI curse the w orld f or t h is cruel t y
WOMANTry t o rest , Ta'a l la
VOICE OVERSall ama d ai, m asu gida
WOMANCome i n
SHIFT TOMAIZAFI'S COUMPOUND
A group of women walk in carrying boxes and bundles as gif tsf r om t he ch ief . They t roop int o the hut .WOMAN
Good m orni ng, JakadiyaTA'ALLA [In rage]
Get out . Get out a l l o f you[ She br eaks dow n cr ying and yel l ing]
JAKADIYAWe are sent by t he chief
TA'ALLAGo away, I curse al l of you!
[ She st art s t hrowing t h ings at t hem]JAKADIYA
You are t aking you to t he palaceTA'ALLAGet out !
[ She get s up and dashes out of t he room ]
SHIFT TOMAIZAFI'S COMPOUNDTa'al la runs out , making for the graveyard, fo l lowed by thewomen. She is screaming and cursing. She has gone mad.
SHIFT TOMAIZAFI'S GRAVETa'alla gets to Maizafis grave. She screams, tearing her headt ie. She picks a st ick at t emp t ing t o nurse i t as a baby.
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TA'ALLAMy dear chi l d
Don t cry my dear ch i ld[ The wom en look on pat het ical l y as Ta'al l a runs int o t he bush]
SHIFT TOINTERIOR: BAIWA'S ROOM- AFTERNOONGADANGA dashes in t o hi s m ot her 's r oom .
GADANGAMot her , Mama Ta'all a has gone m ad
BAIWA
When?GADANGAThis morning
BAIWAAllahu-Akbar
GADANGAIt is t im e, m ot her to crush th is man
BAIWANot now, Gadanga
GADANGABut , m other . . .
BAIWAThe t ime w i l l surely come
[FADE OUT]
ACT THREE
FADE INEXTERIOR: CHIEF'S COURTYARD - MORNINGMAIKARFI is heating up at Waziri who holds a scroll
MAIKARFIWe al l owed you in for your p l ea;
We wi l l not be bot hered by t r i v ial i t y .WAZIRI
I t is im port ant , your h ighness
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MAIKARFIYou must vouchsafe a good reason
For t h is in t errupt ion[ Music is being heard at t he background]
WAZIRIThis, m y lor d is enough a serious mat t er
MAIKARFIAnd what is i t ?
WAZIRIIt is a pet i t ion, my lord
MAIKARFIIs t hat a l l?WAZIRI
Yes, but . . .[ Wazir i consult s his docum ent s]
The Fulani have a st rong represent at ionMAIKARFI
We suspect soYour loyal t y i s suspect
WAZIRIMy lo rd , I am as l oyal as anyone can be,
But t hese peopl e are asking for a redr essMAIKARFI
Say no moreTw ice you have sought t o cross us
WAZIRIBut my lord , I am t ra ined. . .
MAIKARFIYou are t ra ined t o document
What pleases us, not to disobey usIf your docum ent s gouge you, burn t hem
WAZIRIBut I cannot, my lord
MAIKARFIThen, w e wi l l do i t f o r you, at your per i l
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[MAIKARFI reaches for the scrol l snatching them from Waziri .He walks t o t he f i r e pot ]
MAIKARFISee, it is done easil y
[MAIKARFI torches the scroll]MAIKARFI
Commandant![ A dogari w alks t o t hem]
MAIKARFIWazir i has f a l len out w i t h us
Conf ine him t i l l w e pleaseIf h is age mat t ers t o you t reat h im gent ly[ The dogari get s hold of Wazir i roughly and dr ags him out ]
WAZIRIYou have erred, my lor d
SHIFT TOEXTERIOR: INFRONT OF THE PALACE -MORNING
Turaki gives orders to the Dogarai who hurry up clearing andarr anging people as t hey gat her.
SHIFT TOEXTERIOR: CELL - MOMENT LATERThe dogarai have put Wazir i behind bars and one of them islocking up t he room
DOGARII t is t oo bad f or you old man!
SHIFT TOEXTERIOR: INFRONT OF THE PALACE - NOON
MAIKARFI is at the venue of the celebrations. Dancing hasstarted. Next to MAIKARFI on the right is MEENA; on the leftare KULUWA, LAMI and BINTA. Turaki sits away and Waziri'sseat is vacant. MAIKARFI signals TURAKI to Waziri's chair.Turaki sit s on i t very caut iously. There i s great appl ause.[ MAIKARFI m akes a publ ic p ronounc em ent ]
MAIKARFIWe here by al locate hal f of our dom ain to our new queen
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[ A general, t hunderous applause]MEENA
I don t l ike any t h ing[ MEENA dashes of f . The m aids l ead her back t o her seat ]
MAIKARFITreat her l ight ly !
MEENAI hat e you
SHIFT TOEXTERIOR: FULANI SETTLEMENT -AFTERNOON
The Fulani are busy repair ing their burnt set t lement. A pipesound is blown. Al l the workers abandon their tools andst at i ons and make t o t he cent re of t he set t lem ent
SHIFT TOEXTERIOR: SETTLEMENT CENTER A MOMENT LATERA gathering has formed. The women form a separate groupw ait ing. The eldest man st ands in t he middle.
ELDERI have no words f r om Aina, brot hers
FULANI IWe str ikeFULANI II
No, let us w aitFULANI I
For how l ongELDER
To make contact w i t h t hose inside
SHIFT TOEXTERIOR: FARM- AFTERNOONGADANGA and DANTSIRO are practicing duel
DANTSIROWazir i is j a i led
GADANGAYes, I heard t hat
And Mama Ta'alla is deranged
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DANTSIROYes, w hat a p i t y!
GADANGABaba Maizaf i is kil l ed
DANTSIROThat w as a cold bl ooded act
DANTSIROWel l , what is t he next move?
[ They m ove t o t he shade t o have some dr inks]GADANGA
More pr act ice, m ore camp aign and t hen assaultDANTSIRORight!
SHIFT TOGADANGA'S ROOM NIGHTGADANGA and DANTSIRO are in the room eating. There is a tapon the door. The two look at each other. GADANGA picks uphis sw ord and goes t o t he door.
GADANGAWho is i t ?
VOICEIt 's a f r i endGADANGA
Where f rom ?VOICERugga
[ GADANGA opens t he door sli ght ly and a Ful ani yout h w alks
in. GADANGA shuts the door. The Fulani youth in panting]FULANI
We need your helpOur cat t le and our l i ves are not saf e
GADANGAWhy?
FULANIThe marauding of t he chief
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DANTSIROWe are equal ly af f l ic t ed
FULANIThen help us
GADANGAWe wi l l help one anot her
[ The thr ee j o in hands in uni t y]SHIFT TO
EXTERIOR: FARM: FEW DAYS AFTER THE WEDDING DUSKGADANGA and DANTSIRO are r oast ing a b i rd .
GADANGAI shall see Meena t omor rowDANTSIRO
If Al l ah w ishesGADANGA
Yes, insha-Allah[ The meat is ready. They sal t i t and st art munching]
GADANGAMy plan is t o drop over t he wal l
DANTSIROWhat about m e?
GADANGAYou w ait outside,
If I succeed, you help us out.If I fa i l . . .DANTSIRO
I fo l low
GADANGANo. You runDANTSIRO
Run? What do you mean?GADANGA
Someone has to continueDANTSIRO
But , I cannot l eave you in t here
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GADANGAYou have t o, she wi l l be w ait ing
And I have learnt a lot of t r icks t o get outSHIFT TO
INTERIOR: NEXT DAY: WAZIRI'S CELLDogari opens t he cel l . The f l oor is rough and in a mess. Wazir i ,w eak and sick, sit s leaning against t he w all . Bowl s of f ood st i l luntouched are by his feet. The Dogari curses as he gets thesick m an t o his f eet . He chains him and leads him out .
SHIFT TO
INTERIOR: CHIEF'S COURT - MORNINGMAIKARFI is seat ed on t he i m per ial chairMAIKARFI
St ay t here[ Wazir i is brought in. He is f inding i t d i f f icu l t t o st and]
MAIKARFIWe are not t roubled by your hunger st r ike
In fact w e can maximi ze your agonyIf we so wish
[ Wazir i is about t o fa l l ]MAIKARFI
Teach him how t o bow b efore us[ The dogari rai ses Wazir i s hands up suspend ing him ]
MAIKARFIWe want your ent i re documents
WAZIRINo
MAIKARFIYes, or w e annihi l at e your l i neage
WAZIRII swear I wi l l not give them t o you
MAIKARFIYou are a fool! Take him aw ay;And b ri ng al l his records here
SHIFT TO
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INTERIOR: WAZIRI'S ROOM IN HIS HOUSE - AFTERNOONThe Dogarai are in Waziri 's room, in his house. They gather
rol l s of documents and books w hich t hey t ake them aw aySHIFT TO
EXTERIOR: CHIEF'S COURT YARDMAIKARFI and TURAKI are t hrow ing t he docum ent int o t he f ir ew hi le Wazir i is brought out of h is cel l and forced t o wat ch.
WAZIRIThere wi l l be a reckoning for t h is
You wi l l be wat ched burning
MAIKARFITake care, Wazir iTake t he insolent away f rom us
[ Waziri is dr agged of f ]SHIFT TO
EXTERIOR: WITHIN THE CHIEF'S COURT YARD - DUSKKULUWA cal ls out f or her Dogari .
KULUWAToday is t he day!
Raise alarm t he mom ent t he man is in t he compoundDOGARI
Yes, Uwar gidaKULUWA
I want no mist akesDOGARI
There wi l l be noneKULUWA
Right , m ove on!SHIFT TO
INTERIOR: GADANGA'S ROOM AT NIGHTFALLGADANGA and DANTSIRO are busy packing ropes, small daggersand some weapons. Baiwa cal ls out from her room. The youngmen look at each other. They reassure themselves. GADANGAgoes out t o her.
SHIFT TO
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BAIWA'S ROOM - A MOMENT LATERBaiw a is in b ed. She i s coughing. GADANGA w alks in.
GADANGAWhat is wr ong, m ot her?
BAIWAI am sick and I looked f or you t his aft ernoon
You didn t come back home early[GADANGA is dreading what is coming]
BAIWAI want you to be around to nurse me
GADANGAYes, m other , but . . .BAIWA
But what, I guess you have nothing else to do?GADANGA
AlrightBAIWA
Good, get m e a cal abash[GADANGA glances at the door]
SHIFT TOGADANGA'S ROOMDANTSIRO has pack ed all t he it em s neat ly . GADANGA dashes in
DANTSIROWhat is w rong?
GADANGAMy mother is sick
DANTSIRO
We won't go t hen?GADANGAWe w i l l goDANTSIRO
And l eave her alone?GADANGA
This is m y onl y chanceBeside, t his is the onl y inst ance
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DANTSIROTo disobey her?
GADANGAYes, she wi l l f org ive me w hen I t e l l her l ater
DANTSIROTel l her now
GADANGANo, she w i l l surely d et ain me, let us go
SHIFT TOEXTERIOR: COURT YARD - NIGHT
A senior dogari places dogarai on night watch. He indicatesw here each one of t hem is t o h ideSHIFT TO
EXTERIOR: BY THE WALL OF THE PALACE -NIGHTGADANGA and DANTSIRO walk stealthily. They stop as theyhear som et hing move inside
DANTSIROLet us ret reat
GADANGANo, not now , pl ease, I m ust go on
[They unload, br inging out the rope. They t ie the hook andt hrow i t over t he wal l . I t sl ides back
SHIFT TOEXTERIOR: INNER SIDE OF THE WALLDogari w ait anxiously and pat ient ly
SHIFT TOEXTERIOR: BY THE WALL
GADANGA is get t ing ready t o t hrow t he rope once againDANTSIRO
We can abandon t his scheme, real l yGADANGA
Meena is w ait ing[GADANGA throws the hook, i t catches. He shakes i t . Heshakes DANTSIRO's hand and starts climbing]
SHIFT TO
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EXTERIOR: INNER SIDE OF THE WALLDogari waits as GADANGA's hand emerges. GADANGA is now on
t op of t he wal l , he glances downSHIFT TO
EXTERIOR: BY THE WALLDANTSIRO raises his hand up wishing him good luck
SHIFT TOEXTERIOR: INNER SIDE OF THE WALLDogari gets tense. GADANGA drops in. he looks round andst art s m oving. The t rum pet bl ows. Dogarai rush on him .
SHIFT TOEXTERIOR: BY THE WALLDANTSIRO hears the sound and is dismayed. He leaves the wallqu ick ly and wai t s
DANTSIROOh m y God, st rengt hen him.
SHIFT TOEXTERIOR: INNER SIDE OF THE WALL
Ther e i s a f i ght GADANGA is over p ow ered .SHIFT TO
INTERIOR: CHIEF'S ROOM NIGHTThe chief stirs. MEENA sleeps. Sound of commotion makesMAIKARFI go t o t he door w it h his sw ord in hand.
SHIFT TOEXTERIOR: COURT YARD - NIGHTGADANGA is held. The chief walks in. Dogarai brief him. I t isMEENA's boy f r i end. He orders t hem t o t ake him away.
MAIKARFII wil l skin you al ive
[GADANGA spits on him. A dogari slaps GADANGA]MAIKARFI
Take t he rat awayWe shal l end him i n t he morrow
[GADANGA is led away][FADE OUT]
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ACT FOUR
FADE ININTERIOR: WAZIRI'S CELL - NIGHTWazir i drags himself to the bundle thrown just in; h is co-tenant is GADANGA. He taps him lightly. GADANGA facesWaziri . His f ace is covered w it h blood.
WAZIRIWho are you, f e l low ?
GADANGA
Gadanga, son of Baiw aWAZIRIYes, w hat b rought you in here?
GADANGAMeena, t he daught er of Maizafi
She is my i nt endedWho are you, sir?
WAZIRII am t he form er Wazir i
GADANGAWhy form er?
WAZIRIWel l , I am now here
And shall m ost l i kely die her e[WAZIRI leans back, coughing. GADANGA recalls his mother]
GADANGAOh my God, m y mot her!
SHIFT TOINTERIOR: BAIWA'S ROOM NIGHTBaiwa coughs. She calls out for GADANGA- silence - she coughs- she st ruggles out of her room .
SHIFT TOEXTERIOR: BAIWA'S HOUSE- A MOMENT LATERShe goes t o GADANGA's room - sil ence. She op ens t he r oom .
SHIFT TO
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INTERIOR: GADANGA'S ROOM NIGHTThe room is empty. The lantern burns in the centre. Baiwa
sees a for got t en dagger. She w alks t o i t , picks i t and pr ays;BAIWA
God, you alone creat es t he heart of menAnd t hey are inpat ient
God guide m y onl y son against evil .SHIFT TO
INTERIOR: CELL -MORNINGWazir i has j ust dr unk t he w at er GADANGA has handed t o him
WAZIRIYes, your f at her w as a royal bl oodGADANGA
My mot her never t o ld me t hat .WAZIRI
That was t he bet t er for you t i l l nowMaikar f i k i l l ed your f a ther t o get t o t he throne
GADANGAHe k i l led my f at her?
[Waziri starts coughing badly, GADANGA goes to him. He triest o cuddle hi m but t he sickly m an is dr ained. His eyes bul ged]
GADANGAGod, st rengt hen my heart
[There is a heavy knock on the door. The dogarai open thecel l , f ind Wazir i 's body. They push GADANGA out ]
SHIFT TOINTERIOR: COURT ROOM - MORNING
MAIKARFI st ands w hil e Tur aki br ief s him on t he cerem onies.TURAKI
Your subj ect s are very happy, your m aj est y.MAIKARFI
So it shall be[MAIKARFI is troubled by one thing, his new queen, MEENA]
TURAKIIt is easy your highness
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MAIKARFIWhat is the solut ion?
TURAKITort ure t hat lover of hers;
Women are l i ke m ares, subm issive w hen brokenMAIKARFI
See it doneSHIFT TO
EXTERIOR: OPEN FIELD - MORNINGA dogari b lows t he t r umpet invi t ing people t o the t own square
SHIFT TOINTERIOR: BAIWA'S ROOM -MORNINGBaiw a is leaning against t he w all , coughing and praying
BAIWAGod, I have t rust in you, Keep m y son al ive
SHIFT TOEXTERIOR: FARM - MORNINGAnd old f armer wi t h h is son are hoeing w hi le t he sound of t het rum pet is at t he background
OLD MANThat i s t he gat heri ng cal l
SONWhat is i t fo r?
OLD MANI don t know, but w e must go
SHIFT TO97 INTERIOR: HUT - MORNING
A woman is p lacing down her pot f rom the f i re; the sound oft rumpet is heard
WOMANI w onder what t he cal l i s for.
SHIFT TOEXTERIOR: TOWN STREET - MORNINGPeopl e of var ying ages and gender are m oving t o t he squar e.
SHIFT TO
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OPEN FIELD MORNINGSeats are arranged for the royal family and the dignitaries.
There is a sizable number of spect at orsSHIFT TO
INTERIOR: MEENA'S ROOM MORNINGMEENA is on the floor leaning against the wall crying. Them aids are t ryi ng t o dress her f or t he occasion. MAIKARFI comest o t he doorw ay. The maids salut e h im and wit hdraw .
MAIKARFIShall we go, queen?
[One of the maids whispers into her ears. The maids helpMEENA t o her f eet ]SHIFT TO
KULUWA'S ROOM -MORNINGLAMI and BINTA are waiting for KULUWA
LAMIOur schem e is w orki ng
BINTAYes
[ KULUWA com es out and t hey move out t oget her]SHIFT TO
EXTERIOR: OPEN SQUARE: MORNINGThe square is packed with people. Dogarai bat t le to contro lthe crowd. KULUWA, LAMI and BINTA walk in to their seats.MEENA is half car r ied t o her seat . Great app lause as MAIKARFI,Turaki and other court off icials walk in. MAIKARFI sits. TURAKIsignals to a dogari. Everyone is wait ing. The trumpet blows
and a horse mounted by a dogari races in with GADANGA beingdragged. The horse st ops in t he cent re. Great murm ur f i l l s t heair. Some people are horrif ied. MEENA screams. GADANGA israised and t ied t o a st ake. Turaki r emem bers somet hing.
TURAKIWhere i s Baiw a?
[ Everyone st art s looking around]SHIFT TO
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INTERIOR: BAIWA'S ROOM MORNINGBaiw a is leaning against t he w all , pr aying.
BAIWAOh God, be t he st rengt h in m y son.
[ DANTSIRO w alks int o t he room w it h a bowl of por ri dge]DANTSIRO
Here, t ry t o eat somet h ing, m otherBAIWA
No, Dant sir o, I have no need f or f oodDANTSIRO
But you are not w el lBAIWAThe pain being suf f ered by him
Is enough cur at ive, Dantsir o[There is a heavy pounding on the outside door. As DANTSIROmakes f or t he door, dogarai burst in. ]
DOGARIShe is here. Get her
DANTSIROAw ay wit h you, you base of a l l m att er
[ DANTSIRO hit s t he dogari ]BAIWA
Let t hem come[The dogari fal ls down. Another charges, with a sword,DANTSIRO dodges. He picks the sword of the fallen dogari. Aduel ensures as t he ot hers l i f t up Baiw a wi t h ease]
SHIFT TO
EXTERIOR: BAIWA'S HUT - A MOMENT LATERDANTSIRO is cor nered him . Baiw a is carri ed away.
BAIWADon t f ight t hem now!
[ Baiw a is moved o ut . DANTSIRO makes a desper at e t hrush andis caught unawares by one of the men with a slash. DANTSIROf all s dow n. The dogarai leave him st ruggli ng t o get up]
SHIFT TO
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EXTERIOR: OPEN GROUND - MORNINGGADANGA's back and chest are covered with whip marks.
Everyone looks on as Baiwa is brought in. Some people arecrying. MEENA has almost fainted. Baiwa is placed in thef ront . She looks hardened, no t ears, not hing but bit t erness.
TURAKISil ence, every one
That man is a th ief and adult ererBAIWA
List en to m e, you fo lk
What t his m an speaks is not t rueTURAKIShut up, mot her of bad eggs
BAIWAThat boy is f ight ing in j ust ice!
TURAKII say shut up
BAIWAThat boy is a royal b l ood, w hose fat her. . .
MAIKARFITake the wom an away. . .ex i led t i l l her deat h
BAIWAYou cannot ki l l t he son as you did t he fat her!
[Dogarai rush on her, carrying her roughly. There is a generalmur mur and t he people st art t o d isperse]
TURAKIWait you fo lk, come back
[The people move away, some in tears. MAIKARFI gets to hisfeet. GADANGA is left t ied with dogarai on guard. KULUWA,Lami and Bint a walked away dej ect ed]
BINTAI guess w e have t o accept her
LAMII suppose so
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EXTERIOR: BAIWA'S HUT -AFTERNOONDANTSIRO is tying his bleeding arm with some rug. He
st ruggles t o his f eet . He st aggers t o t he door.SHIFT TO
BAIWA'S HOUSE- A MOMENT LATERDANTSIRO looks down the street. An old man is comingtowards his direct ion. He asks the man a question. The manpoin ts a t t he d i rect ion of bush at t he outsk i r t o f t he tow n.
SHIFT TOBUSH -DUSK
DANTSIRO staggers along the path. He stumbles and falls,ro l l ing down t he l i t t le slope. He is hal t ed by a st ump. He hearsa groan at a l i t t le distance. He looks round and sees Baiwal yi ng. DANTSIRO cri es out .
BAIWAGod is al l pow erf ul
SHIFT TOEXTERIOR: PATH TO FULANI SETTLEMENTDANTSIRO and Baiw a are st ru ggl ing along t he pat h t ow ard s t heFulani set t lement , which is not f ar f rom t hem.
DANTSIROWe wi l l r a ise a force and f ight t hem
SHIFT TOEXTERIOR: FULANI SETTLEMENT NIGHTDANTSIRO and Baiwa reach t he set t l em ent . A voice cal l s out
VOICESt op or I shot
[They hal t ]VOICE
Who are you?DANTSIRO
We are f r iendsVOICE
Move for w ard and st op[ They move]
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DANTSIROTake us t o t he Modibbo
VOICEAlr ight , st ay where you are
[A Fulani youth c l imbs down from a t ree. He walks to themwith the bow drawn taunt. He recognizes DANTSIRO]
LABBOAh, Malam DANTSIRO
Welcom e Inna, come let 's go[ He leads t hem t o a hut ]
LABBOSalamu-alaikumSHIFT TO
HUT -FULANI SETTLEMENT - NIGHTThe elder is reading from the Qur'an. He raises his head upand with his hand invites them in. DANTSIRO and Baiwa andt he youth walk in .
LABBOThese are our f r iends f r om t he tow n
ELDERWelcom e t o you, f r iends in peace.
Labbo, go to your postLABBO
[ As he opens t he cur t ains to go he asks]LABBO
Where i s Gadanga?[ DANTSIRO looks at Baiw a]
BAIWAHe was captur ed and being tort ured
LABBOI hope he is st i l l al ive
SHIFT TOEXTERIOR: CELL - NIGHTA heavy r ing of Dogarai cir cle GADANGA s cell .
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CELL - NIGHTGADANGA massages his arms. He goes to the barred window.
The mur m urs of t he dogarai can be heard.SHIFT TO
THE PALACE STABLE: MORNINGTw o Dogarai are dust ing off a horse whil e t hey hum a t une.
DOGARI ISom et hing is going wrong
DOGARI IIWhat is i t ?
DOGARI II cannot say but i t 's. . .DOGARI II
Watch your tongue[ They glance at t he Comm andant coming tow ards t hem]
COMMANDANTCome hereDOGARI I
Turaki ordered us t o do th isCOMMANDANT
I say come her e.Who is Turaki in our for ce?
DOGARI IIDon t t ake o f f ence, si r
He is new t o t his regim entCOMMANDANT
Get m e my horse
[ Dogari II goes f or t he horse]COMMANDANTI smel l laxi t y
Turaki has no business over the armed forcesCOMMANDANT
[ The horse is brought ] Ride along w it h meWe have an assignment at t he Fulani set t lem ent
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THE PALACE -COURT YARD - A MOMENT LATERTuraki comes to the stable and discovers the horse is gone.
TURAKIThese dogarai are riding on wings
SHIFT TOEXTERIOR: BEFORE THE FULANI SETTLEMENT -AFTERNOONCommandant and the Tax col lector gal lop into the Fulanicamp. The Fulani w arr ior s and DANTSIRO appear suddenl y.
LABBOWhat do you want ?
COMMANDANTGet us your leaders, young man.LABBO
Unless you d iscl ose your m ission you cannot pass usCOMMANDANT
Tell your elders to del iver the chief 's r ights.LABBO
You need not t arry, t he answer is hereNo t ax for you, no t r ibut esSo clear of f f r om our land
[The dogari notices DANTSIRO]DOGARIDantsiro
DANTSIROYes
DOGARI IWhy here?
DANTSIROTo stand against oppression
COMMANDANTAlright men, let 's go
[ The Fulani w arr iors burst out laughing. The t eam r id e of f ]DANTSIRO
I should have asked hi m of GadangaSHIFT TO
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INTERIOR: COURT ROOM - DUSKMAIKARFI is fum ing w it h anger. Tur aki is by h is side.
MAIKARFIWhat do t hey mean by ref using t axes?
TURAKIYour highness is kin d
MAIKARFIAdvise us, Turaki
We are of lat e c louded by an unat t a inable af f ect ionTURAKI
The Fulani m ust be f orced t o payLike al l ot her t r ib es on your l andThe Gw ari had paidThe Nupe had paid
The Fulani m ust be f orced payThat is a det errent against ot hers
MAIKARFIGet us t he comm andant
[Turaki moves out. MAIKARFI moves up and down. Turakicomes in fo l l owed by the comm andant]
MAIKARFIWe are r aising a campaign
COMMANDANTBut , my lo rd . . .
TURAKIWhat obj ect ions have you?
COMMANDANT
I am addr essing my l ordTURAKI
No subj ect can resist an orderI f t he for ces are aler t
COMMANDANTWit h such knowledge why don t you j o in us?
MAIKARFISilence
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COMMANDANTMy lor d
MAIKARFICcommandant, what is i t?
COMMANDANTWe lack t he w eapons t o wage a campaign
Seeing how w e f a ired in t he last one, m y lordTURAKI
That is no probl em, your highnessThe t ow n smi t hs are eager t o be engaged
The tow n men are eager t o t ake armsMAIKARFIRight , f ight w e must t o be obeyed
SHIFT TOINTERIOR: THE PALACE -CELL - AFTERNOONGADANGA is busy digging one side of the floor with a bowl inthe cel l . He is humming a tune. He hears footsteps. He stopsdigging and quickly covers the mould with his gown. As thedogari peeps through the window, GADANGA shouts at him.The man laughs and moves off. GADANGA resumes digging.
GADANGAOh m om, t he boy is coming home
SHIFT TOEXTERIOR: BY THE CELL - NIGHTThe Dogarai are on guard. One of t hem asks t he ot her f or goro
DOGARI ILet us share it
[ They si t near t he cel l . Humm ing is coming up f r om t he cel l ]DOGARI II
Pret t y bad t o be in his shoesDOGARI I
Who?DOGARI II
The young man in t hat cel lSHIFT TO
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CELL- NIGHTGADANGA is in the hole. It gets to his knees. He digs on.
SHIFT TOOUTSIDE CELL -NIGHTThe t w o Dogarai are having a t im e of re laxat ion.
DOGARI IThe order t o arm s is unnerving
DOGARI III suppose so, b ut w e are t rained t o f ight
DOGARI I
The commandant d idn t l ike i tThey said i t is Turaki 's m achinati onDOGARI II
Rat her i t is t he Fulani;They refused t o pay t he t axes
DOGARI IRemem ber t hat burning incidence?You t h ink t hey wi l l ever for give us?
DOGARI III suppose not
Up you go. Som eone is comi ngNEAR THE CELL - NIGHTThe two Dogarai get up and wait . A hurdled f igure walksst eal t h i ly t o t he cel l w indow, l ooks inside and w it hdraws.
SHIFT TOTHE CELLThe t w o dogarai argue.
DOGARI II t i s t he new queen
DOGARI IISi l ly , t hat is no woman
SHIFT TOEXTERIOR: MEENA'S ROOM - NIGHTThe hurdl ed f igure m oves int o the r oom very st eal t h i ly .
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MEENA'S ROOM - NIGHTMEENA st ands on edge. The hur dl ed m aid c om es in.
MAIDHe is al ive, your royalty
MEENAThanks be t o God, t he Lord of t he worl ds
MAIDCont i nue t o f ake your feel ings
Your royal t y, t he chief w on't knowMEENA
Alr ight , thank youMAIDLet us go t o bed, your royal t y
SHIFT TOINTERIOR: COURT ROOM - MORNINGMAIKARFI is barkin g at t he com m andant .
MAIKARFINo excuse. Tur aki. . .
TURAKIYour highness
MAIKARFIPut levy on every one and on everyt hing!
TURAKIRight away, your highness
MAIKARFIAnd you com m andant
COMMANDANT
Yes, m y lord -MAIKARFI
Force every w orkshop to arm sAnd every yout h t o war
SHIFT TOEXTERIOR: MARKET - AFTERNOONDogarai go along t he st al l s f orcing people t o pay levies.
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MARKET - AFTERNOONDogarai chase people, w hil e t raders park up t heir w ares.
SHIFT TOHUT- AFTERNOONDogari i s dr agging up a yout h of t w elve.
SHIFT TOFARM - AFTERNOONDogarai are snat ching youths f rom t he clut ch of t heir p arents.
SHIFT TOSTREAM - AFTERNOON
Dogarai are rounding up half -naked youths f rom t he st ream .SHIFT TOCOURT YARD- DUSKThe Dogarai m ake a r i ng round t he enli st ed yout hs as t hey arebeing groom ed.
SHIFT TOCOURT ROOM - DUSKTuraki i nspect s a heap of conf iscat ed m oney and m at eri als.
TURAKIWe are sure of vict ory
[MAIKARFI walks in]TURAKI
These are t he donat ions f rom t he people, your highnessMAIKARFI
What about t he arm y?SHIFT TO
COURT YARD - DUSK
The Dogarai are having trouble control l ing the young men.They seem to fal l out of l ine quite easi ly. MAIKARFI walks inand is so dissat isf ied. He warns t he comm andant .
COMMANDANTThese are very raw, my l ord
MAIKARFISmit e them t o tame t hem
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EXTERIOR: FULANI SETTLEMENT - MORNINGA group of young Fulani are on rigorous training. Labbo is
commanding them. They run, jump and do archery. DANTSIROcom es along dressed in a long capt ain.
DANTSIROI wil l have t o leave you now
I must go t o t he surr ounding vi l l ages t o r aise supportLABBO
Are you set ?DANTSIRO
Yes, but I wi l l see our m ot her f i rstLABBOAlright
[DANTSIRO walks back to the settlement]SHIFT TO
EXTERIOR: BAIWA'S HUT -A MOMENT LATERBaiw a is pour ing porr id ge out f rom a pot . DANTSIRO w alks in.
DANTSIROMot her, I am set t o go
BAIWASit dow n, m y son
DANTSIRO sits. She pours him some porridge. He gulps a littleand put s t he calabash dow n.
BAIWAYou are t he only f r i end m y son has
As you go t o t his campaignMay God be your guide and prot ect or
DANTSIROAmenBAIWA
If Gadanga is st i l l al ive[Baiwa pauses. Tears are roll ing down her cheeks]
DANTSIROSt op crying, m ot herGadanga is st i l l aliv e
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BAIWALet us hope so
Tel l h im t hat I alw ays pray for h imBut , do no act s sim il ar t o t hose of your enem y
May God grant you vi ct oryGo now, goDANTSIRO
Amen[DANTSIRO stands up and moves out. Baiwa bursts out crying]
BAIWA
God, br ing my chi ld back to m e SHIFT TOEXTERIOR: CELL- AFTERNOONThere is only one dogari guarding the cel l and he is dosing byt he door o f t he ce l l .
SHIFT TOCELL -AFTERNOONAt one corner of t he cel l t here is a heap of f reshly dug mountof mud. GADANGA l i f ts a gourd to his mouth and gulps somew at er. He goes t o t he door and peeps t hrough the keyhole.
SHIFT TOCOURT YARD AFTERNOONNo one is aro und.
SHIFT TOCELL- AFTERNOONGADANGA withdraws from the keyhole. He shif ts a mat and am an hole appears. He low ers him self int o i t and disappears.
SHIFT TOCELL - MANHOLEGADANGA is crawling throw the hole to the end of the hole.He st art s di gging again.
GADANGABy t he grace of God
I should be t hrough toni ghtSHIFT TO
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EXTERIOR: FARM -DUSKDANTSIRO is wi t h half a dozen yout hs. He i s l ect uri ng t hem .
DANTSIROWe must r ise to f ight in j ust iceOur chi ef is a very cruel m an
SHIFT TOSTREAM - MORNINGDANTSIRO is with a group of people. He talks to them.
DANTSIROThe chief has t aken aw ay our land
Our cat t le are not f r ee f rom his gr ipWe must uni t e t o prot ect ourselvesSHIFT TO
MARKET PLACE -AFTERNOONDANTSIRO is wi t h a huge cr owd . He is l ect ur ing t hem .
DANTSIROThe chief does not respect us
Neit her our w omen nor our gir l s are safe w it h h imOur l and is corrupt ed beyond m ent ion
We must f ight t o pur i f y t h is landSUBJECTS
Yes, i t is t rueDANTSIRO
We must t ake to arm s against a murd ererSUBJECTS
Yes, l et 's f ightSHIFT TO
INTERIOR: COURT ROOM - AFTERNOONMAIKARFI is di nes w it h ot her of f ici als. A messenger com es in.
MESSENGERMy lord, t he v i l l agers are grum bl ing
MAIKARFIAbout w hat ?MESSENGER
Their land and proper t y , m y lord
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TURAKISilly man, get away you disloyal servant
Your highness should not give ears to gossipsSHIFT TO
COURT ROOM - DUSKDrummers and dancers are enterta in ing the court of f ic ia ls.The comm andant w alks in.
COMMANDANTMy lord, t he vi l l agers are wit hhold ing t heir chi ldren
From t he service of t he st ate
MAIKARFIWhy?TURAKI
The com m and i s w eak, your highnessCOMMANDANT
My lord , t here is a young man cal l ed DantsiroHe is stirring up an uprising
TURAKICatch h im, t henCOMMANDANT
That is easier said than doneTURAKI
Get som eone who can to do i tMAIKARFI
We wi l l show you how i t is doneTuraki, get us a com m andant
One wi l l ing and able t o carr y our comm and
As t o t h is, do w i t h h im w hat we do t o al l rebels[ Turaki cal l s som e dogarai w ho drag t he com m andant out ]
TURAKIMeanwhil e, your hi ghness
I suggest Kamb u t o be i n char geMAIKARFISo be it
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COURT YARD - NIGHTThree dogarai ar e sit t ing on guard
DOGARI II t is al l nonsense I w on't f ight any one
DOGARI III t is not t he comm andant
I mean t he f orm er one you serveYou are prot ect ing your l and
DOGARI ISt i l l , I am not dying f or nothing
Whi l e t hat man re l inquishes in j a i lDOGARI IIISt ay c lear of pol i t ics
You can't help w hat is happeningJust obey orders and be saf e
SHIFT TOCELL -NIGHTGADANGA gat hers his clot hes and goes int o t he m anhole.
GADANGAAlhamdu-l i l lah
SHIFT TOCOURT ROOM - NIGHTThe d inner f ini shed, Tur aki b ids MAIKARFI good night and goesoutside. A dogari appears.
DOGARIThe comm andant,
I mean the f orm er comm andant is locked up
TURAKIThat i s good, w here?
DOGARIHe is in t he west ern cel l
That is more decentTURAKI
That is not t he one intended for h imTake him t o t he one last occupied by Wazir i
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DOGARIThat young man, Gadanga is in it
TURAKIGadanga-ah, w e almost f orgot about hi m
Make the com m andant his companion[ The Dogari l eaves]
TURAKIPow er is now m ine
To break or t o bui ld w hom I w antSHIFT TO
COURT YARD - NIGHTThe COMMANDANT is led to GADANGA's cell. They open it.SHIFT TO
CELL - NIGHTThe cel l is empt y but f or t he heap of sand.
DOGARIWhat ? The m ouse has dug hi s w ay out
Blow t he t rumpet[ The t rum pet sounds. Dogarai run hel t er-skel t er]
DOGARIWhere i s he?
SHIFT TOEXTERIOR: BUSH - NIGHTGADANGA runs into the bush and halts. He glances back. Thet own is far of f . The t rum pet s can be heard; he runs of f again.
SHIFT TOCLEARING - NIGHT
GADANGA is running, panting along without breakSHIFT TO
BUSH BY A HILL - NIGHTGADANGA runs into the bush. He halts. He is very exhausted.He get s a place, l ies dow n coveri ng him self w it h weeds.
GADANGAThanks to God
SHIFT TO
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BUSH BY A HILL - DAWNGADANGA wakes up. He goes for water. He cites a figure down
the streamlet . He moves to i t . As he gets c loser, a womanj um ps up. It is Ta'al l a. He r rugs ar e by her side.
GADANGAMot h