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Moremi

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From the SelectedWorks of Lekan Balogun

Spring 2015

Moremi.pdf
Lekan Balogun, Victoria University of Wellington

Available at: https://works.bepress.com/olalekan-balogun/17/

 Winner, NANTAP/FESTINA 2003 DRAMA AWARD
In this award-winning play, Moremi, the popular legend is
retold with fresh details, which locate the story of the heroine
within the confines of history as it has never been done
anywhere before now.

“During that era, the might of the Ugbos (as they were called)
was the measure of the right of the sons and daughters of
Oduduwa. But, Moremi taught that an unhappy peace may,
after all, be profitably exchanged for war. She picked up the
gauntlet and, determined to acquaint herself with those strange
bed-fellows if only to manumit her people from the daredevil
marauders who annually carted them away with a lofty
contempt.”

Moremi’s stratagem worked. The marauders were defeated and

dispersed from their abode, but she had to sacrifice her only
child as the fulfilment of the pact the people thought she made
with Esinmirin.

Actor, dramatist and essayist, Lekan Balogun has written plays

for, read and/or performed by the Royal Court Theatre,
London; the British Council, Nigeria; FLINN Theater, Germany;
the National Troupe of Nigeria, the Centre for Black and African
Art and Civilization (CBAAC), NANTAP and many others.
Some of his works include, Farewell, Harlem Remembered!, For

MOREMI
Heroes and Scoundrels, Oya, Alaafin Kanran, Beyond the Sunset,
Soyinka in the Eye of Shakespeare, Love and Colours in Delphi, Shaka,
among others.

DRAMA

Legendaire Theatre 9 789789 479221

Lekan Balogun
Other titles by the author

Our Tomorrow Today Afrocentric, 2003

Alaafin Kanran Lantern Books, 2005
The Rejected Stone Lantern Books, 2005
Oya Lantern Books, 2008
Farewell British Council, 2009
Shaka Lantern Books, 2010
For Heroes and Scoundrels Legendaire, 2010
Olofin Ajaye Legendaire, 2010

I
MOREMI
DRAMA

Lekan Balogun

Legendaire Theatre

ii
 © Lekan Balogun 2001

First Published 2003

ISBN 9789789479221

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

All requests for performance permission

should be addressed to the author or the
publishers.

©Lekan Balogun,2015.

Cover Picture courtesy

Prince Bayo Akinwole

Cover design by
Ayomigraphics, Lagos
08084432622
ayomidelawal09@yahoo.com

Printed and bound by:

Linkmeconcepts, Lagos
08028638864, 08027573567
linkmeconcept@gmail.com

iii
 For
All sons and daughters
of Offa...that the spirit of selfless
sacrifice might be rekindled!

iv
Author's Note
Moremi was written at a time of great historical significance in
her home town Offa. Ironically, while other people celebrate
the heroine and her unusual sacrifice, which ranks among
some of the most unprecedented acts in human history, her
own people, the people of Offa, were busy destroying the only
visible monument erected in her name based on conviction
dictated by Western faith. Such is the case of prophets who are
dishonoured by their own people.

But, legends have a way of asserting their relevance without

necessarily throwing up crises; indeed, Moremi continues to
assert her bonafide as a turning point in the history of Yoruba
race. The combined efforts of Taiye Olaniyi and the Offa
Descendants Union (O.D.U), saw to the premiere of this play as
part of the programme for the installation of Chief Emmanuel
Olatunji Adesoye (O.O.N) as the Asiwaju of Offa, in April,
2001.

The performance of the play in the presence of an estimated

population of over ten thousand Offa indigenes at home and
hundreds of others who came from abroad to be part of that
glorious history, in the courtyard of the Olofa of Offa, Oba
Mustapha Olawore Olanipekun Ariwajoye II, has remained
part of the legend's contemporary history. That significance
was further cemented two years later when the play emerged
as the winner of the National Association of Nigerian Theatre
Arts Practitioners (NANTAP) award for Best New Play, and
subsequently performed as the Western zone's entry for the
Festival of Nigerian Plays (FESTINA), 2003, with a cast and
crew of seasoned actors drawn from the whole of the western
states of Nigeria.

vi
These performers were camped at the Obafemi Awolowo
University, Ile Ife (the new home of Moremi and how fitting a
setting that was!) under the direction of Ahmed Yerima, the
then artistic director of the National Troupe of Nigeria. I am
eternally grateful to Taiye Olaniyi, His Royal Highness, the
Olofa of Offa, Oba Mustapha Olawore Olanipekun Ariwajoye
II, Chief Ayo Opadokun, the Council of Chiefs, Chief
Emmanuel Adesoye, and all sons and daughters of the ancient
land of Offa for that rare opportunity to be part of their history.

Lekan Balogun

Wellington, New Zealand,2015.

vii
Foreword

Heroism is the brilliant triumph of the soul over fear; fear of

poverty, of suffering, of calumny, of sickness, of isolation and
death. It is the dazzling and glorious concentration of courage.
-Henri Frederic Amiel-

The above view serves as a springboard to put pen to paper for

a foreword to a book on Moremi Ajasoro who, as a heroine,
reached the goal that makes her shine amongst all. Our
association with this work is quite a long one. We were
privileged to be among the Crème da la Crème of the Ofa
Community including Mr. TaiyeOlaniyi (of the NIPOST,
Public Relations Department, Lafiaji, Lagos) to watch with kin
interest the premiere of the play, right in the courtyard of the
Olofa's palace. It was a blissful night indeed. By and large, the
play was performed with such a resounding success that we all
gave the actors a standing ovation, and they were applauded
heartily. One is very delighted that the play has
metamorphosed into a drama book.

Going through the book, one is pleased that it brings to

detailed record, the wider sweeps of social occurrences then;
both in Ile-Ife, the cradle of the Yoruba race in particular and in
the generality of the Yoruba country. It is; to say the least, the
gilded monument of the gallant deeds of Moremi-The
Gracious one. During that era, the might of the Ugbos was the
measure of right of the sons and daughters of Oduduwa. After
a while, Moremi taught that an unhappy peace may, after all,
be profitably exchanged for war. She then picked up the
gauntlet and determined to acquaint herself with those strange
bed-fellows if only to manumit her people from the daredevil

viii
marauders who annually carted them away with a lofty
contempt. Her love for the Yoruba race is the cream of love.
She deserves nothing short of gold and pearl.

Although, much corn lies under the straw that is not seen about
this heroine of all times and ages, the book as a good reference
point ensures for both the old and young alike, the
understanding of the ancients. It is well needled and threaded
in every sense of it. It slakes and whets our appetite for vital
information about Moremi and as well serves as an essential
window on the primordial history of our race. In a nutshell, it
is set before the reader as a unique example of heroism and
patriotism par excellence.

It is observably true that, “No heroine can create a hero

through love of one, but she may give birth to one” (Jean Paul).
This view is apt for Moremi. She created no hero through love
of one, but she gave birth to one in her only son; Oluorogbo
(The Redemptorist), who is noted in Odu Oyekulogbe thus:
Bo ku dede k'aye Olufe o baje
Omoliworogbo a abani tun aye se.

With this laudable effort, Moremi is not wholly dead and a

great part of this dame has escaped the grave. This book is a
reader's delight that should be read with relish. We wish you
happy reading.

Dimeji AJIKOBI
Senior Lecturer,
Department of Linguistics, Asian and African Studies (LAAS),
University of Lagos, Akoka,
Nigeria.

ix
Cast
Moremi
Omolarere
Elugbadebo
Ariyoyo

Ooni Obalufon Alayemore Ejigbomekun

Oruto Obalufe
Lowa
Obajio
Ejio (Modewa)
Waasin
Obaloran
Akogun
Ejesi
Jaaran
Jagunosin

Ojumu
Yeloja (Obinrinsogba)
Iyamokun

Yegbata
Saarun (Palace guards)
Osinlato

Araba (Ifa Priest)

Priest of Esinmirin

Olugbo
Igodo
Oholo
Yasere
Odoka
Asogbon

Palace guards/Women/Marauders/Warriors/Townspeople
etc

x
Although what is presented here is the version performed at
the MUSON Centre Lagos, as the Western zone's entry for the
NANTAP/FESTINA 2003 as directed by Ahmed Yerima,
Moremi was originally commissioned for performance in
honour of Chief Emmanuel Olatunji Adesoye (O.O.N) the
Asiwaju of Offa. After its preview at the Lisabi Hall, Ebute
Metta, Lagos, the play had its premiere in the presence of His
Royal Highness Oba Mustapha Olawore
OlanipekunAriwajoye II, the Olofa of Offa; the Asiwaju, Chief
Adesoye; Chief Ayo Opadokun; Deacon Taiye Opaleke; Taiye
Olaniyi and thousands of Offa indigenes, in the courtyard of
the Olofa's Palace, Offa, Kwara State on Friday 27th April,
2001, with the following cast:

Narrator Paul ALUMONA

Oranmiyan Lekan BALOGUN
Lowa Yinka OGUNFEYIMI
Obalufe Femi OLAIYA
Jagunosin Habeeb AYODEJI
Obalufon Tony BOYEDE
Wasin Sunkannmi DARAMOLA
Yeyeoba Ayo OROBIYI
Balogun Habeeb AYODEJI
Adimula Adewale AJAKAYE
Moremi Victoria KWAZEMA
Olurogbo Kehinde IWATUJE
Olugbo William BENSON
1st Chief Barney OBI-ABIEZUE
2nd Chief Tony BOYEDE
3rd Chief Martins IWUAGWU
4th Chief Chika OSUYAH

xi
Ife Warriors/Ugbo Raiders/Villagers
Habeeb AYODEJI, Martins IWUAGWU, Chika OSUYAH,
Adewale AJAKAYE, Yinka OGUNFEYIMI, Tony BOYEDE,
Olaosebikan BETIKU, Caroline ALFRED, Martins
IWUAGWU, Bukola ADEFUYE.

Orchestra/Drummers
Ayo OROBIYI, Ojuolape AJAYI, Caroline ALFRED,
Olaosebikan BETIKU, Bukola ADEFUYE.
Taiye SOYEBO, Sunkanmi OLUNAIKE, Kehinde SOYEBO.

Crew
Set Designer William BENSON
Lights Bolaji BALOGUN
Sounds Femi ADEBAYO
Costumes Teslima AILEOBINI
Makeup William BENSON
Props Chika OSUYAH
Welfare Barney OBI-ABIEZUE
Consultant Taiye OLANIYI
Production Manager Barney OBI-ABIEZUE
Stage Manager Walter ALUMONA
Director Lekan BALOGUN

xii
Prologue
There is total darkness on the stage. A solo chant, joined by another to
form a gripping duet, sings the praise of Moremi. The chant
transforms into a rich cultural song.

Moremi Ajaasoro o o!
Olowo aremo, a bo'je popo
Fun mi l'ewure je 'le
Fun mi l'aguntan soro etc

Lights appears gradually. On a seat is a woman. She is dark and

robust with a dome-shaped hairstyle decorated with beads. As lights
fully come on her, she smiles and reveals a beautiful set of teeth, with a
big gap between the two upper front teeth. The song rises and goes to
the background as she addresses the audience.

MOREMI: I was once a bundle of sorrow snatched by the

strong arms of Oranmiyan from my people in Offa, which
boiled and tumbled with war and chaos, and taken to Ile-Ife.
Like many others, I was marched with my little baby in my
arms and in tears into Ife not knowing that I was on the path to
fulfilling the destiny of our people. I look back today and laugh
with triumph and joy. With dignity and a sense of satisfaction
over a name that is now celebrated having lifted womanhood,
and indeed humanity, to the pedestal of greatness as the
saviour of our people. Look at them in Ile-Ife. Look as they
celebrate Edi festival in my name and honour.

Fade

01
Lights. Ife. Chants come up slowly. People begin to appear from
different directions. They sing different songs, which start slowly at
first and then gather momentum.

Ofa mo tire o
Ofa mo tire o
Mo laa m'Edi a o,
Ofa mo tire o.

Eku kere o, eja kere

Eko ni loyee,
Ebo oba afin o.

Eje ka s'ere Moremi

Oyeeye yeeyeeye olombe
Ejio m'oko o komi o,
Alaaran dugbon awusa o
Akogun nikan laroro o
Ipeere sanko sanko etc.

Ina se ru jo riri
Arikisa
Ina Baba joriri o,
Arikisa

Omolarere gbode,
Yegbata o etc.

Oni mi sesa mi a t'usu je,

Tele mi re'kogun o
Tele mi re'kogun Ayegbogbo
Tele mi re'kogunOlombe

02
Lights begin to fade very slowly. Spotlight comes on, on Moremi. She
continues her story.

MOREMI: Ife was Oodaye at the beginning of life; the most

ancient of all communities where creation was first
experienced. After the deluge, which wiped out that creation,
Ife became the land of survivors...Ooyelagbo. The land
flourished. The people prospered in that ancient abode. Joy
and bounty were everywhere. But, as they say, in the midst of
happiness there is brutal danger. The air of tranquillity and
abundance was soon shattered by a plague, which tormented
the land--incessant invasion by uncanny marauders. What
started as simple attacks soon turned into relentless abduction.
The simple life I had chosen to live after been brought to Ife by
Oranmiyan ended with that shattered peace, and, so began the
story of the events that will change everything…for me, for my
son, and the land of Ile-Ife. I am Moremi. Moremi Ajasoro,
olowo aremo. This is my story!

Lights fade slowly

03
One

Lights come on sharply. People are seen running in different

directions. A couple is also running to safety.

DOKUN:(Breathing heavily) Run! Faster, Debisi, Faster!

DEBISI:(Falling to the ground and gasping for breath) I … I can't run
any more, Dokun. I am tired!
DOKUN: Ooh, but we can't stop yet. They come in the distance!
(Sharp screaming from afar) Hear people screaming and running for
safety!
DEBISI: Go! Run to safety!
DOKUN: No, I can't leave you here! We must run to safety
together!(They hear people screaming again) Get up fast, Debisi.
They come for us now!
DEBISI: Go…take care of our children!
(Dokun screams her name as weird-looking beings in raffia attire
come into sight. He takes off as they give a chase)

Light fades

04
Two

Ooni's palace. Ooni Obalufon Alayemore Ejigbomekun comes out

alone. He looks worried.

OONI: What sort of dream is this? Oduduwa Ateworan, what are you
trying to tell me?
LOWA: (Runs in) Kabiyesi o!
OONI: Lowa you are here!
LOWA: (Agitatedly) I am here, Kabiyesi. They are here again. The
invaders are here again!
OONI: How do you mean they are here again?
LOWA: They are subjecting us to severe pillage!(Obajio runs in)
OBAJIO: (Gasping)Kabiyesi o!
LOWA: Ah, Obajio, did you also see them?
OBAJIO: Strange beings. They are everywhere…in the market and
the village square!
OONI: What exactly do they want from us? (Pauses) What do they
look like?
OBAJIO: They are huge and completely covered with strange attires.
How well can one even describe things one has not seen before?
OONI: Things or people, what exactly do you want us to believe?
OBAJIO: We do not know what to believe, Kabiyesi. They are
moving like people, but acting like spirits!
LOWA: And they are not only plundering our goods. They are also
abducting our people…our wives and children!
OONI: A-ah! How can?
LOWA: Indeed!
(Silence. Ooni sits quietly, sighs)
OONI: Send words to Akogun. Tell him to gather his men and move
out. We must meet the exigency with everything at our disposal, and
we must do that immediately!(Lowa runs out) Obajio, you go with
some of the palace guards and assist the people.
OBAJIO: (Calling) Yegbata! Saarun! Osinlato! (Guards run out, join
him as he exits).
OONI: (Thoughtfully) Strange beings! How can that be?

Light fades
05
Three

Lights. Ooni's palace. Ooni Alayemore is in council with the elders.

Akogun comes in hurriedly with some warriors.

OBALUFE: How did it go?

LOWA: Did you capture those insane marauders?
AKOGUN: Those marauders are invincible!
WAASIN: What do you mean? I thought they said..?
AKOGUN: Whatever they truly are…but they are invincible! All of
them!
LOWA: What are you talking about? (Akogun is silent and downcast)
Say something!
AKOGUN: What more can I say that I have not said already? It is sad.
OBAJIO: What is sad? Your failure to conquer them, or their taking
our children away?
AKOGUN: Is there any difference in what you see and cannot do
something about? Those “things”… whatever they are, are strange
beings covered up from head down to the ground with terrifying
apparel. They are extremely frightening to behold, strange in their
approach and the manner they took our people away!
OBALORAN: If you had the whole time to look closely describe
them, how come you couldn't at least seize one of them? That doesn't
make sense.
OBALUFE: What happened to our warriors? Are you saying they all
went to sleep?
JAARAN: They couldn't seize the invaders? Cut them to size?
EJESI: It seems you were not listening to him. He said our men took to
their heels on sighting the strange beings. They fled like little children
in the presence of wild animals!
OBALUFE: How can they do that? They are warriors…how can they
run?
AKOGUN: What should they have done when they saw their mates
being taken away?

06
OONI: Enough!(Pauses) This is a shame. It is a big shame that you
and your men submitted to cowardice, Akogun. What kind of strange
beings will loot goods and abduct the owners at the same time? You
should have stopped them! (Silence) What exactly is the meaning of
this? For how long now have they been coming to invade us?
LOWA: Longer than anyone could possibly remember, Kabiyesi.
OONI: We have to speak with Araba again. Obajio, go with Yegbata
and bring Araba here before nightfall.
OBAJIO: Kabiyesi o.
OONI: Oruto Obalufe!
OBALUFE: Kabiyesi!
OONI: Go with them and explain the urgency of the matter to Araba.
OBALUFE: Your word is command, Kabiyesi.
OONI: Lowa, send words to the Modewa, and leaders of the
Obirinsogba. Everybody must be present at the meeting with Araba.
We have had enough of this…it must stop!
LOWA: Your word is command, Kabiyesi (They all exit except
Akogun. Ooni looks at him intently).
OONI: It is a shame! (He exits. A woman runs in)
WOMAN: Where is my son? Akogun…please where is my son?
AKOGUN: Who is your son?
WOMAN: But, he was your boy. Eluyemi… that is my son!
AKOGUN: They took him.
WOMAN:(Confused) Who? What do you mean?
AKOGUN: The strange invaders took him away!
WOMAN: A-ah, no!
(Light fades)

07
Four

Lights. Ojumu's compound. Several months later. There have been

several raids on Ife by the marauders. Several women are on seat, one
cries uncontrollably. A mournful wail can be heard at the
background.

OJUMU: It's alright my daughter. It's alright.

ROLAKE: (Tearfully)They took him. They took my Akanni away. He
was only coming home from the farm. He was just coming as gentle
as he had always done. They took...took…him!
YELOJA: It's alright, Rolake. Yes, we all know it's a painful loss.
Orisa Oke will bless you with another man, very soon.
ROLAKE: He should have allowed this one to stay with us! Yeye, he
should have allowed this one and not another one!
OJUMU: Take her in. She needs rest.
ROLAKE: I don't need rest. All I need is my Akanni…my Akani…let
me have my Akanni!
MOREMI: It is all right, Rolake (Moremi and Ariyoyotake Rolake in,
and return shortly. Ojumu is still on her seat).
MOREMI: Did you hear the name the market women called those
abductors?
OJUMU: Igbo raiders.
MOREMI: Like the predator bird, Agbigbo which feeds on other
birds. How well they have fed on our flesh!
OJUMU: We only need to be patient. Patience does not kill.
MOREMI: Patience can sometimes be misunderstood as cowardice.
And that is what I think drives those marauders. They think the people
of Ife are cowards.
ARIYOYO: But that is not true of us. We are not cowards.
MOREMI: Our actions say otherwise, Ariyoyo. Patience has been
working against us. It has dragged our people to early graves beside
ceaseless abduction. How many of our people…our girls, young and

08
strong men have been taken away…how many?
ARIYOYO: (Whispers) You worry too much about this problem, my
sister.
MOREMI: No, I am actually disturbed by it.
ARIYOYO: What can anyone do?
MOREMI: I think we should seek another route to end this travail
after the rituals have failed us, rather than singing of patience just to
make ourselves happy.
OJUMU: (Interjects) I think patience is the best answer we can offer
now, Moremi. Patience never kills, does it?
MOREMI: But it is hardly working in our own case, Ojumu.
OJUMU: Our warriors are being strongly fortified to fight the
marauders.
MOREMI: The same men who will wet their kembe when the
marauders invade our territories? Didn't you feel anything for that
woman? Were you not moved to tears when we were with the other
women who lost their husbands, or children who lost both their
parents?Do you still think we should not think of other ways, new
ways to fight these ruthless enemies, other than fortifying warriors
who appear to have lost the zeal to fight?
ARIYOYO: What better stratagem do you have in mind?
MOREMI: I don't anything in mind for now but that does not mean
there can't be anything.
OJUMU: Let us leave this talk, Moremi. Night fall crawls in very
quickly. I will see all of you by sunrise (Women rise).
Light fade

09
Five

Lights. Okerewe, Moremi's house. Same day, Moremi is with Ariyoyo.

ARIYOYO: Are you alright? (Silence) My sister, please say

something. Are you alright?
MOREMI: How can I be alright, Ariyoyo? How can I be alright when
things are like this? We have allowed the burden of fear to choke us
beyond reason.
ARIYOYO: What can we do?
MOREMI: I think it is time we shrugged it off.
ARIYOYO: Then, let us find a way of shrugging off the burden as a
people. You heard Ojumu, didn't you? Our warriors will be more
fortified to face our enemies…that's some cheering news, at least.
MOREMI: Are you listening to me at all? Those
marauders…whatever they are, I think we need more than having
warriors fortified to fight them. We need to first dislodge the load of
fear they have placed on our heads. Human beings don't die many
times, it is just once. It is better to die honourably. Those marauders
need to be faced…eye ball to eye ball.
ARIYOYO: And who will do that?
Silence
MOREMI: What if I said that I will?
ARIYOYO: Stop. Are you all right?
MOREMI: Yes, I am fine. Why ask?
ARIYOYO: Because just now you sounded like someone who isn't.
(Chuckles) You will do something?
MOREMI: I mean what I said Ariyoyo. I am not afraid of any
marauder.
ARIYOYO: Do you know what Akogun and our warriors say about
them? Those marauders are invincible! Nobody truly knows what
they are.
MOREMI: The reason somebody needs to find out.

10
ARIYOYO: Don't do anything rash Moremi. Please listen to me!
MOREMI: Perhaps you don't understand why I think this step must
be taken. I will explain to you. That is my son, Omolarere. We both
love him. I cherish him and see in him the future I have always longed
for back in Offa and here in Ife. Didn't our fathers say the horse's tail
enjoys the splendour the horse is denied? Why should mine, or ours be
different from that ancient order of things?
ARIYOYO: Our dreams will come true only when we are alive to
pursue them.
MOREMI: Not just by wishful thinking, but by hard work, effort, will
and definitely not under this kind of dread that fills our lives.
ARIYOYO: Listen to me Moremi…
MOREMI: No, you listen to me, Ariyoyo. Of what importance is my
body adorned with rich sanyan, or alaari and other fabrics, or my neck
that is fully decorated with iyun, segi and other coral beads if before
my very eyes, Omolarere is taken away by those captors? Will I just
stand helplessly like a timid goat faced by a cruel and hungry leopard?
Will I walk home happily for failing to do what I am supposed to do
before falling victim of the dreaded marauders? Will I simply turn my
back and forget that I ever had a son?
ARIYOYO: What I am saying…
MOREMI: All I need is an answer from you. Should I just accept that
sad fate and walk home?
ARIYOYO: What answer should I give you? What answer?
MOREMI: What kind of joy do we derive from motherhood if the
seeds of our wombs are snatched away before our very presence and
all we can do is to weep our eyeballs out? No!Moremi will not
standby and wait for those strange beings to come take her son away
before throwing herself at them!
ARIYOYO: (Silent for a while) Are you sure nothing has come over
you?Are you sure some strange powers are not working on your
mind? Is this not strange?
MOREMI: Nothing is strange here, Ariyoyo.
Silence

11
ARIYOYO: So what are you planning to do?
MOREMI: Find out what is special about those marauders. Find out if
they are truly as invincible as our warriors want us to believe.
ARIYOYO: How can you know that after…
MOREMI: I am dead?
ARIYOYO: Is that your plan? (Pauses) How can you say that?
MOREMI: That's a possibility, isn't it?
Silence
ARIYOYO: What will you do after you might have been taken away?
MOREMI: Exactly what I hope they will do.
ARIYOYO: So you had this plan in mind all along. Why did you lie to
Ojumu?
MOREMI: I didn't. I only saved both of us a long and unproductive
talk.
ARIYOYO: What if your plans did not work out as you thought?
What if suddenly the hopes were eclipsed by happenings unplanned
for? What if…?
MOREMI: I will return home safely, Ariyoyo. I know that's your fear.
But if my plan fails, I will be happy dying a fighter than a mere game
of those marauders over-bloated ego.That is more honourable than
crying hopelessly.
ARIYOYO: You scare me, Moremi, you really do.
MOREMI: My mother used to say; if one does not cast away life to
pick death, life itself will not be picked. I never understood what she
meant then, but now I do Ariyoyo. The more slippery a road is, the
wider it becomes.
ARIYOYO: Then, go see our father, the Ooni. Whatever he tells you
should…
MOREMI: I don't need his permission to do this.
ARIYOYO: I didn't say you do, but it is not a bad idea if you told him.
MOREMI: I am fine, Ariyoyo
ARIYOYO: OrutoObalufe then…please!
MOREMI: Fine. I will go and see him tomorrow night (Changes the
topic). Shall we eat now?

12
ARIYOYO: I am not hungry.
MOREMI: But you told me you were hungry before we went for the
meeting.
ARIYOYO: I am fine.
MOREMI: Then you are angry.
ARIYOYO: No, I am not.
MOREMI: Don't be afraid for me, Ariyoyo. I am fine!
Light fades

13
Six

Lights. Farm. Omolarere is with Elugbadebo. Both of them are

laughing

ELUGBADEBO: Honestly, I was scared to the bones!

OMOLARERE: I didn't know you are that afraid, Elugbadebo.
ELUGBADEBO:Who wouldn't be now, Omolarere? I was frightened
to the skin when I heard the rumpus in the bush. I had thought the
marauders were hiding in the thicket. It turned out to be a squirrel that
was afraid of me. What an irony!
OMOLARERE: If I were you, I would have simply said “Igbo
raiders, here I am, take me!”
ELUGBADEBO: I am sure you won't do that.
OMOLARERE: But come to think of it, it is sad that we are now like
this. Some of our friends hardly come out now except there is a crowd.
ELUGBADEBO: I can't blame them. I can't blame their parents either
for restricting their movements. One cannot be too careful this time.
My father will be cross with me if he finds out.
OMOLARERE: For going out, or with me?
ELUGBADEBO: But, it is dangerous, right?
OMOLARERE: Who says it is not? But, don't pretend as if you don't
know what I am talking about. You are my friend, Elugbadebo, but I
am disappointed in you for saying things.
ELUGBADEBO: What things?
OMOLARERE: About my mother! Do you think I didn't hear them?
ELUGBADEBO: Who says I am the one saying things? The whole of
Ife is saying things about your mother, about Moremi, how does that
make me your enemy? What does she want?
OMOLARERE: What does Ife want?
ELUGBADEBO: To end the spate of raids and abduction of our
people by those cursed marauders, what else?
OMOLARERE: And, isn't that what my mother has been crying
about?

14
ELUGBADEBO: But she should stop making it look as if everybody
else is not doing anything.
OMOLARERE: But she never said or did that.
ELUGBADEBO: People say she speaks as if she alone knows the
antidote to our stinging bruises.
OMOLARERE: Is that what they think?
ELUGBADEBO: People have tried. The palace tried…the warriors
also…
OMOLARERE: What is wrong in my mother saying we should try
harder? What is wrong in my mother saying because we failed once
does not mean we should fold our arms? What is wrong in..?
ELUGBADEBO: It is very risky that we are alone on the farm as late
as this.
OMOLARERE: Oh, I think I understand now. Just exactly what she
said.
ELUGBADEBO: What did she say?
OMOLARERE: Why do you or the land care? The best you can do is
to talk and do nothing, why do you care? (He goes off).
ELUGBADEBO: (Calling him) Omolarere, you cannot just leave me
here. I am not the one saying things about your mother!
Light fades

15
Seven

Ooni's Palace. Ejesi, Lowa, Obaloran, Waasin, Ejio, Obalaaye,

Jaaran and Obajio are on sit. Ooni appears from the inner chambers.
They greet him.

LOWA: Oonile, Obalufon Alayemore Ejigbomekun!

OONI: For the second time…but this shouldn't be so, right?
LOWA: This is also not your fault, my lord.
OONI: Then whose fault? For the second time they try to shame
me…our fathers try to shame me. Is there something that they
demand of me? You are wise old men, tell me.
OBAJIO: I do not think our fathers want to shame you.
OONI: Well tell me then, perhaps like the tortoise overprotected by its
shell, I have been cut away from the people of Ife by the walls of this
palace. What do people say those marauders really want from
Ife…from us? Or, we cannot know that as well?
EJIO: Araba said future goodness, my lord.
LOWA: Indeed.
OONI: And he said our fathers chose me?
LOWA: Without any doubt, my lord.
OONI: Then they should bless me and not plague my land with
adversity! Yet, problems are like rainfall; they never choose where or
who to fall on, they just fall. That much Ifa tells me, and who am I not
to believe that? But, who am I not to also demand what is good for my
people, for the land of Ife? Except a king who is in insane, only that
one will fold his arms while his land is tumbled by chaos!
OBALORAN: Rest, my lord.
OONI: Rest? Is this not chaos? When trouble assails a people…a
land, without a cure, is that not chaos?
LOWA: We are a people, and we cannot but have problems. But, there
is future goodness, my lord. Ifa says there is future goodness.
OONI: Or that I am not wanted? Say it to me. I will gladly vacate the

16
throne; I did that once. I did that for Oranmiyan because tradition
demanded it. If the same tradition wants me to vacate the throne and
never return, gladly will I do that for the land of Ife (Rises suddenly,
attempting to remove the crown. Elders all prostrate pleading)
Here…take it. Take the crown if that is the price they demand of me.
But let it not be said that it was during my time, Obalufon Alayemore
Ejigbomekun that Ife was thrown asunder!
JAARAN: Please…my lord!
LOWA: Rest, please…rest!
OONI: We have had enough, Modewa, wherever the rooster crows,
that is its village. We have had enough tribulation! Unless you all
know how we can bring back our people already taken away by the
marauders, and unless you know how to tame the wrath of those
unrelenting marauders, tell me nothing about future goodness! (He
sits quietly, silence everywhere as elders rise slowly)
LOWA: What are we supposed to do, my lord? Say it and it shall be
done
EJESI: Your word is command…just say it and it shall be done.
OONI: Are we not been attacked? Are our wives and children and
able-bodied men not being attacked, killed and abducted by those
unrelenting renegade…strange beings and elves? Are things at
peace? Is the land of Ife at peace? Get together and tell me what to do
to stay the hands of terror…nothing else!
LOWA: We have sent words to Araba. He will be here again soon (The
voice of the priest is heard from outside. He enters shortly Ooni)
LOWA: Welcome old Araba (Priest sits). If the kernel is not finished
in the mouth, the jaw does not rest.
ARABA: (Clears throat) Ifa speaks this time by telling us a story. It is
the story of three great friends: the Masquerade, the Drum and the
Gong as they set out on their journey from heaven to the earth.
OBAJIO: (Calmly)The Masquerade, the Drum and the Gong?
ARABA: Yes. The three friends were told to offer some sacrifice in
order to seek the support of their ori before setting out on their

17
journey. Preparations for their arrival on earth started as soon as their
creation was finished. As a result of the excitement and eagerness to
explore the world of human beings, the Masquerade and the Drum
forgot the instructions. But, the Gong complied with the dictate and
offered a bounteous sacrifice so that his destiny might be fulfilled in a
realm where Esu presides. As soon as the friends landed safely on
earth, they started to perform. Popularity trailed them wherever they
went. But, trust Esu, he turned on his antics on them, and there was a
tussle for leadership amongst the friends. The Masquerade said he
was the greatest having always received the most thunderous
applauds for his resplendent attire and amazing dancing skill. The
Drum said it was his scintillating soft and heavy rhythm that added the
rich texture to their melody, and the vibrancy of the Masquerade's
performance. The Gong said his own dexterity has always been the
magical element. He went about it with unusual calmness while his
friends raised a lot of dust. (He taps the divination tray again with his
iroke and chants). Tension mounted as a result of the struggle between
the friends. How do we solve this problem that might throw the entire
world into perpetual silence? How can we not have drumming and
singing and dancingin the world of man? What shall we do so that the
world of man does not become a lonely graveyard bereft of laughter
and music?Then they turned toIfa. What did he tell them? Test the
friends' strength and claim to superiority, is what Ifa says. Build them
a house and lock each one of the friends in the rooms and set the whole
house ablaze. And so it was done. The fire burnt for three days and
both the house and friends were reduced to nothing.
ALL: Nothing?
ARABA: Nothing. But, the next morning when the palace
messengers swept the ashes with their brooms, something
astonishing happened. (He chants again) Against all odds, the Gong
survived the fire. The Gong came out unscathed, but, with renewed
energy and life. (He chants) That is the end of the story. Ifa lies not!
OONI: (Sighs, in silence)

18
ARABA: It is true our teeth have struck bone. Yet there is nothing any
man can do to prevent it, the dew must fall each morning (He gets up
slowly and departs. Ooni is thrown into deep thought. The elders also
curtsy and exit, Ooni is alone)
OONI: (Calmly) There is nothing any man do about it. The dew must
fall each morning (Dirge rises slowly from the background. Akogun
and Oruto Obalufe enter with Moremi. The men greet the Ooni, she
kneels)
MOREMI: Kabiyesi Ooni Obalufon AlayemareEjigbomekun, I
kneel before your royal presence.
OBALUFE: Moremi is here as you commanded, Kabiyesi.
OONI: What is this I hear about you, Moremi?
MOREMI: About me? I … I don't understand, Kabiyesi.
OONI: What the women say you told them. What you also told Oruto
Obalufe and Akogun. Haven't we had enough from Okerewe of late?
What is it you are telling people?
MOREMI: Nothing Kabiyesi, nothing at all.
OONI: I must be assuming too much then.
MOREMI: Our father will never be wrong, Kabiyesi.
OBALUFE: We didn't come to the presence of our father to blabber
like little children. So tell him what you told me and Akogun, or what
you told the other women.
MOREMI: I…I only shared with them a piece of my mind. (Pauses) I
told them what I think we can do at a terrible time like this.
OONI: Because of course we have been doing nothing?
MOREMI: That was not what I meant, my lord…pardon me.
OONI: So, what is that thing that you think we can do?
Silence
AKOGUN: We have gone to war. (Angry) We tried. Our men
died…trying. (Pauses) Say something!
OBALUFE: Easy, Akogun, take it easy.
AKOGUN: We stood our ground but yielded it, not because we are
cowards, but because we were overwhelmed. People died trying to
save Ife…to save this land!

19
MOREMI: I never meant belittle your effort, our father. I am only
worried that in spite of that…the sacrifice, we are still under siege.
Why haven't our pleas been answered?
AKOGUN: You will answer my question when I ask!
Silence
OONI: (Sighs) No one is happy with the way things are, Moremi.
But what do we do when our gods say patience? When they say
sweetness will come after our chewing of the bitter leaf; what do we
do?
MOREMI: Yet, our father, you once taught me that the gods do not
speak the language of mortals, my lord. I think what they said was
only a riddle. It is our task to solve its mystery. All we need to do is to
crack the hard shell covering the truth in their words. We cannot do
that by folding our arms. We must take steps to stop this shameful
ordeal by whatever means!
AKOGUN: Sense and not might most often wins battles, woman.
Have you thought of that? Have you thought of that especially now
that everything we have done appears like folding our arms, have
you?
OBALUFE: Akogun. You are before our father!
Silence
OONI: Akogun is right. How do you answer that, Moremi?
MOREMI: That is why I want to try, my lord…sense and tact.
OONI: How? By what means?
MOREMI: I don't know yet, my lord.
OONI: That is not good enough, Moremi. Not good at all. A man does
not pick his eyes the way he picks his teeth. Moremi, the rain which
beats you is not the same as the one which beats the evil ones. You
want to dance to the rhythm of a drum you don't know its meaning?
That doesn't appear to me as sense and tact. It smells like
foolishness…arrogance…unbridled cowardice that is trying to
justify its place!

20
MOREMI: A better antidote could be found to their sting, my lord. I
believe it can be done!
OONI: Whoever said it cannot be done! (Pauses) But only that one
who is insane dances to meet his death. Do you understand that? Oh,
come on Moremi, you speak like a child! Of course the fear of the risk
is the path of wisdom in our sorrowful relationship with those cursed
bastards.Yet, sense rather than exuberance you display is a more
potent antidote to the perennial attacks. (Pauses) This is not your
fight. Don't plunge into a ditch like a fool with your eyes opened!
MOREMI: You are afraid for me?
OONI: I only fear for your son, woman.
MOREMI: I fear for him too, my lord. But somebody has to take the
risk and bear the brunt if need be, for others to survive. It doesn't
matter who does. Perhaps from now on we shall begin to loosen the
knot of anguish through risk that is prompted by zeal and selfless
sacrifice. That is all we need!
OONI: Zeal? Is that it? You want to show your zeal, to what end?
MOREMI: I mean compassion which our assailants donot have.
OONI: A child! (Pauses) The only auspicious time a child questions
the circumstance surrounding the death of his father, is when he
firmly holds the sword of justice in his hands. Do you understand
that? Otherwise, he suffers a more terrible anguish (Silence) How is
your son doing?
MOREMI: He is fine, my lord.
OONI: Go back and take care of him (Calls) Yegbata! (Yegbata runs
out) Lead Moremi back to her house. Come with me Oruto Obalufe
and Akogun. There are things to talk about (He exits with the elders.
Moremi stands thinking)

Light fades

21
Eight

Lights. Okerewe, Moremi's house. Moremi is with Ariyoyo.

ARIYOYO: Is that what he said to you?

MOREMI: Yes, and I cannot just understand it. What does he mean?
How can he talk like that?
ARIYOYO: Because he likes you so much…everybody does.
MOREMI: He likes me? Is that what should matter when the land is
threatened? He likes me more than he loves the land?
ARIYOYO: Now, don't misunderstand me. I didn't say that.
MOREMI: That is what I heard, Ariyoyo. We are dying, my friend. Ife
is dying…can't you see? How can we continue to live our lives this
way…under siege from an unrelenting adversary… how can we
continue like this? And, all you want me to think about is the love our
king has for my son?
ARIYOYO: (Thoughtfully) A man does not pick his eyes the way he
picks his teeth.
MOREMI: But what man will fold his arm while his house crumbled?
No, I won't. Not this time.
ARIYOYO: You cannot go against the wish of your king.
MOREMI: It is my wish that I won't go against.
ARIYOYO: Tread gently, my friend.
MOREMI: Sometimes while life threatens us, fate also taunts us. Fate
often presents us with our most desired food in an unwanted plate;
knowing when to close our eyes to what appals our heart and do what
needs to be done will make the difference.
ARIYOYO: This is not your fight.
MOREMI: When will it get to be my own fight? When my son is also
abducted? When I was in Offa, we had this sacred tradition. Our
people call it Ijakadi. Call it Playful Combat if you like. But, the very
essence of that tradition, aside from its continuation of link to our
ancestors, is to build good character, courage, resilience and

22
determination in the face of adversity. With things happening now,
right here in Ife, I cannot help but thinking that our fathers were right
about Ijakadi. They saw the vision. They knew that someday, the
lessons will be useful, if not in their own domain, but definitely
elsewhere. Ariyoyo, at a time of threat such as this, what Ife needs,
what any people in trouble needs, is not just hope, but courage and
resilience to push that hope so that it becomes fulfilled. For me, there
will be no reason to remember that Moremi came to Ife from Offa, if
the lessons of Ijakadi given to her people, and to me, by our fathers
cannot be put to use here. How can I even tell my son to love his
people and cherish what our fathers left us if I am afraid to set the
example? Why can't I even do that by my actions rather than just
saying it? If we cannot die so that our children can live, we do not have
bring them into this world. We do not even deserve to be called
parents!
ARIYOYO: Is that what this is about? Because you want to convince
your son that you can set good example?
MOREMI: Oh don't make it appear that simple. Listen, my son sleeps
in there, yet I am afraid. Why? Because I don't want him to be taken
away by some cursed bastards. That will make me one of them:
bastard without redemption!
ARIYOYO: (Gets up) I have to go.
MOREMI: Say something to that, will you?
ARIYOYO: Something like what?
MOREMI: Like you understand.
ARIYOYO: I don't understand. (Silence) Shall we talk in the
morning?
MOREMI: (As she leaves) Ariyoyo! Please, say something! (She
exits. Moremi is in deep thought) Why is everybody afraid? What
exactly is wrong with our people? Why can't somebody just see what I
am seeing…why? (Shouts) We can only win if we confront this fear!
OMOLARERE: (Appears) You worry too much, mother. But you
once told me that worrying will not change a present situation, that it

23
will only sap tomorrow of its strength.
MOREMI: I know I did. Oh, well, this is different!
OMOLARERE: You need a lot of rest now.
MOREMI: It is only those still on their feet that really count; whoever
is slain, is slain.
OMOLARERE: You want to confuse again.
MOREMI: You do not understand, son.
OMOLARERE: If you try, I am sure I will understand.
MOREMI: You will…very soon (Pats him on the shoulder) I have to
rest (She goes towards the door).
OMOLARERE: What was that about Ijakadi?
MOREMI: (Stops) Oh, you heard that too. Sunrise tomorrow, I will
tell you everything about Olalomi and Ijakadi…good night! (She
exits)
OMOLARERE: (Going after her) What is wrong in telling me now?

Light fades

24
Nine

Lights come on as we hear the voice of the Priest of Esinmirin.

Moremi is with him.

PRIEST: How can I possibly advise you against doing this? What can
I say to make you change your mind for all I see before me is a heart
already beyond this shores?
MOREMI: Old One, even if this were an ember, my hands are ready
to pick it up.
PRIEST: Not that easy, Moremi.
MOREMI: I don't reckon it is going to be.
PRIEST: And you want to plunge into it?
MOREMI: I have been fighting all my life. My worry has always
been how it will all end. If it ends here, it is a life well-spent.
PRIEST: And you are not afraid?
MOREMI: As a people, aren't we already in the very heart of a big
river? We either swim to safety or sink into perpetual damnation and
doom. Wise One, tell me what to do.
PRIEST: It is going to be a difficult one.
MOREMI: How?
PRIEST: What comes after will be more precious a price to pay for
victory…it is always a great sacrifice.
MOREMI: (Silence)
PRIEST: You heard me, didn't you?
MOREMI: Is that all?
PRIEST: When trouble, strife and fear overshadow the horizon and
thought, a river flows forth with calm and goodness, so the world of
man may return to calmness.
MOREMI: So did Ifa speak. But there is no river around here except a
stream. Wise One, only Esinmirin flows around here. That is why I
have come to you.
PRIEST: Your task begins from there.
MOREMI: With Esinmirin?
PRIEST: Yes, with Esinmirin! Come with me (They both rise).
Light fades

25
Ten

Lights. Okerewe, Moremi's house. There are knocks at the door.

Moremi goes to open the door.

MOREMI: Ah! Yeloja. Ojumu.To what do I owe this honour our

mothers? (She gives them seats)
YELOJA: We are not sitting. We have come to make you attend the
Women's meeting. They say you have stopped attending.
MOREMI: You should have just sent for me,Yeloja.
YELOJA: What difference does it make now that we are here?
MOREMI: There is no way I could attend the last three meetings,
Yeloja.
OJUMU: And, why is that?
MOREMI: Because I knew the meetings were called because of me. I
had to stay away.I didn't want to appear arrogant and rude in the
presence of everyone.
OJUMU: Arrogant and rude? How?
MOREMI: You know what I am talking about, Ojumu.
YELOJA: Are you coming with us or not?
Silence
OJUMU: Your friends mean well towards you. They are all
distressed over your plans.
MOREMI: I thank them all. But I think if they actually understood
why I am this adamant, they will encourage me. Romoke is still
inconsolable, and Salewa is devastated. The rest of us live with fear
we must dispel forthwith if we are to continue to live as real human
beings, and not merely as the games of some seeming invincible
forces.
ARIYOYO: (Bursts in) Don't believe her, Yeloja. We must stop this
woman. We must stop Moremi!
MOREMI: Ariyoyo, I thought we have discussed that.
ARIYOYO: Somebody needs to force out the insanity that has taken
over your head.

26
MOREMI: (Laughs) I am alright, my sister.
ARIYOYO: You are not!
MOREMI: Well, if you say so. I plan to tellOmolarere that he would
be staying with you while I am away.
YELOJA: Please don't do that.
MOREMI: Yes, Yeloja, I will. And that boy is so amazing. Have you
listened to him? He has my own kind of spirit.
ARIYOYO: Because he doesn't understand what you are trying to do.
Because he doesn't know you are trying to make him become an
orphan.
MOREMI: The young man has survived without his father; he will be
strong while I am away …trust me!
ARIYOYO: You can't do this…please!
MOREMI: Are you going to have him with you or not?
(Silence)Ariyoyo, please answer me.
ARIYOYO: (Emotionally) Of course you know I can't turn him
down. But I beg you, do think seriously about this terrible journey.
MOREMI: My thought flows like a raging flood. No one can stop it.
I shall find a way to uproot those marauders from their root, and not
merely break them from the stem.
ARIYOYO: Perhaps we should start saying goodbye to each other.
MOREMI: This is no time for a goodbye, Ariyoyo.
ARIYOYO: Yes, this is the time. You can hold on to the memory of
me, after all memories don't die; only people do.
MOREMI: But, I will still see you my friend.
OJUMU: How can you be sure?
MOREMI: I am not. Honestly, I am also afraid, but what I fear is more
than what the marauders can possibly do.
YELOJA:There is definitely virtue in patience, even at a time like
this.
MOREMI: (Pause) Shall we go now?(They all exit)
Light fades

27
Eleven

Ife. Faint lights. Night market. Noises of different sorts of people

and hawkers can be heard. Different types of local clay oil lantern are
lit everywhere. Haggling in the usual market situation goes on into
the night while buyers come and go out leisurely. Moremi is also at
the market. Some people notice her and exchange pleasantries with
her. Suddenly, noise and confusion set in. People scamper for safety
as raiders, dressed in weird apparel, invade their midst. Lights begin
to fade in the middle of the confusion and noise.

Lights.Olugbo's Palace. Songs of victory are heard. Prominent at the

far left is the shrine of Obatala. Elders are on sit. They discuss
happily. Shortly, two servants run out and take their positions on
either side of the throne. Olugbo comes out of the inner room. Elders
hail him

YASERE: Onigbomekun Omo Ekun!

OHOLO: Osan gangan Oba Makin!
ODOKA: Igbo Ogbori kodo Omo atorunwo!
OLUGBO: Igharefa, today is no doubt a big day in the land. Our
fathers have done well for us again. Victory has come. Let us
celebrate!(Heavy barrage of drums erupt from the background.
Merry singing accompanies it. After a while, drumming and singing
subside).
OLUBO: Kabiyesi Oba Makin, son of the legendary leopard. By now,
the people of Ife must start to accept the reality that we are superior to
them in all respects. We are the drummers. They are the dancers who
must succumb to the fever of our drumming. They must always yield
to the rhythm that our hands are producing on the skins!
ASHOGBON: They must also accept the fact that we are not tired.
We are not going to get tired until we have retrieved from them that
land which was snatched from our fathers. We all know that our own
progenitors had a pact with Oduduwa, which he betrayed. His own

28
children must continue to pay for that betrayal!
OLUGBO: (Happily) The dog will always find its meal at the door
step of Esu, its great provider. We are Agbigbo, the merciless
invaders. Our foods are still out there… the people of Ife! Let us
dance to this new victory!
(Drums roll from the background. Chorus of song accompanies it.
They dance briefly).
OHOLO: Elders, the face of victory is always sweet. But the other
side could be dangerous. And, our fathers say a man must never allow
what knocked off his teeth to blind his eyes as well. Besides, the
hunter can boast of killing the hyena. But what if he encountered the
one that is vexed?
ASHOGBON: Your words are always heavy, Oholo.
ODOKA: Speak in a tongue that we will understand.
OHOLO: Caution! That is what I say. Caution! Let us not behave like
our forebear Obatala who failed to weave enough wall of defence
around his person when that usurper, Oduduwa, landed on the shores
of Ife which belonged to us. They say a crab may lack everything, but
certainly not the eye with which it keeps vigilance.
YASERE: I think Oholo has a point there. Even a thief locks his own
door before he goes to break in and steal the property of others.
ODOKA: What must we do to ensure that our hold on Ife tightens?
OLUBO: Attack! Attack! More attack! We must continue to attack
them. We must continue to instil fear in their hearts. And push them
further into the abyss of death. Let them scamper out of existence for
all I care! (They laugh very boisterously).
OLUGBO: I think you are all right with your concerns. We shall
continue to attack Ife until we win back that land which is rightfully
ours. Oduduwa tore our fathers' garment of honour. His children
must dance with the mask of disgrace… forever!
ELDERS:(Variously)OnigbomekunOmoEkun!
Osan gangan Oba Makin!
Igbo Ogbori kodo omo Atorunwo!

29
Olugbo legheohone, atata bi okunliri!
OLUGBO: As the saying goes, when a king calls for a dance, he does
not peep through his window. I shall visit our men at Akodi during the
next preparation. They deserve a royal visit for their wonderful
exploits. Meanwhile, tell our warriors to bring the captives to the
palace immediately (Servant runs out. Shortly Ife captives are led in.
Moremi is with them. Olugbo and the chiefs examine them with great
air of satisfaction. Olugbo order that Moremi should be brought to
him. She kneels at the base of the throne. Olugbo addresses his
solder). Our men, you have really done well. Our fathers say no
matter how strongly the current of a river flows, the calabash will
triumph over it. You are winners. We all are winners. I thank you
greatly. Lead the rest of the captives out. Igharefa, you may decide
what to do with them, but let our brave men be generously rewarded
for their task!(Elders are excited. Solders lead other captives out.
Elders go out with them) Charming woman, what are you called?
(Silence) Do you by any chance have a name?
MOREMI: Moremi. I am Moremi.
OLUGBO: Moremi?
MOREMI: Yes, your highness. That is my name.
OLUGBO: Oh, your name is as enticing as your beauty. You look
royale. Perhaps, I should say you have a royal beauty (Silence) It's a
shame such a beauty comes from those shameless cowards. It's a
shame, isn't it?
MOREMI: I suppose it is, your highness.
OLUGBO: But, you are like the coral singled out from amongst
several useless stones and pebbles exhumed from the very bottom of a
river. Such a jewel that needs to be refined from hands such as ours
(Touches her hair tenderly)So raw…and full of astonishing promise.
Yet, you can also glow like a moon if we so desire. Indeed, the full
moon which first appears as a crescent only to send the sky aglow
with its overwhelming radiance at its bloom. Indeed, to glow and
shine from nurturing in our hands. Yet it is a shame to know that you
are from amongst those cursed, feeble-minded, weak and cowardly
set of human beings! (Silent, but still caressing her) Why not say

30
something…common, you have our permission to speak.
MOREMI: You may choose to call the people of Ife any name you
like. You have won…brought us to our knees. But, I beg you, don't
spite us further with your tongue.
OLUGBO: Spite? I think what needs spitted is the manner in which
your warriors cover their backs with bushes each time our men
penetrate your enclave is even amazing… a bunch of overfed and
pampered children who can hardly defeat their own women in the
bedroom. Disgusting cowards! (He laughs very boisterously). Well,
let us leave that for now. You are here. However, you will not live
with the rest of your people. You are like the lamp with rays meant to
light the corridors of royalty. You will live with me right here in my
courtyard. Igodo! (A woman appears)
IGODO: You called me, my lord?
OLUGBO: Yes. This is Moremi. She will live with us here. Give her
a room in the courtyard.
IGODO: A room in the courtyard?
OLUGBO: Yes, Igodo, give her a room in the courtyard.
IGODO: Now?
OLUGBO: Immediately.
IGODO: (Reluctantly) Your will be done, my lord. Come with me
(They both exit).
OLUGBO: Such a charming piece of beauty. Moremi. What a name!
(Igodo returns)
IGODO: My lord!
OLUGBO: Ah, Igodo, you scared me!
Silence
IGODO: What?
IGODO: That woman… who is she?
OLUGBO: One of the new captives…freshly plucked from Ife. She is
a very beautiful woman, don't you think?
IGODO: (Derisively) Yes, a beautiful thing no doubt.
OLUGBO: Thing? How can you describe such a woman like that?

31
IGODO: I doubt if any of our women could match her kind of beauty.
That is not what I think of her, and not what I guess the elders will
equally think of her.
OLUGBO: Oh, you should have seen them. They were in the best
mood on a day like this. They were all drunk with excitement. Their
harem will be increased tonight!
IGODO: The fire that will roast a snake does not have to be as long as
the snake itself.
OLUGBO: What are you saying, Igodo?
IGODO: I feel greatly uneasy with the arrival of that woman. The
manner in which you took her in is totally unbecoming. How you
gloat over her!
OLUGBO: Igodo! What is this talk? What has come over you?
IGODO: Pardon my tongue, my lord and husband. I only mean we
should not suddenly forget the warning from Ekango, your diviner.
OLUGBO: What about Ekango?
IGODO: What about Ekango? Did you ask me, my lord?
OLUGBO: Yes, tell me what Ekango has to do with a captive.
IGODO: He said great trouble rolls in the direction of the land. He
said that this palace would witness a great turbulence and a great –
OLUGBO: Ekango's message has nothing to with Moremi if you care
to know
IGODO: You still remember her name?
OLUGBO: Igodo! What is wrong with you? Well, Ekango sent a
message but I haven't forgotten what he wanted us to do. We didn't
pretend not to hear what his dictates were about. And, we did play our
part, didn't we?
IGODO: I….I know, my lord.
OLUGBO:I played a crucial role in the sacrifice offered to seek the
protection of our ancestors against the doom he foretold. Do not
pretend to remind me because you are jealous!
Silence
IGODO: I am only saying that a man atop a tree needs no one to

32
remind him that he must hold on tightly.
We should not take any chances that could spell doom for us.
Remember that I have professed my love to you.
OLUGBO: Oh, that is it? Who says you have not?
IGODO: I have always done this in all things, my lord. Remember
my sister Agbo. Remember Itohun as well, and the three weird sisters
who wielded their hands by the river which restored your royal
father's sight.
OLUGBO: Aren't we grateful for that? Why are you reminding us of
this now?
IGODO: They told you to always take my words seriously (Silence)
My lord, we must be careful about the way we accept people into the
land now.
OLUGBO: Igodo, you need not whip yourself into a state of frenzy. I
have only said Moremi will live in the courtyard here. There is
nothing more to that command, woman of honour.
IGODO: For now you mean to say?
OLUGBO: The position stays as it is. Yet, I wonder why you are
afraid. Perhaps I should remind you too. It is not merely the joy of
hearing sweet words that my praise chant says that I am Osan gangan
Oba Makin, the legendary leopard son of Ajalorun. I am a battle
ready warrior!
IGODO: Warriors who overlook situations which seem
inconsequential seldom live to tell the story even though they might
have survived big battles in life. Caution is the word.
OLUGBO: You are still not at ease, Igodo. We shall keep our eyes on
her. Will that suffice for now?
IGODO: (Relieved) I should think so, my lord.
OLUGBO: To bed then and rest your royal back for tomorrow's task.
(She kneels and exits). Women! Strange lot!
Light fades

33
Twelve

Lights. Moremi handles some domestic chore. Lighting effect is

essential to depict change in time and duty as she handles various
domestic tasks. She moves from one part of the stage to the other.
Intermittently, she strains her back and wipes her brow of sweat.
Dirge sustains at the background. The other women make jest of her.
Igodois with them.

1ST WIFE: Yeeh, my back aches!

2ND WIFE: I wish these works were not as much as these!
3RD WIFE: Aah, I have pains all over my body. This chore is killing
me!
IGODO: Some women needed to be told, that mere beauty and
freedom are two different things. You do not need beauty to be free.
But you surely need freedom to enjoy your beauty. (She moves to
Moremi) Get up woman, and do your work. There is no room for
laziness here!(She pushes her. Moremi falls down. The other women
laugh, enjoying the mild torture). In our place here, captives are as
worthy as our livestock.
MOREMI: (Panting)Why are you doing this to me? What mean
passion do you derive from torturing me?(Olugbois about to enter
when he sees the women. He stands by the door unnoticed as the
women torture Moremi)
1st WIFE: She speaks…at last she speaks!
3rd WIFE: Mean passion? Did she say that?
IGODO: I would rather have you killed than see you flaunt your
miserable beauty around the place.
MOREMI: (Braces up)It is a shame that you are jealous over nothing.
IGODO:Don't you dare open your mouth at me! (She slaps her).
MOREMI:(Unperturbed)Is that all you can do?
1ST WIFE:(Advances towards Moremi again)You dare raise your
voice…

34
OLUGBO: What is going on here? (The women stop abruptly).Igodo,
will you explain what is happening here?
IGODO: Nothing, my lord.
OLUGBO: Nothing? Then, why is everybody giggling with
exaggerated excitement?
IGODO: Your women are happy except, of course, the charming
captive in our midst!
OLUGBO: And, you are happy over that? Ehn? Answer me! (Pauses)
Get out, all of you. Now! (Women rush towards the door) You stay,
Igodo (He goes to her)You should be ashamed doing this…leading
those fools in such a detestable thing! What has come over you?
IGODO: She provoked me!
OLUGBO: After leading the other fools to mock her? Go to your
room.
IGODO: All I wanted…
OLUGBO: Leave my presence!(Silence. Igodo exits) You are still
sad, young woman. Perhaps your duty is more tedious than we
thought.
MOREMI: I am fine, your highness.
OLUGBO: May be you are meant for some other duties. What do you
think, woman?
MOREMI: I don't understand what you mean, your highness.
OLUGBO: Come. Rub my feet (Moremi kneels and starts to massage
his feet) More tenderly, woman. Tell me about your people.
MOREMI: What should I tell you that you do not know already, my
lord?
OLUGBO: Anything…just anything. Don't tell me they are cowards
and beneath our people. That is obvious, isn't it?
MOREMI: There is nothing my lord does not know of Ife already.
OLUGBO: Indeed. Come closer to me (Moremi goes to him and
kneels) Do they have more beautiful women?
MOREMI: Perhaps we do, my lord.
OLUGBO: Have you ever wondered why we do this…attack Ife?
And you wish it stops?

35
MOREMI: Every sons and daughters of Ife wants that…want it to
stop.
OLUGBO: I assure you… it will not stop. Until your people surrender
that land to us…until then!
Silence
As for you…only the powerful should keep what is beautiful;
cowards are not different from pigs. If you handed a piece of gold to a
pig, the best it can do is dip it in mud. But the strong one picks up the
gold and cleans it of the mud that it might shine as it should (Pauses)
You are the gold in the land of mud. We will refine you. We will make
you shine anew (Pauses) At the sight of the new moon just before the
celebration of harvest and the festival of Obatala, I shall take you in as
my youngest wife!
MOREMI: (Shocked) Me?
OLUGBO: It is decided! (Calls) Igodo! All of you…come out!
(Igodo comes out followed by the other women) From now on, she
stops working in the courtyard. From now on, she becomes one of
you…my new wife! (He exits. They are all silent. He returns) What
are you still standing here doing? Take her in and dress her up
properly! (Women quickly take Moremi in, Igodo stands rooted to the
spot) Igodo, see to it that the task is properly handled! (Olugbo exits.
She screams in apparent anger)
Light fades

36
Thirteen

Lights. Merry singing is accompanied by heavy drumming. Scene

opens with a procession of women, who sing and dance joyfully.
Elders come in. They are dressed in their best attires. Servants run in
and take their positions. Moremi is also led in by the other women.
Igodo is with them but visibly angry. Olugbo appears. Drumming and
dancing rise to a crescendo and stop abruptly.

OLUBO: We thank our ancestors for their blessing. First, it was

landslide victory over our avowed enemies, and now an unusual
union. It is true our past was mired by a painful and ignominious
history of defeat. But, let us bear witness to the dawn of great victory.
Oba Makin, descendant of the legendary leopard, son of Ajalorun,
today is our day. Today is in your honour. We salute you!
CHIEFS: Kabiyesi Olugboleghe Oghonne Atata bi okun liri
Oron makinja, Osan gangan Oba Makin,
Onigbo mekun Omo Ekun!
Son of Ajalorun!
Osan gangan Oba Makin!
OLUGBO: Thank you our chiefs. Thank you our wives. And, thank
you too, our women. I feel highly honoured with your presence and
effort at making this ceremony a royal one. I am proud to have you all
as my subjects. (He rises from the throne. He goes to the shrine)
Obatala, we shall continue to pay homage and honour you. At a time
like this, your children are wiping off the tears of shame suffered long
ago. We ask for your strength and support to push further. May you
continue to guide us!
CHIEFS: Ase! (Olugbo goes to the throne).
OLUGBO: Noble people of the land, Moremi is accepted today as
one of us. She is no longer of Ife, but one of us. She will bring forth
children in ten-fold.
ALL: Ase!
OLUGBO:Beat the igbin. Beat the drums and let us celebrate this
union! (Drums roll. Merry singing and dancing begins all over)
Light fades

37
Fourteen

Lights Olugbo's bedroom. He lies face down on the bamboo bed.

Moremi massages his back.

OLUGBO: Aah! Move your hands down a little bit…lower… a bit

lower, aah!
MOREMI: My lord, your people are quite warm. They are a very
friendly lot.
OLUGBO: Yes. Great people we are here.
MOREMI: I was enthralled by the celebration and dance at our
wedding, particularly the women's dance.
OLUGBO: Dance is a ritual in our land. The same thing as waging
wars.
MOREMI: Your fathers must be great people.
OLUGBO: Certainly. They were people with astonishing prowess.
We are very much proud of them in spite of the bitter past.
MOREMI: People do have their past. Ife has had its own dark spot
too, my lord.
OLUGBO: (Disgustingly) Cowards! (Sits quickly) How can they ever
imagine that we will do nothing? Oduduwa came to us…a stranger.
We gave him shelter. We gave him everything, all he could repay our
kindness with was treachery. All he could do was rebellion…against
our fathers, our ways of doing things!
MOREMI: You are becoming agitated, my lord.
OLUGBO: I shall be more agitated, woman. We live in the forest
while they laugh on our land!
MOREMI: What you talk about happened a long time ago…long
before any of us. It is a long time…long enough to let things pass.
OLUGBO: The fight of envy is never settled by the passage of time.
The pains of deceit pains twice doubly. It pains the more when one
remembers the circumstances. Moremi, a land and its people are one
and the same. You cannot separate them. And I tell you this: we shall

38
39
continue to fight the war our own way until we succeed. We will kill
and maim until Ife becomes ours and children's! (Moremi is a bit
shaken. Olugbo lies down again. She continues to massage his back in
silence)

Light fades

40
Fifteen

Lights. Moremi is alone.

MOREMI: (Emotionally)Esinmirin, have you forgotten our

meeting? I have been here now for several seasons. I count days with
little to show for it except becoming a member of the royal household.
Several raids have these people carried out on our people since my
arrival here. Esinmirin, have you forgotten the pact we had? (She
struggles to hold back her tears. Olugbo enters).
OLUGBO: I thought this kind of mood should have long past
MOREMI: (Kneeling) My lord, Oba Makin.
OLUGBO: With the type of charisma royalty has woven around you
and your name on the lips of everyone in the land? You should be
happy but this is far from it.
MOREMI: But, I still wonder if truly there is honour for Moremi in
this palace.
OLUGBO: (Tenderly) Really? Has that not drawn some resentment
from the other women? If you have something to say to me, then say
it.
MOREMI: I devoted the whole of my life and being to you and your
people. I tend the flocks, do your laundry and keep everywhere in
commendable shape. Even you my lord, I stoop to lick your feet;
your legs which ran swiftly through the forest in the days of darkness
during your late father's ordeal. Like lightning, you told me you
travelled far and wide blazing through the thorny paths, the thick
jungles, swift valleys and slopes of the mountains to bring back the
magic water that was needed to restore his sight. I wipe these same
feet with my emotion. I answer your yearnings like no other woman in
your harem has ever done in the past (Pauses)Perhaps Moremi can't
be put into confidence. Perhaps she is only good in the bedroom when
the manly desire rises in my lord and husband!

41
OLUGBO: You say too many things, woman. You don't have to run a
catalogue of your devotion to my people and I, do you? You do me
great wrong if you do. You are not a beast that must pound and groan
under the yoke of servitude either. You are a priceless and adored
queen in this palace, your place is assured. Moremi, be at peace! (He
pulls her gently to himself. She breaks away from his hold) I have
never seen you in this kind of mood. Oh, I was assuming too much
then. I thought you are different. I never knew you could be swayed
by petty emotions like other women.
MOREMI: No woman's emotion is ever petty, my lord.
OLUGBO: Oh, I didn't know that.
MOREMI: I do not want to just be a woman who meets your manly
desires. That is not what I want!
OLUGBO: Let us get to the root of this, Moremi. Tell us what you
really demand of royalty.
MOREMI: What my mind tells me you will not give.
OLUGBO: And, what strange spirit tells you that?
MOREMI: The same strange spirit that had me captured by your love
charms.
OLUGBO: (Laughing) You will kill me with your passion, beautiful
woman. I swear by my fathers' that your demand shall be met
immediately. Let us hear what it is.
MOREMI: Really?
OLUGBO: Certainly.
MOREMI: Do you really mean what you say?
OLUGBO: By my fathers'. You watch me. (He goes to the shrine) I
swear by –
MOREMI :Don't!
OLUGBO: Why?
MOREMI:I thought… I didn't know you meant every single word
you said (Pauses)May I ask my lord a question?
OLUGBO: Ask anything.
MOREMI: And, you promise to answer?

42
OLUGBO: On my honour.
MOREMI: Are your men as powerful as their frightening
appearance? Are they really as…?
OLUGBO: Moremi, don't tread that path.
MOREMI: But, you just promised on your honour.
OLUGBO: Not that one.
MOREMI: But you said--
OLUGBO: Don't ask questions about my men! (He goes towards his
room and stops) That should be the last time.
MOREMI: You never wanted to swear then (Silence)If your men are
that powerful, why come to us as spirit? If your men are –
OLUGBO: (Menacingly) Don't you ever talk about my men as long as
you still want to remain in this palace (He grabs her by the neck and
pins her down) Who sent you to me? Answer me!
MOREMI: You…you are hurting me!
OLUGBO: Do you know what it means to be hurt, do you? Who sent
you to me?
MOREMI: I…I…can't breathe. You are…are…killing me!
OLUGBO: Do you know what it means to die? Who sent you to
me?(He twists her neck, Moremi groans) Don't you ever talk about
my men! Do you understand? Answer me! Do you understand? Don't
you ever! (He leaves her, gets up panting. Moremi pants, and shouts
at him)
MOREMI: Is that how much honour weighs here among your
people? What sort of honour is that? We are honourable people in Ife
in spite of everything… we keep our words! (Moremi sobs quietly,
Olugbo moves towards his room)Don't go in, my lord (Olugbo stops)
Nobody sent me to you! (Panting) Oba Makin, I do not mean you any
harm. I only thought I could help. I just want to be more useful in
other ways than warming your bed every night. I only
thought…thought…
OLUGBO: Thought what?
MOREMI:I could be useful to you and your men in many ways that
will surprise you.

43
OLUGBO: (Derisively) By showing us a better way of capturing your
people? What superior strategy can a cat teach a lion about hunting in
the jungle? And, what fool will believe you when you are one of
them? What fool will believe you?
MOREMI: Moremi is no longer of Ife, but one of your own people.
Remember you said that to me in the presence of everyone. You don't
mean that as well? If you are so suspicious of me, then kill me. Go
on…do it once and for all be done with it. I say do it!
Silence
OLUGBO: What made you think I should believe that you are sincere
with your intentions? Why should I believe you?
MOREMI: Because I am Moremi. Moremi is not like any other
woman.
OLUGBO: (Calmly) Moremi is not like any other woman.
MOREMI: I have seen things….wars, battles, strife, turbulence and
seen calm and peace. I have heard a great deal about things in this life
that will have you enthralled in a deep-seated respect for me as a
woman if I told you about them. If only you could understand what I
mean.
OLUGBO: I wish your mind could be laid bare. Yet the heart of man is
shrouded in some deceptive mystery (Olugbo is lost in deep thought.
Moremi goes to him. She holds him tenderly from behind).
Light fades

44
Sixteen

Lights. Akodi, the grove. Preparation for another raid on Ife is in

progress. Igbo warriors are being decorated with their raffia
adornments. Olubo and Odoka supervise the process. Olugbo enters.
Moremi is right behind him. There is pandemonium as the men rush
to hide on sighting her.

OLUBO: What!
ODOKA: Eewo!
OLUBO: What is she doing here, my lord? The way the cat walks is
not the way it catches a rat!
ORONMAKIN: Rest. She means no harm.
OLUBO: No woman ever sees this and lives!
ODOKA: This is sacrilege!
ORONMAKIN: Our chiefs, I understand your worry. Put your minds
at rest. Moremi is not like any other woman.
OLUBO: A woman is a woman!
ORONMAKIN: Save your breath!
Silence. Tension still sustains
I am pleased with this preparation, our brave men. Let the rites be
concluded on time, and you all move down to the foot of Oke
Mafunrangan. Our attack must be swifter and sharper this time. The
onslaught must continue! (He turns to Moremi who is shocked as she
sees the men being dressed for their usual attack on Ife) So, this is how
it is done, Moremi. Simple stratagem; great results. Yet your warriors
tremble and wet their shorts each time we penetrate your boundaries.
Cowards all of them!(He laughs with great air of satisfaction).
MOREMI: (Genuinely) Cowards, indeed!
ORONMAKIN: Let us go now (They both exit. The grove is thrown
into panic).
OLUBO: Oh, this is a cursed day!
ODOKA: I am afraid a bone now sticks us in the throat!

45
OLUBO: We have to move fast now.
ODOKA: Move fast? A-aah!
(Dirge rises slowly from the background as the men hurriedly
prepare)
Lights fade

46
Seventeen

Faint lights. The Palace, later that night. Moremi enters alone. She
casts furtive glances around. She speaks in whispers.

MOREMI: Esinmirin, I thank you. My task is completed at last. In my

folded palm, I hold the secret of the plague tormenting our people.
These people must not carry out this raid. Olalomi, lead your daughter
home safely! (She picks up the small bundle she has kept behind the
throne and runs out quietly. Shortly light brightens. Olugbo rushes in,
behind him comes a servant).

OLUGBO: Have you seen her?

SERVANT: She is nowhere in the courtyard, my lord.
OLUGBO: Call the guards very quickly. Tell them to search
everywhere (Servant runs out. Igodo enters shortly) Have you seen
her at all?
IGODO: Who?
OLUGBO: Don't play any games with me, Igodo. You know whom I
am talking about.
IGODO: I thought you were always together.
OLUGBO: Answer me!
IGODO: (Calmly) She has fled the land.
OLUGBO: No?
IGODO: I knew she would do it. It was only a matter of time.
OLUGBO: That is not true. We were both out this night. We just
returned from…
IGODO: From?
OLUGBO: She can't do that!
IGODO: It was written all over her. Even a dog could smell it from
afar. It is a pity you couldn't!
OLUGBO: She won't leave me! (Servant runs in) Have you seen her?
SERVANT: My lord, she seemed to have been seen by one of the
hunters.

47
OLUGBO: (Eagerly) Where? Who is the hunter?
SERVANT: The hunter said the man he saw resembled her at first, but
it was only a man at end.
OLUGBO: The man?
IGODO: How clever of her! The hunter just helped her escape!
OLUGBO: That was she, you dumb! Go. Tell the other hunters to
move on her trail. She must be brought back to this palace; dead or
alive! (Servant rushes out. Olugbo enters his room. Igodo is
indifferent)
Light fades

48
Eighteen

Lights. Ile Ife. Noise and confusion as the people of Ife, armed with
lighted sticks and burning flames from oguso, attack the weird-
looking raiders, who cry out with agony. The cries rend the air before
gradually fading into darkness. Shortly, songs of victory and
drumming are heard. People of Ife celebrate their victory. They
move towards the Ooni's palace in ecstatic jubilation, as lights dim
slowly.
(Fade).

49
Nineteen

Lights. Several moons later. Ooni's palace is revealed. The monarch

sits in the presence of the chiefs, and the Ifa priest. Moremi is with
them. There is a brief ominous silence before dialogue begins.

LOWA: Whatever has to be done, must be done quickly. There is no

time to waste.
MOREMI: (Sobs quietly) I am not in the wrong. I am innocent of the
charges against me. Oduduwa bear me witness.
AKOGUN: Innocent of what? That you did not approach Esinmirin
before embarking on your journey?
MOREMI: That I did not fulfil my pledge. I will never do anything
that will ruin the peace in this land of our fathers.
WAASIN: Then, how come the stench in the air blows in your
direction?
EJIO: Have you not seen the new plague in the land wrought by your
own hands? We managed to ward off transgressors, but now die in the
confines of our homes…because of you!
MOREMI: I am not guilty of what you accuse me of. I swear I am not
guilty!
OBALUFE: Esinmirin insists that you reneged on the promise you
made.
JAGUNOSIN: Esinmirin's anger is so severe as a result of your
misdeed
MOREMI: My misdeed? How can you say such a thing to me? You
think I am happy with the way things are? You think I enjoy having
people point accusing fingers at me? You think I would have the same
people suffer again when I took a plunge on their behalf in the first
place? I fulfilled my pledge to Esinmirin as soon as I returned…
without being reminded by anyone. Goats, fowls, and a basketful of
ekuru …everything good my mind conceived of. I fulfilled my
pledge!

50
AKOGUN: Esinmirin rejects your gifts!
OBALORAN: Something must be wrong then, Moremi. Something
grave must have gone wrong.
OBALUFE: Esinmirin cannot be overflowing her bank and
destroying things unless angered by someone…you. Of course, Ifa
cannot be lying.
ARABA: Ifa lies not! (Ominous silence pervades everywhere. Dirge
rises slowly).
EJESI: Well, what else can be said at a time like this than to appeal to
you? How does one even say it knowing the importance of your
sacrifice for our people? But, Moremi, you know Esinmirin will
never be calm until her wish is fulfilled.
MOREMI: Then, let that be!
OONI: I want the palace vacated. I want to be alone with Moremi and
Old Araba. (Elders curtsy and exit) I had thought you love this land so
very much, Moremi. I had thought the same love made you embark
upon your journey. I admire such bold and daring love for Ife and the
people. But your sacrifice will come to nothing if you failed to
understand the seriousness of the terror we now face. For every
problem, there is a solution. You proved it once. You can do it again
(Pauses) I am not going to force you to do anything. But, remember
Ife Oodaye where life began. Remember Ife Ooyelagbo and the
survivors of the terrible deluge. We cannot afford another disaster at a
time like this. Whatever decision you take, so be it.
Silence
MOREMI: What am I supposed to do?
OONI: What no other person has any power over except you
(Pauses)Your son has a role to play in this situation.
MOREMI: (Confused) My son? What do you mean, my lord?
OONI: Old Araba, tell her.
ARABA: Whoever feeds from a sacrifice owes the gods, Moremi.
MOREMI: What do you mean?
ARABA: For the land to know true peace again, and for Ife to be
saved for good, Esinmirin demands your son!

51
MOREMI: (Petrified) Omolarere? No, that cannot be!
ARABA: It must be!
MOREMI: It cannot!
ARABA: Then, the land must continue to suffer and boil!
OONI: And, perish altogether!
MOREMI: No! (Silence pervades everywhere. Moremi sobs. Dirge
rises slowly)Why are you pushing me, Kabiyesi? When fire burns the
farmland, it gives honour to the sugarcane farm. Isn't that a saying by
you elders? Why is mine different? How can I part with my only…
OONI: To save the land from extinction, you must remember.
MOREMI: I have risked everything. I threw away my honour as a
woman for us to survive. Must I throw away the one thing that gives
me joy?
OONI: But the gods command now, we must obey them.
MOREMI: The gods?
OONI: Ife you love so much is at the edge of a precipice. The land
must not tumble. Moremi, Ife must not collapse!
MOREMI: Ah, why this Oduduwa? (Dirge sustains).
Light fades

52
Twenty

Lights. Okerewe, Moremi's house. Ariyoyo is on sit. She eats slowly.

Moremi comes out of the room. Ariyoyo washes her hand from a
calabash. Moremi pushes the plates of food to a side.

ARIYOYO: I thank you so much, Moremi

MOREMI: I thank you as well, my sister. Ah, how time flies! I could
not hold back my tears and emotion when I was leaving Omolarere
with you. I cried bitterly all alone in my room before that fateful day
our assailants came and raided us.
ARIYOYO: I am sure my own tears could drown yours. The only
thought on my mind was that I won't be seeing you again.
MOREMI: That is in the past now, my friend. You have done so well
for me indeed.
ARIYOYO: Well, it is nothing, my sister. All will be well soon in
spite of the fear you express concerning Esinmirin. The journey has
been embarked upon and done with. You have done well my sister.
You have written your name in golden letters!
MOREMI: Golden letters! I only fulfilled the zeal in me…a strange
zeal, in your words. It was a thrust occasioned by the strong passion I
have for our children's welfare, our people's survival and our lineage's
tomorrow. Maybe someone else should have, or just what my own
fate had deemed for me.
ARIYOYO: And, you sure did well, no doubt. But the invaders sure
frightened us to the marrow with their strange adornments.
MOREMI: Yes, the way they knew would torment us. They used the
weapon of fear and it sure paid off. Fear cripples, Ariyoyo. Nothing
kills faster than fear. It turns people into mere vegetables and food for
common animals.
ARIYOYO: But I still wonder why those people attacked us in the
first place.
MOREMI: They wanted to avenge the defeat Obatala and his people

53
suffered in the hands of Oduduwa. But I think they got rather mired in
an encounter that did not really concern them, and, found it difficult to
eventually extricate themselves. No one fights on behalf of the gods
and wins…you cannot even understand it, not to talk of making any
sense of the whole thing.
ARIYOYO: They must have learnt their lessons now: never allow
your emotions override your sense of judgment.
Silence
MOREMI: (Sighs)
ARIYOYO: What is it, my sister?
MOREMI: Somehow, that is the same way I too feel about my
involvement in this whole thing.
ARIYOYO: Yours is a different path, Moremi. I must confess my
emotions about our friendship never allowed me to see that at first,
but now I do. It is never the hour of triumph that makes anyone great,
but that moment of trial, the period of turbulence and upheavals and,
most importantly, the courage one is able to muster against the odds.
Believe me good sister, yours is a different path.
MOREMI: Is that what you really think this whole thing is about,
Ariyoyo?
ARIYOYO: It is what I know. It was a path the gods have designed for
you to tread. It is the path of glory, my sister. To have been chosen for
such a glorious task from among the throng of people in the entire
land is a rare privilege. A mortal who treads the path of the gods takes
a path to glory. I am sure you will be remembered as a strong pillar at
the threshold of our lives' new beginning.
MOREMI: Stop teasing me, Ariyoyo.
ARIYOYO: But of course that is true. Have you heard the new song
people sing all over Ife? When they praise Oranmiyan, they ask for
equal blessing on Moremi (She starts a song and begins to dance.
Moremi watches with muted amusement. She turns away. Ariyoyo
stops and goes to her) What is wrong with you? You are not happy?
The people call you a goddess and you are here sobbing. Here you are

54
with your head buried in strange melancholy. Moremi, the brave
woman who met troubles which assailed the land from the front with
the swift hands of emancipation from the rear. You fought a good
fight, and you won!
MOREMI: (Sighs) But, I must pay a price for such an uncommon
privilege in spite of all I went through in the hands of the raiders.
Ariyoyo, in spite of the pains I suffered toiling like a miserable beast
of burden in the cold unfriendly enclave of our assailants, I am now
caged in, deeply overwhelmed in the throes of the pact I had with
Esinmirin.
ARIYOYO: What about Esinmirin?
MOREMI: Everything is about Esinmirin, Ariyoyo. The fight you
think I fought will not be over and won until Esinmirin is pleased.
ARIYOYO: But, I thought you offered a bounteous offering when
you returned.
MOREMI: They said it is not enough (Sighs) Our fathers say the
horse's tail enjoys the splendour the horse is deprived by the agonies
and anguish of servitude. How come mine is a different course in that
seeming divine order of things? My sister, is mine the climax of the
involvement of a mortal in the battle of the gods?
ARIYOYO: Maybe it is.
MOREMI: That is not true, Ariyoyo. Igbo marauders are human
beings. They are different from the gods. Can't you see?
ARIYOYO: See what?
MOREMI: That there is no escape this time. I heard the Owiwi last
night. Its cries frightened me. It seemed to summon me to the
fulfilment of my strange fate. Ariyoyo, I think Owiwi sends me a bad
omen!
ARIYOYO: Don't say that, my sister. Owiwi is a wise bird and a
good messenger of the gods. I am sure it brought you a message of
goodwill.
MOREMI: Goodwill? Such soothing words when the time ticks
away, drawing me nearer to the reality of my predicament!

55
ARIYOYO: Listen to me, Moremi. Ifa told me that you will return
while everyone else thought you were dead. Ifa said no matter how
fierce the wind blows, it will never be able to spill the water in a
coconut. And its prophecy came to pass. You returned and gave us the
answer to the riddle posed by those unrelenting marauders and we
conquered them. What other assurance of victory do you also need at
this time?
MOREMI: The same Ifa insists there is nothing to be done. Not for me
or the entire land unless Esinmirin receives her demand. Ariyoyo, the
feud between gods was renewed by mortals in the land of our
assailants. Old wounds were re-opened by my involvement. They
must be healed by the precious blood of a virgin for true peace to reign
in this land!
ARIYOYO: What are you talking about? (Pauses) Talk to me,
Moremi. What did they tell you at the palace?
MOREMI: Esinmirin wants my son!
ARIYOYO: Oh, no that is not true!
MOREMI: Why do you think I am this sad? Ariyoyo, they will come
for my son any time.
ARIYOYO: Why will they do that? There should be another way to
appease Esinmirin, there should be!
MOREMI: But there is no other way, Ariyoyo.
ARIYOYO: A-ah! (She sobs. Moremi cuddles her)
MOREMI: Yet it is amazing that my son is not perturbed. He only
worries about me. He displays the bold and fearless courage of a lion
when I am totally wrapped in distress. He sleeps calmly while the
only thing I do every night is gaze at the raffia roof as wall geckos run
and hide between the little spaces. Can I really let him go? Ariyoyo,
can I part with that man-cub without dying of grief? What soothing
counsel can one give a child whose mother was killed by a leopard?
Do we tell him to take heart that all will be well? Do we tell him he
should accept his fate? Ariyoyo, what do you say?
ARIYOYO: (Still sobbing) What can I say? What should I say?

56
MOREMI: The curtain is falling, my sister (Silence) How I wish it
were still at dawn when fate was yet fresh and could be manipulated.
A bounteous offering, did I promise. Goats, fowls and fruits; all of
these did I offer. All of these Esinmirin has refused to accept, but one
thing and nothing more –Oluorogbo… one but the most precious; the
only seed that ever came out of my womb! (She pauses and tries to
control her emotion). What kind of irony is this life? I embarked on
the journey for fear of losing my only child. That same child must I
offer now else Ife perish under the wrath of Esinmirin! (Dirge rises
again. Omolarere enters quietly. He watches his mother for a while
before he speaks)
OMOLARERE: Mother, you are worried again? This mood kills! Oh,
you are even sobbing.
MOREMI: (She quickly wipes her tears) Oh, am I?
OMOLARERE: Both of you. Why are you like this now? I thought
you should be happy, and not swimming in the river of tears.
MOREMI: I have to, Omolarere. The tears are a language. Only the
one who weeps really understands them. Perhaps they will help shed
the burden a little.
OMOLARERE: But I had thought your worry was over after the
defeat of those assailants. It is strange that the happiness you brought
to the land eludes you (Bitterly) If only the journey was not embarked
upon in the first place?
MOREMI: Regret will not change the situation, son. It is no use.
Ariyoyo was right afterall. It was the call of duty for the sake of the
people and the glory of the land. Now, they say that duty must be
performed to the very end. This is the final word!
OMOLARERE: That duty brought you and Esinmirin together?
MOREMI: You have also heard about it?
OMOLARERE: It is no secret mother. Everybody is aware you had
a pact with Esinmirin. What it is all about is what they don't know for
certain.
MOREMI: Oh, the more the merrier then.

57
OMOLARERE: You are happy about it?
MOREMI: It doesn't really matter how I feel now, does it? That the
people are happy gives me some soothing joy.
OMOLARERE: The people see you as their heroine. They sing your
praise everywhere. They celebrate your name out there while you
bury your head in grief and tears right here in the confines of your
room.
MOREMI: (Forces a smile) I am not losing totally then, Ariyoyo.
OMOLARERE: Some people say our ancestors have imbued your
spirit with their powers. That Moremi has been elevated to the
pinnacle where only gods preside.
MOREMI: But that is not true, you know that.
OMOLARERE: They think it is.
MOREMI: I know. But, gods are gods; as mortals are mortals. Or,
why do they now demand of me something more precious than my
eyes. I could give my eyes to have him still!
OMOLARERE: Mother!
MOREMI: I answer you, son.
OMOLARERE: How do you mean?
ARIYOYO: There is yet a battle to be fought by your mother.
OMOLARERE: A battle?
MOREMI: But your mother can't win this one no matter how hard I
try.
OMOLARERE: You don't ever give up easily mother. This is not you.
MOREMI: I can't win this, Omolarere. Unless a person dies young,
there is nothing anybody can do about preventing such from growing
old (Sighs)Leaveus alone for now. It is already late in the night. Go in
and sleep.
OMOLARERE: I don't want to sleep now. I don't even want to sleep
any more. I want to stay here and fight that battle with you!
MOREMI: (Tenderly) Your presence is of no use now, Omolarere. I
don't need you.
OMOLARERE: You do, mother.

58
MOREMI: I don't.
OMOLARERE: You do.
MOREMI: (Firmly) I don't!
ARIYOYO: Moremi, stop!
Silence
OMOLARERE: Why are you doing this, mother? Why are you
frightening me? I never felt disturbed by your absence the way I feel
now. (More emotionally) I am a man now. I shall stand by you in this
battle… to the very end. I can swear by anything!
MOREMI: (Moved) You don't understand this son. Not all battles are
fought on the field.
OMOLARERE: Whatever! I am staying here with you!
MOREMI: Omolarere, every glad night has its signs. You will
understand soon (She sits dejectedly on a low stool) It all started like a
child's play. Oduduwa Afewonro, the divine sun which chose Ora hill
as its rising point. I asked if this was not Ife of your divine palms,
where Olodumare chose to place your royal feet after the meeting of
the sixteen sacred elders when the sun and the moon stood still as
witnesses of our fate. I asked where your children err, and why they
grope in a seeming endless quagmire of abduction under the wiles of
those marauders. I asked how your children will ever think of
expanding beyond this frontier when they are, themselves, terribly
under siege from a people that could not look you right in the face. I
never knew it would come to this. What do I do, Oduduwa? Nothing?
Did you say nothing? Oh, I must be calm then, calm and hold on
firmly to my fate! (Shortly, a faint chant is heard from outside. She
gets up quickly. She is unsettled, so is Ariyoyo) Oh, they come now.
They come for him! (Priest of Esinmirin enters with an acolyte).
PRIEST: Moremi, preparations at OkeMogun have been concluded.
Esinmirin awaits your pledge!
MOREMI: (Highly petrified)You mean… this is time?
PRIEST:Yes, the time has come. The time is now! (Moremi is
confused. She braces up and turns to Omolarere).

59
MOREMI: They have come to ensure Esinmirin gets her pledge.
OMOLARERE: (Confused) What does that mean?
MOREMI: You will have to go with them.
OMOLARERE: I have to go with them? Go with them to where?
MOREMI: Anywhere they go to, you go with them. Wherever they
stop, you stop. Whatever they say you should do…
OMOLARERE: (Puzzled)What is the meaning of this, mother?
MOREMI: (Embraces him)Whenever and wherever this story is told,
and as long as my name is mentioned, so will yours, son. You are a
man now, Omolarere. Go and fight this last battle for your mother.
(Moments of deep pregnant silence. Omolarere holds his mother
more tenderly. The situation is highly emotional. Dirge fills the
silence of the room. Shortly, he breaks away from her and goes to meet
the Priest of Esinmirin and his acolyte. They lead him out. Moremi
watches and tries to control her emotion as they go out. Ariyoyo
breaks down in tears. Moremi becomes transfixed on the spot).
Lights fade very slowly into total blackout.

60

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