| 4. | SFX: | FOOTSTEPS AS MOLEKE ENTERS AMIDST PEOPLE
TALKING. |
| 5. | MOLEKE: | (COMING ON MIC, LOUDLY) Good day, our dear father of
Mabudi. |
| 6. | ABAH: | (ON) Ah - ah - ah, there enters the beloved son of the land, the High Chief himself, Moleke. |
| 7. | MOLEKE: | (ON) Thank you very much, my King. |
| 8. | ABAH: | In fact I have been waiting for you, illustrious son of the soil. |
| 9. | MOLEKE: | I am greatly honoured, your Highness. |
| 10. | ABAH: | (AS IF JOKING) Well, as you people can see, when little fish
want to feed from the bait on a fisherman's hook, they disappear at the coming of a big fish. (THEY RESPOND WITH SOME INAUDIBLE VOICES) |
| 11. | MOLEKE: | (CHUCKLES) You are correct, my King. |
| 12. | ABAH: | (NOW SERIOUS) Simply put, I want everybody out of this
palace because I have a very crucial matter to discuss with the gold fish of Mabudi. So scram all of you! |
| 13. | SFX: | MULTIPLE FOOTSTEPS, SLIGHT COMMOTION AS
THEY ALL LEAVE IN A HURRY AND HUFF. |
| 14. | MOLEKE: | (AFTER A BRIEF SILENCE) Once again I am most honoured. |
| 15. | ABAH: | You deserve far more than you get, Moleke. |
| 16. | MOLEKE: | Thank you, my King. |
| 17. | ABAH: | (EXCITED) So, have you surveyed the guinea corn field you want
us to use for the tomato farm? |
| 18. | MOLEKE: | (UNIMPRESSED) I have done that. |
| 19. | ABAH: | Are you satisfied with what you saw? |
| 20. | MOLEKE: | Well, as a seasoned businessman, I can say that the field, though
large, is far less than what we need. |
| 21. | ABAH: | (DEFLATED) Really? |
| 22. | MOLEKE: | Oh yes. The inputs I am planning for the land, like the boreholes,
the irrigation scheme, a fertilizer warehouse, a seedling store, etc... will need a very large field. Especially considering people's response to the project so far. |
| 23. | ABAH: | I am happy about the people's response. It is very encouraging.
So what do we do now, my High Chief? |
| 24. | MOLEKE: | Simple. |
| 25. | ABAH: | (HAPPY) Great. I trust you will always have several solutions to any problem. Let me hear you further. |
| 26. | MOLEKE: | You need to add the grazing land. |
| 27. | ABAH: | (SURPRISED) The grazing land? |
| 28. | MOLEKE: | Yes. Don't hesitate to release it for this money-spilling project. |
| 29. | ABAH: | (STAMMERS) Bu...bu....but I was thinking that the grazing land
may be unsuitable for farming such water-loving crops. The land is high up there, very dry, quite stony and far from water. |
| 30. | MOLEKE: | Land is land. What you are saying is probably rumour started by
the lazy herdsmen of Mabudi so that they can keep the land for their use only. |
| 31. | ABAH: | (NOT TOO HAPPY BUT RALLIES) You know you have a
point, my High Chief. (PAUSES A BIT) Yes! After all, in other places herdsmen are nomadic. Let our herdsmen too move around in search of grazing lands. |
| 32. | MOLEKE: | Precisely. Other herdsmen don't get glued to one location like
they do here. Our herdsmen too must be told to move round and graze other lands. |
| 33. | ABAH: | The problem is that, over the years, that piece of grassland has
been reserved for herdsmen of our village and Jantale. |
| 34. | MOLEKE: | That must change. After all, the multi-million naira [USE LOCAL
CURRENCY] tomato project is for this village also. |
| 35. | ABAH: | Once again you are correct, Moleke. But will the people not
protest violently if that land is taken from them? |
| 36. | MOLEKE: | Are you no longer the great King of Mabudi? |
| 37. | ABAH: | (ELATED) Of course I am. |
| 38. | MOLEKE: | All you need to do is to give an order that, henceforth, nobody
grazes on that land, and that whoever does so will answer bitterly to his Highness. That's all. |
| 39. | ABAH: | (LAUGHING) Moleke. You make it sound so easy. Anyway, we
shall see. |
| 40. | MUSIC: | BRIDGE MUSIC UP AND CUT TO ... |
| 41. | SFX: | OUTDOORS: SOUND OF CHICKENS AND GOATS AS
SOUND BED OFF MIC. QUICK FOOTSTEPS COMING ON MIC. |
| 42. | CHOLIBA: | (COMING ON) Hello, the Queen of Mabudi. |
| 43. | BABI: | (ON) Choliba, you can say that again. |
| 44. | CHOLIBA: | Our dear Queen, the beauty of the land, she who must be
appreciated and honoured. (THEY BOTH LAUGH) |
| 45. | BABI: | I am so glad you have come. |
| 46. | CHOLIBA: | How could I have done otherwise? How dare I say no to my friend
Babi, the Queen herself? |
| 47. | BABI: | Thank you, Choliba. |
| 48. | CHOLIBA: | Let's sit under this tree and I'll braid your hair, Babi. |
| 49. | BABI: | Under this tree? Ehm... no. |
| 50. | CHOLIBA: | Okay - where? |
| 51. | BABI: | Let's go over there, behind Titi's bedroom window. |
| 52. | CHOLIBA: | Your co-Queen? |
| 53. | BABI: | (SNAPS) What co-Queen? There's only one, my dear Choliba. |
| 54. | CHOLIBA: | (QUICKLY) Of course! What was I thinking? |
| 55. | BABI: | Yes. Let's sit there. I want her to see how you will once again give
me the best hairstyle in this town. |
| 56. | CHOLIBA: | My Queen, you have started again. Well, whatever you say.
(SILENCE) Let me help you carry our stools then. |
| 57. | SFX: | STOOLS ARE PLACED ON THE BARE HARD FLOOR. |
| 58. | BABI: | Honestly, I am happy you came, Choliba. |
| 59. | CHOLIBA: | Right. All right ... keep your head this way so that I can braid a
masterpiece to captivate and drive THE ABAH insane. (THEY LAUGH) |
| 60. | BABI: | Not only that. I want this hairstyle to really aggravate the
jealousy of his other wives. |
| 61. | CHOLIBA: | You are correct, my Queen, and you can trust I will do my best. |
| 62. | BABI: | You know that I now control THE ABAH. I'm not boasting but he
will do whatever I want. If I don't like something or someone, that's it... it's over. |
| 63. | CHOLIBA: | (GLEEFULLY) Mnn ... P-o-w-e-r! Everyone in Mabudi knows
that. It's a popular gossip in town, but I don't blame you. That is what you deserve for combining beauty and youth with royalty. |
| 64. | BABI: | Oh Choliba! That one is deep, girl! |
| 65. | CHOLIBA: | In fact it is rumoured that, when in court, THE ABAH bases his
judgments on your facial expressions - the way you respond to the issues and personalities involved. |
| 66. | BABI: | Well I don't know about that, Choliba ... |
| 67. | CHOLIBA: | But it's true! He usually suspends court sittings when her
Highness, Babi, needs his attention. |
| 68. | BABI: | (THEY LAUGH) Choliba, you are bad! |
| 69. | CHOLIBA: | But Babi, don't take this the wrong way...even though everything
shows he loves you, I personally couldn't share my husband Yohanna with another woman at all. |
| 70. | BABI: | It depends. Even though I'm the last wife, I have the power to stop
THE ABAH from spending the night in his other wives' rooms if I want. |
| 71. | CHOLIBA: | Really? |
| 72. | BABI: | I mean it. Trust me. Let me tell you, he cannot visit even Titi
without my clearance. |
| 73. | CHOLIBA: | And how is Titi taking it? |
| 74. | BABI: | Who cares? She has no choice. If she is not careful she will be
thrown out of the palace to where she deserves. After all, she came in here without any real marriage rites. |
| 75. | CHOLIBA: | Wow, Babi that's explosive! No marriage rites? |
| 76. | BABI: | As far as I am concerned, Titi is a mere resident concubine (THEY
LAUGH). |
| 77. | CHOLIBA: | (TALKING SOFTLY) Please talk gently and quietly. |
| 78. | BABI: | I'm staying by her window for this braiding, and I don't care if she
can hear me. Let her talk I will deal with her. |
| 79. | CHOLIBA: | (TO BABI) Turn your head that way. (SILENCE) Yes, yes ... (SURPRISED) Ha! |
| 80. | BABI: | What is it, Choliba? |
| 81. | CHOLIBA: | What a beautiful gold ring on your finger, Babi. |
| 82. | BABI: | Ha! I took it from THE ABAH. And that very expensive radio
Moleke gave him now belongs to me. |
| 83. | CHOLIBA: | You mean after all the special gifts Moleke splashed on you as the
Abah's favourite wife, you still took these? |
| 84. | BABI: | You haven't heard anything yet! |
| 85. | CHOLIBA: | Please, my Queen, tell me what is happening? |
| 86. | BABI: | THE ABAH will be giving out chieftaincy titles to celebrate his
birthday. |
| 87. | CHOLIBA: | Oh yes. And I heard Moleke will finally and officially be granted
the honour of High Chief, even though he has started answering to the title already. |
| 88. | BABI: | Well, Choliba, on that same day, your friend Babi the favourite
Queen of Mabudiland, my very noble and sincere self, shall be honoured with the most deserving title of "Chief the Honourable Foremost Queen of the King's Heart". |
| 89. | CHOLIBA: | Wow! Babi, I swear to God, you are so lucky (THEY GIVE
EACH OTHER HIGH FIVES)! Anyone who doesn't like it can go and hang herself! |
| 90. | MUSIC: | BRIDGE MUSIC UP AND FADE UNDER... |
| 91. | SFX: | HURRYING FOOTSTEPS. |
| 92. | SULEIMAN: | I heard you sent for me, your Highness. |
| 93. | ABAH: | That is true. Well, without any unnecessary formalities, go and tell
all your fellow herdsmen in both Mabudi and Jantale that henceforth, no one is allowed to graze livestock on the communal pasture between the two communities again. |
| 94. | SULEIMAN: | (SHOCKED) What?! |
| 95. | ABAH: | Grazing can only take place on the north eastern tip near the
boundary between the two villages. Is that understood? |
| 96. | SULEIMAN: | But why? |
| 97. | ABAH: | Because I have said so and that is final. |
| 98. | SULEIMAN: | (SCOFFS) It can't be final, Abah. |
| 99. | ABAH: | I say it is final and it is. Nobody, I repeat, nobody has what it
takes to say no when I, THE ABAH of Mabudi, say yes. |
| 100. | SULEIMAN: | I cannot deliver that message to my fellow herdsmen. Not even if I
were THE ABAH himself. |
| 101. | ABAH: | Why, if I may ask? |
| 102. | SULEIMAN: | This is the pasture we have grazed for hundreds of years. A piece
of land we inherited from our ancestors. How can anybody suddenly decree that the land no longer belongs to us? Impossible! |
| 103. | ABAH: | So long as this decision is for the benefit of the majority of the
Mabudi people, not even you and all your herdsmen put together can alter it. |
| 104. | SULEIMAN: | (LAUGHING) I know the reason behind all this vague and
baseless pretended love for "the majority of the Mabudi people." You want to take the land for your tomato-farming scheme. Who do you think is fooled? |
| 105. | ABAH: | (GETTING ANGRY) How dare you talk to me with such
impudence, Suleiman? |
| 106. | SULEIMAN: | You have always been greedy and selfish, never tiring of
desiring other people's property. |
| 107. | ABAH: | What the hell are you talking about? |
| 108. | SULEIMAN: | Let me remind you, King ... you will fail in this plan exactly as
you failed in your attempt to steal my wife-to-be. |
| 109. | ABAH: | (CALLING) Guards! Guards! |
| 110. | SULEIMAN: | Just as you were thwarted and publicly shamed over my wife-to-
be, shame and disgrace await you on this matter. |
| 111. | ABAH: | (CALLING) Guards! Guards. Come and sweep away this stench
of a dirt from my presence. |
| 112. | SULEIMAN: | No guard will dare to touch me. As I came on my own without a
push, so shall I go back. But King, I promise you, you will be massively humiliated and put to shame. |
| 113. | SFX: | HURRIED FOOTSTEPS AS SULEIMAN LEAVES IN
ANGER. |
| 114. | ABAH: | (OVER THE MIC) Suleiman - you dare talk to me like this? I tell
you, you will be sorry. |
| 115. | MUSIC: | BRIDGE MUSIC UP AND UNDER... |
| 116. | SFX: | A GENTLE KNOCK ON THE DOOR. SILENCE. REPEATED KNOCK. |
| 117. | ABAH: | Titi. Titi? (NO ANSWER) Titi, I know you are in. (SILENCE) Open the door for me. |
| 118. | TITI: | (OFF MIC) What do you want in my room at this time of the
night? |
| 119. | ABAH: | What kind of a question is that, Titi? You mean as your husband I
cannot come into my wife's room when I want? (SILENCE) Well, just open the door. |
| 120. | TITI: | So what do you want? What do you want after telling the whole
world that I am a mere resident concubine and not even a wife? |
| 121. | ABAH: | How could I have said such nonsense to anybody? Not even under
the influence of alcohol. |
| 122. | TITI: | You are denying it. You are denying it because it is night and you
are here desperately attempting to relieve your emotions. |
| 123. | ABAH: | I don't understand you one bit, Titi. |
| 124. | TITI: | (SARCASTIC) Did you receive express permission and clearance from that fish mouth wife of yours called Babi before coming here? |
| 125. | ABAH: | Oh I see. I see. Me, me THE ABAH of Mabudi needing clearance
from Babi before seeing you? God forbid. |
| 126. | TITI: | Just leave me alone. Even if I am a mere resident concubine, I still
have the lock and key to my privacy. |
| 127. | ABAH: | What kind of drama is going on here? |
| 128. | TITI: | Drama? This is reality. You are nothing but a cheat and Babi's
errand boy. |
| 129. | ABAH: | Me? Me? Babi's errand boy? You are overstepping your bounds,
Titi. |
| 130. | TITI: | Tell me... tell me then how the radio that Moleke gave you as a
gift is now in Babi's possession? |
| 131. | ABAH: | But Titi! That radio is in my room as I talk with you now. |
| 132. | TITI: | Go and tell that to the winds. What about the gold ring, you liar? |
| 133. | ABAH: | Gold ring? |
| 134. | TITI: | Look, I know all your plans. I know your plans to honour Babi
with a chieftaincy title. |
| 135. | ABAH: | Titi, Titi. First it was the radio then the gold ring, and now
chieftaincy... |
| 136. | TITI: | (CUTTING IN) And am I wrong in any detail? Do you think I'm
a fool? Dare you contradict me now? Can you? |
| 137. | ABAH: | These matters can be gently settled without a fight or quarrel.
Open the door. |
| 138. | TITI: | Let me warn you, I will not sit here as a lame senior wife to Babi
and swallow all this nonsense. |
| 139. | ABAH: | Just open the door, Titi. |
| 140. | TITI: | As the more senior wife to Babi, I must get that honour before her
or I promise you a big scene on that day. |
| 141. | ABAH: | Just let me in. We can settle all this. Come on, Titi. |
| 142. | TITI: | No, Abah. The resident concubine is not available tonight. |
| 143. | MUSIC: | THEME MUSIC UP, HOLD AND FADE UNDER... |
| 144. | NARRATOR: | When a king decides to be greedy, selfish and uncaring, it
manifests not only in his relationship with his subjects, but also in his own home. The battle line is drawn and Titi has called THE ABAH on his unequal treatment of his wives. I wonder what will happen next. Tuning into the next instalment is a must. |
| 145. | MUSIC: | THEME MUSIC FADES UP AND UNDER END CREDITS. |
