The Last Hope

Scene One [2001—2003]

73 Act Three Scene One [2001—2003] In front of KONDO’s house. KONDO is relaxing in a cushion chair, listening to some music from his radio cassette. Enter ASU and MOTIA. MOTIA: Kondo! Kondo! ASU: Enjoyment is going to kill the man these days. KONDO smiles, welcomes them and exits into the house. MOTIA: What did you expect? Look at his house. Look at every single house in the village. ASU [Clicking his tongue in awe.]: Small London. Era used to call his quarter Small London. Today this is indisputably the Small London. No rival. MOTIA: People who were living in thatched houses. Look at the type of houses they now have. Korup Project has done wonders! Would you believe that the old settlement had only two houses with zinc roof? ASU: Lucky them! The people are really very lucky. MOTIA: Look at the roof. There is no house around, except in Mundemba, with such a beautiful roof. ASU: I say the people are really lucky! See what Era and Koko have missed? 74 Enter KONDO, carrying two table chairs. He sets the chairs and MOTIA and ASU take their seats. Then he slumps into his chair and turns off the radio cassette. MOTIA [Admiring KONDO’s chairs.]: Kondo, does every house here have this type of chairs? KONDO: There are houses with better chairs, Motia. Life has changed. You need to visit our farms. The ones you saw on your way here are just small gardens. In fact, at the moment Mundemba market is too small for our supply of food. And we are already planning on inviting some customers from Kumba. Otherwise, our food will soon be rotting. ASU: We really need to thank the Korup Project, gentlemen. Do you know that I, Asu Asu-Tam-Tam, alias Asu Boy, am now a proud owner of a large piggery today? MOTIA: Asu Boy! ASU: The only one in the whole wide world. MOTIA [Sneeringly.]: So it means that I can have two big pigs from you in, say, two weeks’ time? ASU: Even if you need ten [Stressing.] now. I won’t say come tomorrow. MOTIA: Ten? [A pause.] Asu, how can I believe you? ASU: Why not? 75 MOTIA: How can you tell me you can supply me with ten pigs today? ASU: Ehn! I know. So you are one of those men who used the twelve bags of cement to instead make better floors for their houses, eh? [MOTIA blushes.] It’s a shame that even you, of all persons...The project had a good plan for us, you know. But some of us took the whole thing for a big joke. In fact, if you visit my piggery today, you will weep like a baby. KONDO: That is what I intend to do next. I want to keep pigs, chicken, goats and sheep. MOTIA: All that for you alone? ASU: Hear what he can ask! You have just started raising your family, mind you. And if you still think that you will continue to steal into the forest to hunt, and that that will be enough for you to feed your family, I want you to erase that from your mind right away. Right away! Because, as a warning, our committee will soon tighten its rules and regulations. And shall be very hard even on members who have continued to go contrary. MOTIA: But I don’t hunt protected animals. ASU: When had you ever admitted that you still hunted but now? MOTIA [Stands up suddenly.]: Wonders will never end! Asu Boy, were you not the one who woke our education officer up at midnight, after that very interesting meeting, and asked him to lock the door? Where were you going at that frightful 76 time of the night? [ASU blushes.] Ehn! [Sits down.] Oho! You thought he would think that you were going out for...you know, eh? You thought he did not see the gun and bag you kept outside, eh? ASU: That was long ago. MOTIA: True. But, you see, you first broke the rules. A long pause. KONDO: My brother, one is getting older and weaker everyday. And a time will come when one will be unable to cast a net or carry a gun for a long distance. ASU: Exactly, Kondo. Put your energy where in the future you will not strain to feed your family and...