The Lord of Anomy

Introduction

vii The Lord of Anomy Introduction The play is a work of art put together with distinct craftsmanship clearly for entertainment and academic reasons. It exploits allegory, conundrums and various tools to depict with great skill and reproduce in the mind of the reader / audience the pictures and atmosphere reminiscent of 1875 Southern Africa, her tribes and the mentality of foreigners to that land. Of particular interest and uniqueness to the work is the missionary astonished to learn that he has come to a people almost conversant with Christianity and Islam, the natives having distinctly learnt these from the Portuguese and Arabic traders decades ahead of his advent. Basil Diki’s scant and expert use of poetry, eclogue and juxtaposition of contradictory elements is masterly. The play’s level of debate is highly judicial and academic. The story itself provokes debate, both academic and religious, while enhancing judgmental skills. It’s designed to improve the reader’s / audience’s command of both written and spoken English, oratory skills and the benevolent use of coercion and coaxing. The play offers ethnographic elements with regards the Rozvi of present day Zimbabwe and the Zulu of South Africa. It offers insight into African religious beliefs and convictions and is of profound relevance to African studies. The overall objective is to produce an analytical and highly conversant literature in English for the scholar, teacher or lecturer. What struck me the most is the high level of technicality and the ease with which the playwright expresses himself in English, the unpredictability of the story, the never-ending climaxes, the suspense in literally every scene and the haunting ending. To compare the playwright to any modern dramatist is to demean him. The quality of such writing is reflective of a genius at work in a domain of his comfort and in which he has invested many years. It doesn’t surprise me that Basil Diki has won awards before for his literal and theatrical achievements. The manner he develops and handles conflicts provides classic study in itself of plots and subplots, comprehension of character and motive, and offers insight into the unpredictability of the human mind in a viii Basil Diki crisis. The only seeming frailty I found was that I desired to ‘see’ more of the sly Sir Wilkie Crowler whom I had longed to encounter from the suspense of the expository scenes. But, however, had he appeared in more scenes The Lord of Anomy would have been too voluminous to stage. This is undoubtedly great scholarly work for the student, lecturer and professor of Literature in English / Literal studies and Humanities. In my humble opinion The Lord of Anomy is a brilliant, unforgettable and gripping classic masterpiece. This work is set to grab awards in literal circles at international level. Congratulations, Africa! Dr. W. Mupamombe Chuma Harare, 2009 ...