BASOTHO WITNESS A PLAY WRITTEN AN DIRECTED BY ONE OF AFRICA'S FINEST WRITERS
King
Baabu, a play written and directed by Nigeria's Wole Soyinka, the
world's renowned author and dramatist to have come out of Africa was on tour
in Lesotho from 17-20 September, 2002.Soyinka is also the first African Nobel
prize recipient for literature. The tour of this play was manned by a
production team from NAWAO productions that is based in Switzerland and a
cast drawn from Nigeria and the Great Britain. For both theatre lovers and
artists alike, this was the turning point that will go a long way into the
annals of history as the period of the second coming or the resurrection of
theatre in Lesotho.
The
play was staged at the Lesotho National Convention Centre and opened on
Tuesday with the first show meant for students. The show was followed by
a thought provoking public lecture by Soyinka himself. The second show on
Wednesday which also marked the official opening of the tour was graced by among others King
Letsie III, Queen ‘Masenate Bereng Seeiso, The Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Lesao Lehohla several Cabinet Ministers and
high ranking officials. Needless to say, the Thursday show was not
well attended but it is the last show of the tour on Friday that turned out
to be the crowd puller. No doubt, the actors gave a scintillating
performance that left the audience wheezing for more.
In the play, Soyinka uses comedy as a weapon to satirise the dictatorship, tyranny and obsession with power, greed and arrogance. Set in an imaginary country, Guatuna, the story hinges in the main character Basha Bash, played by Yomi Michaels. Basha Bash is a shrewd and a politically agile Army Chief of Staff under General Potipoo’s military Junta. Drawn from Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the play opens with a scene where Basha Bash is lured into a plot to depose Potipoo, a plan carefully orchestrated by his wife Maariya (played by Susan Aderin). He is made to believe that General Potipoo has banished him to the sidelines of self-aggrandizement by giving him the Ministry of “goats and cows” (Agriculture) while Potipoo himself is in charge of petroleum. Maariya convinces him that he that he has always done the dirty job for all the military despots before, now it his turn to get an honourable career for once in his life.
Part
of the cast taking the "curtain call", King Baabu (Yomi Michaels)
in red flanked by his wife and Tikim, His adviser and brother in law
(pic.
M.Kheleli)
The
plot develops to a meeting of General Potipoo’s inner circle. At the
meeting, Potipoo discusses his “Revolutionary Agenda” with his
Lieutenants as well as members of civil society represented by a traditional
leader, a priest and a trade unionist. It is at this meeting that news about
a possible mutiny is received and Potipoo adjourns the meeting.
Immediately
when General Potipoo’s lieutenants run for a swift damage control,
representatives of the civil society are whisked away for lunch hosted by
Maariya. When Basha Bash discovers that it is his wife behind the coup, he
vows to kill her and present her remains to the general as a sign of
allegiance .Maariya says she has given Basha Bash a golden opportunity to
eliminate Potipoo. She also warns him that as matters stand, he has crossed
the Rubicon, it is either he goes on with the plan or he is finished. Basha
Bash also quickly retracts when he realises that his wife has
already corrupted civil society into his allies through bribery.
In
an operation dubbed “the Next Metamorphosis” General Potipoo is
overthrown and detained. By his actions, Basha Bash says he is transforming
the nation to democracy. At the next Army General’s meeting, an
arrangement is made to broadcast propaganda to dispel fears and to preach
democracy to the populace. Basha Bash says the people must be told that
there is no coup but “…just a change of command.” Following the news
that Potipoo has escaped from detention, Basha Bash orders the military to
“…follow the smell of his shit…” and when captured call upon the
Rapid Disposal Unit to finish him off.
Meanwhile,
an agreement that marks the climax of the plot is made. Basha Bash removes
his military appearance and he is to be crowned King Baabu at a ceremony
where twenty cows would be slaughtered simultaneously for the occasion. At
his first appearance, he figuratively proclaims that Bash Bash is dead. He
says he speaks in the voice of the new democracy and he is merely a regent
of the new democratic order. Guatuna is from now on, a Kingdom ruled by
kings. King Baabu proclaims his motto of “Open
Government.” He accuses the economic leadership of his Kingdom with what
he terms “economic sabotage” for refusing to sign his “open”
chequebooks and for jeopardizing his “Operation Fill the Stomach.”
King
Baabu’s reign, like all other regimes before him is destabilized when
Potipoo wages a rebellion. Yet in another twist of events, civil society
turns against the King. They declare “… the final onslaught of Baabu,”
a move welcomed by Potipoo. In what he terms Military Economics, King Baabu
captures Potipoo’s son and uses him as a human shield together with women
and children. Ultimately, King Baabu and his right hand man and brother in
Law Tikim are killed, not by Potipoo but poisoned with silver bullets which
were meant to be the potent of his power. In other words, King Baabu is
finally the mastermind of his own fate.
Didactically
in King Baabu, Soyinka maintains the commitment of the post
Independence African writers of Disillusionment
in the mould of authors such as Chinua Achebe in A Man of the People and Ayi
Kwei Armah’s The beautiful Ones are not yet Born. They are
disillusioned because at first they were made to believe that a new breed of
African leaders who unchained Africa from the bondages of colonialism would
guide the continent to prosperity and human emancipation. They are however
startled to realise that instead their leaders are heavily immersed on
self-aggrandizement, incessant corruption and gross violation of human
rights. They satirise African military and political demagogues who are
obsessed with power, greed and arrogance, leaders without moral conscience
and respect for human life. Like King Baabu, theirs in a world not of angels
but of angles.
At
a symbolic level, the drunken scene depicts chaos and lawlessness prevalent
in all undemocratic governments. Soyinka employs scatological imagery
(vulgar language and unbecoming mannerisms) to frown upon King Baabu’s deeds
and their show of idiocy. Finally, his poisoning is symbolic of the fact
that absolute power corrupts. He dies clinging to what he cherished and it
ironically ends his life. Just like criminals, the old prophecy is revealed
that; those who live by the gun will die by the gun.
Yomi
Michaels, who plays the part of King Baabu says the play is a painful
reawakening of Africa under the rule of power crazed despots. He also warns
that the salient themes portrayed in the play transcends beyond the borders
of Africa as tyrants worldwide are bent on polluting humanity with evil in
the name of democracy.
Adeniji
Akanni, the assistant to the Director of the Play commended the audience for
coming in numbers and for their warm reception. Most notably, it was the
presence of their Majesties that they highly appreciated. According to the
Assistant director, the audience was very receptive and could understand the
nuances of the play. That interaction he says is a positive sign that
theatre has a place in Lesotho. Mr Akanni however regrets that not enough
networking was done so that the locals can pick up and advance to from where
they left with King Baabu.
Helvetas
Lesotho, The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Ireland Aid, Ministry
of Tourism, Culture and Environment and
National University of Lesotho made the tour of King Baabu possible. The Art
House Association (Thaha) of Lesotho was responsible for the coordination of
the project. It is hoped that the pioneering production of King Baabu will
open door for other international productions to be staged in the Mountain
Kingdom.