ACT ONE SCENE ONE
CHARACTERS
(YESINGHA, MIENMENE, EDESEMI,OKUBO-EBI, CHAIRMAN, SEIMOKUMO, DEINYEFA, OYA-EBUGHA, GBAFADE, EKEMONPIGHA, ABROGBENE)
Yesingha and his friends Mienmene and Edisemi sit in their canoes at the water side feeling disappointed as they return from fishing without catching much fish
Yesingha: (to both) you guys did not catch much fish too?
Mienmene: Icaught just four. This river is bad.
Edesemi: Yours is better. I caught just two.
Mienmene: (to Yesingha) How many did you catch?
Yesingha: I caught four also.
Mienmene: How can one live a better live? Is this how one will continue Life? One is not able to train children or even feed adequately because of no good paying job. I can't continue anymore. I am fed up with life. There's no reason for existence.
Edesemi: You are correct, others are blessed in this village but we are very poor. The season of fishing has been bad for years and one cannot live a better life with it anymore. You have just spoken the truth. Mine is the worst. The reason is that some people have wives and children but I have none
Mienmene: God has forgotten us. Why did he create us to allow us suffer?
Yesingha: I don't think he has forgotten us. We should stop blaming God for the state of things. Moreover, the Bible says in everything we should give God thanks
Mienmene: How do we thank God for being poor? How can someone praise God in this condition? Don't say something that will provoke me. Let's end this conversation. I am hungry. Let's go home. We meet in the evening.
Minutes later, Yesingha at home and the wife prepared food for him.
Okubo-ebi: My husband how was fishing today?
Yesingha: My dear, not good-I caught very little fish.
Okubo-ebi: It's okay. Everyday is not Christmas.
Yesingha: This Banga soup is sumptuous. Please cook this type everyday ok?
Okubo-ebi: Let's I forget. The Town crier said all family heads should gather at The Town Hall for a meeting.
Yesingha: Thanks for reminding me. Let me hurry and meet up.
AT THE TOWN HALL
The Chairman: I welcome you all to this meeting. It is something vital that made me summon this emergency meeting. It's about the court case we are having with Abari village. Next week Monday is the day and we are to pay N5,000.00 each
Mienmene: (raises his hand) Can I speak sir?
The Chairman: You can
Mienmene: I want to thank you for your effort in this matter but the money is too much. You know most of us earn a living through fishing. We can't afford it, please make N1,000
Seimokumo: Will you shut your mouth. How dare you open your mouth to talk to our chairman? What will N1,000 do for us? You always complain. Who invited you and your poor friends?
Edesemi: Why do you insult us? What have we done to you?We are humans like you.
Deinyefa: (Laughs) Animals are better than you. They can fend for themselves. You are dead men.
Oya-ebugha: Why did God even create your type? Very wretched, you should be sold as slaves.
Seimokumo: Isupport your idea. They should be sold because they have no value.
Gbafade: Why did God even keep them alive? They don't deserve life.
Ekememopigha: Was this meeting called to insult the poor?
Abrogbene: This meeting was not called to insult the poor. The poor and the rich are we not created by the same God? God created us all. A poor man could become rich tomorrow.
The Chairman: The money to contribute is N5,000. Look for any means to get it. Anyone who fails will be arrested by the community.
There is confusion in the house because of what the chairman said And many leave including Meinmene, Yesinga and Edisemi Discussing on their way home
Yesingha: So they think nothing good will come out of us. Are they God? There is hope because there is life.
Edisemi: What hope? When will the hope come? All are words of consolation.
Mienmene: We don't deserve to live like they said. No money, house and even recognition. People insult us everywhere we go. It's better to die and have rest. The insult is too much.
Yesingha: I want to hurry home because I want to accompany my wife somewhere (shake hand with them) see you later
Curtain