Abúlé Ètàn by Jodekss Gloatkenf

Act one Scene one

[Enter]

Oba Jagunlabi, Jungunnu, Opéejíje, Jangbalajugbulu.

Crowd:

Eemo reeeeee o, Kabiyesi Come outside

Óyá, come out now o,

Wa wi tenu e…

Jangbalajugbulu:

Wait… Kabiyesi, e duro sibeyen

It is you they have issues with not me

Let me talk to them

It is my duty.

[Exit]

Oba Jagunlabi, Jungunnu, Opéejíje

Jangbalajugbulu:

[Sighs]

People… people… calm down

Ani e calm down na

What is the problem huh?

One old man from the crowd:

Wait… Enough of your pretence Jangbalajugbulu, don’t

We respect you but now it seems you have even joined those rubbers

The crowd:

[Shout]

He has joined them.

One old man from the crowd:

E calm down na.

…

Ani e calm down… Let us be calm and things shall come to light.

Another rugged voice from amidst the crowd:

[Shriek]

Shut up!

You, shut up!

Who are you to tell us to calm down?

Kuro…

Look here chief, we are active-minded indigenes of this big village and we are no tomfools. Go in. Tell the Oba Jagunlabi to come out now and tell us how much he or they or whoever bought the òkò.

Crowd:

[Shout]

Abi o… who needs it!

Thieves. Yéyè…

Jangbalajugbulu :

Jungunnu, don’t just stay there calm looking like Èfó… Help talk them down na…

Ahem!

E take it easy. Let us be civil, please na. About what was bought, I can exactly tell you I know nothing about it.

[Re-enters]

…

Ah… ah…

Kabiyesi o… Kaaaaara o le o…

I thought I told you not to come out. I am handling this.

Oba Jagunlabi:

[Hisses]

It does look like the opposite.

Go away, I’ll take it from here…

Ahem!

Good, great and ever conscious people of Abule Ètàn.

I am sorry for delaying you this far. I had to see the geography of the palace.

I will answer every of your question but would like to start with the hottest one. I can see your faces boiling hot.

Okay, the ókó [we] bought at 29 cowrie.

Crowd:

That small infertile land… Yeh…

[Crowd began climbing the scaffold] [shouting]

But Opéejíje, he said… 25 cowrie…

[Exit]

Oba Jagunlabi, Jungunnu, Opéejíje.

Crowd:

[Sing]

Awa o ni gba

Awa o ni sun

Awa o ni wo…

Awa o ni gba

Awa o ni sun

Awa o ni wo…

Awa o ni gba

Awa o ni sun

Awa o ni wo…

Abule Ètàn

Act one Scene Two

[Enter]

Gbòungbòun, Igbáládogí, Akòkò.

Igbáládogí:

Good morning everyone here

As this is a formal gathering, let us try and be formal…

[Shouts from the crowd at the market square]

Please… please… please… let us maintain decorum

One house please…

Thanks.

I… Igbáládogí, your humble representative… am here now to do exactly as you have sent

This matter is not the only one at hand, you’d know.

Crowd:

[Exclaim] Yes…

One of the few adult in the village:

Yes… that witch must be dealt with too o.

Olé ni…

“Like husband like wife”

Igbáládogí:

We cannot just deal with anyone without following and or consulting the oracles.

Crowd

[Shout]

We have done that…

Igbáládogí:

Where was I?

Gbòungbòun, Akòkò, where was I?

Akòkò: At that moment…ahem… ehn…

Igbáládogí:

What is all this ehn? Just go on, tell me, where was?

Akòkò:

Awe…right. Three meetings held right after you were beaten into coma.

Igbáládogí:

I was down for days real? Whoa…! wait… wait… getting the flahes now…

I was beaten and done close to death where a snake climbs a sign post for pills.

Igbáládogí:

I told that before sir…

Aye… you were in sick bed.

Oya o sha, don’t just sit down there…

Gbòungbòun, Akòkò:

You are the one still having the floor na…

Thoughts from among the crowd:

[Aside]

The gods are being nailed to earth

By bigger gods, o, or by the checkers in their declaring wigs

The youngs to come here in disarray

And past god we worshipped is being bunt on the way.

Gbòungbòun:

[Chuckles]

Ahem… These are the troubles filed against her majesty

She should show up lest she should be dealt with

Any hands for this should be cut

Any hands stain from you all here at the market square must remain forever tucked.

…

Mm…

Appearing… appearing… she’s to come and answer these questions… when she appears. She must…

Why she had take our cowrie and lavish it selfishly for kangaroo services ah!

Another voice from the crowd:

Beat her to stupor…

Beat her as we beat the king…

Beat her… chastice her at her butt…

Female rubber…

…

Crowd:

Female rubber…

Female rubber

Female rubber…

Female rubber

Female rubber…

Thronging crowd:

Gbòungbòun…

Female rubber…

Female rubber

Female rubber…

Female rubber

Female rubber…

[Shouts continue]

Ehn hey…! He’s passed out o…

Some voice from among the crowd:

Carry him again, he is weak too…

We shall continue to take our left

Tell him to wake up

Give him a hot slap

Pour him hot water

Overly cold water or some scary shouts…

Wake him and make him explain…

[Enters]

Opéejíje

Opéejíje:

Let us be civil… I…

The leader from the left:

Shut up.

The sitting had had you held dangling for 2 moons…

If guilty of the so called ókó you and your king had.

That would be very bad

For judgment shall role its dirty wrath side on you both next.

Leave us…

[Exits]

Opéejíje…

Thoughts out loud from among the crowd:

The good old god is about being nailed in a bad land

The good god who’s mighty hands fed us well to give vast life, hope and living sessions to run….

Other gods are to be blamed. They are not to be blamed. Things like this takes time. At times moons to shine many nights and sun to grow thousands of maize for towns.

Mm…

The king and his purse on hold.

The gods we fear and perhaps loved before rested on the quizzing words of checkers…

Abule Ètàn under ètàn as usually.

Act one Scene Three

[Enter]

Ìyàlapèrè, Jangbalajugbulu, Jungunnu

Ìyàlapèrè:

Jungunnu… Ah! I don’t seem to grasp how the oracle thinks… He was not around and his acolytes took charge for him abi beeko ehn…. Sòrò now Jungunnu?

How many cowrie did I collect sef….

Is it not to breathe blessings and bliss and cleanse our new servants?

Talk at this juncture… This one ehn that you are as somber as dead brook is becoming something else jare…

Ah ah, mo think pe you know how to argue ni na ah ah!

Argue na… Abba ah ah ehn!

Jangbalajugbulu:

Wo… take it easy!

Wo… we will have to go together nani. You have to come now face the Oracle again… ehn!

Leave him let hi…m…

Jungunnu:

Eduro jor…

E wa, ki le fi mi pe gan na…

Sey that I did, no, that I am doing critical topics and arguments in our first moon means I must contribute in what you caused ehn?

Look here, I know what I am doing and I am not going beyond my office as people did try and put me there to…

Ìyàlapèrè:

Gbe gbogbogbogbogbogbo gbogbo enu e soun jor… Alailojuti alagbada osi, ole funfun….

Ehm, thank you jare for your words.

Jangbalajugbulu:

Eh, did you hear that?

[Exit]

[Re-enters]

It is about our past gods o…

The immediate one before the god over us today.

Jungunnu:

So… ehn ehn ki wani?

They are to cut take away his shrine away from our town.

He doesn’t merit that. The god is a good one and life went on well with us then as we all knew.

Jungunnu:

So… ehn ehn ki wani?

Jangbalajugbulu:

[Hisses]

Ehn…

Let us sha go, the three of us. Let us not keep the oracle waiting too long lest he…

[Exit]

Ìyàlapèrè, Jangbalajugbulu

Jungunnu:

Awon alakoba osi…

You want to implicate me ehn

Critically I have seen through these darkly lights

There would be nothing she can do even if she fought fights

Fights very well for her rights she shall put to rest

Mm… investigation is still boiling on.

Should the food be done and there is a bit poison in the taste.

Then the ókó we got shall come to halt and our reign shall commence to be irrealis abi…

Me I like this robe o ish…

[Exits]

Jungunnu

[At the palace of the oracle with all his bits of powers there]

[Noise]

Hello, you, you and you. Be calm and we shall get to the bottom of tall this…

A voice not belonging to the Oracle’s power:

Yay… this is the garnering of vipers and chameleons taking the charge of ropes

To help the the poor like us be and have our tattered wears

Upon which we lay them for fun. Chameleons came comely having loaded high and shite on them again to make bad the worse

And as we wear them the vipers crawl out and gaze into our houses in the mid of the night and bite us all down

Making us all satisfied with venom's vile's worth.

Young bananas who whom he nurtured till maturity came upon them so

The bananas we buried in the soils to feed upon they pluck and eat to aught

And the remnants they smash into bits and boo us to the face to come back.

You have to understand.

[Exit all but the voice]

[The voice continues]

Another thief with three hollows down there has been put to sopor

And noises of confusion crawl in and continue to crack the grounds and floors for the future now.

And with our gods. The past gods I mean.

To do good is good as you would have seen

It is different to be there, just there and poured contempt like yaw

But fervour has found its course around Elú, god’s jaw

As the procession of the world worked their various paths to meet like 1

And shame cruises the devil’s back as he later won

Let us leave God of god curse the universe to turn into water and fire

And fire every head, little or much, 1 or bunches wanting to spoil his retire.

[Exits a voice not belonging to the Oracle’s power]

To be continued…

#Jodekss

#Oau

#drama

#play

#faction