Dance of the Vampires and Six Other Plays

Part II - Family Saga

59 Part II Family Saga (For all those with whom I have laboured In pursuit of dialogue in conflict resolution) 60 61 Dramatis Personae (in order of appearance) Kamalo: Supposed brother of Kamala and selfappointed theoretician or conceiver of the family estate, who pays absolute allegiance and obedience to Fiekafhim, his Papa. He will later play Yaman. Kamala: Manager of family estate, brother of Kamalo and father of Ngong and Sawa. He will later play Baakingoom. Baakingoom: Supposed father of Kamala. Sawa: Daughter of Kamala who believes that Kamalo is her uncle. She will later play MC, Impresario and Kamanda. Ngong: Son of Kamala and Sawa’s brother. He will later play Yaman and Story teller. Two Bodyguards: Bodyguards of Kamalo. All through the play the set is dominated by a cyclorama with the portrait of a grand, old and senile lady in traditional dress with a sparkle in her bearing. She should be depicted with a lot of jewels decorating her body thereby emphasizing her beauty and wealth. 62 63 First Movement Kamalo, big and fat and wearing a three piece suit is lounging in an easy chair, drinking and smoking and listening to a Bikutsi tune which is playing very loud. Kamala, a diminutive man in a workaday jumper, enters from backstage. He is thoroughly angry. He turns down the volume of the music. KAMALA: Kamalo, why are you so greedy? What happened to my share of the provisions? Why can’t you ever be considerate? How many times must I remind you that there are two people living on this estate? KAMALO: My Papa came. KAMALA: Which Papa? You think you are the only one with a papa? Why must your father pest us every time and always taking what belongs to me? And you won’t even sweep out the barn and repair the shelves in readiness for the next harvest. KAMALO: Me? Sweep the barn and repair the shelves for what? That your work is what? KAMALA: Kamalo, why can’t you try to be reasonable by being useful to yourself and both of us? What do you ever do in this estate except lazy around in a three piece suit, drinking and smoking and… Why can’t you even make your offspring do some work for our community? For instance, Redone is constantly drunk. Either he is drinking or he is already drunk and sleeping under a tree. Someday he is going to shoot someone with the gun he is always carrying. And the day that happens… KAMALO: Redone is there to ensure the security of the estate. He, my other offspring and I, are already too busy working for the community. You think it is easy to think? And do I need to tell you that there is division of labour on this estate? I conceive, you execute. Period. KAMALA: ‘I conceive, you execute. Period.’ Who made that rule? Who gave you the right to conceive thereby transforming me into your slave? You take what is mine and I have to do the cleaning and repair work? Who gave you the right to take what is mine? 64 KAMALO: I said my papa came. He took the provisions. He gave me the right. KAMALA: What right? KAMALO: The right to conceive. KAMALA: Thus transforming me into your slave? Answer me, Kamalo. KAMALO: Your own very mouth said it; not mine. KAMALA: Do you ever look into the mirror? Do you ever notice how fat you have grown in the few years we have lived together, Kamalo? KAMALO: Jealousy. Because I live my life and do my work. Jealousy. KAMALA: Yes, of course. Your work is eating, drinking, smoking and making merry at my expense. Work indeed. If my own father were also pestering us in the same manner? KAMALO: Is it my fault that your own papa has abandoned you? You are not even grateful that I took pity on you and brought you into this beautiful estate. Ingrate! Always complaining. Always asking questions. According to the deed… according to the agreement… KAMALA: Every community of human beings is regulated. Without rules and contracts there is total chaos resulting in disagreements and unnecessary squabbles which will result in the wasting of our resources. Can’t you see that? (No reaction from Kamalo). What makes you think my father abandoned me? And who is the ingrate between the two of us? This...