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

SHIFT TO


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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 .

SHIFT TO


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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

SHIFT TO


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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 .

SHIFT TO


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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.

SHIFT TO


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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

SHIFT TO


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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

SHIFT TO


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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

Documents

019_The Mighty Fall