Tussles. Collected Plays: Collected Plays

Scene 6. In Okonkwo’s house

73 Tussles: Collected Plays Scene 6 In Okonkwo’s house Desolate air. Okonkwo is seated, head stooped, hitting ground listlessly. Enter Nnadi in buoyant mood. Bends to catch Okonkwo’s look but latter turns head away. Nnadi breaks into newly-acquired Christian song. Okonkwo (Turning to face Nnadi) Has your own Mbaino madness too started? Nnadi Yes! A healing madness. You will do with some. Okonkwo Some what? Nnadi Some of my madness. Okonkwo You need to be washed in Miniwekwu. Nnadi I’ve already been washed clean. Okonkwo But the Oracles have not said so. Nnadi Mine is the Supreme Oracle: Jesus. Okonkwo Amadioha! Your sanctuary has been re-named. Nnadi Not re-named. Destroyed! Okonkwo Not destroyed. The massive slab is still there at the Cave entrance. Nnadi The rock, you mean? That rock is God’s new dwelling place. The cave-dwellers are imprisoned, forever. Okonkwo Nnadi, ever since those your people who talk through their noses 74 Things Fall in Place entered this village, a strong fever has caught your head. Nnadi Never mind. Call me Nwoye. Okonkwo That cold ash? I have disowned him. Nnadi Why? Okonkwo He has abandoned my footsteps. He now goes about like a mad child. Nnadi What you call madness is but a new inner light. You say a strong fever has caught my head. That is true. Today it’s only a few of us, but it will not be long before it becomes an epidemic. Already it’s in your own home. Okonkwo (Rising) Amadioha forbid! Not in my house. I will fling out all signs of him. Curse on his head. We will throw all you sick ones into the river…one by one. Nnadi Praise be that day when we shall see the new river of life, the cool waters of Jesus Christ. Okonkwo (Fixing Nnadi) Ogbuefi! Nnadi Oko! Okonkwo I’ve lost you. Nnadi To Jesus! You too need to lose yourself. Our Priest told us something. He said he who loses his life shall find it. You must lose your life to find it. This is why I came. I told you to stay away from Ikemefuna’s death. You cut him down. Okonkwo (Sharply) The gods! The gods did! 75 Tussles: Collected Plays Nnadi Leave the gods alone! A god that smites his own child is no god. Yesterday it was Ikemefuna. Before him my twin children. And before them many, many albino children. For how long shall we continue to offend God? Okonkwo Not when we do their will. If I hadn’t killed Ikemefuna I would be ruined by now. Nnadi And now that you killed him, are you not? Okonkwo How’s that? Nnadi Look at your compound. Just yesterday you had many wives and children. Where are all of them now? Ikemefuna was your luck, your health. You lost many things in that one act. This is why I came. You need to join us. Give your soul and body to Jesus. Let him show you a new road in life. Peace be with you. (Exit) Okonkwo (Alone onstage) Nnadi and this his sweet tongue. Do this, do that. If I only listen to him I will take an axe and destroy all our shrines. And then where will I go from there? To that his own obasinjom? (Pensive) But my wives. My children. My farms. Where are they? Was Ikemefuna a spirit child? Many children like him have been killed in this village before and their death has brought prosperity to their killers. Why is my own turning out this way? His voice rings in my head. Rings more and more. Is he not yet resting? Rest, Ikemefuna. Rest, so that I too may find rest. (From offstage. Ritual gongs) Bad tidings. What can have brought out the gongs? Are the gods weeping? (Making for exit) The shrines must be quaking. These are not good gongs. (Hooting of owls) The owls are crying. (Sudden silence) The owls are silenced. (Exit) (Curtain) ...