Oladipo Agboluaje: Plays One

Oladipo Agboluaje

• Publisher: Oberon Books
• Year: 2013
• Print ISBN:
  9781849432399
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9781849436687
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Performance Art
• Index: Literature

This is the first collection of plays by award-winning playwright Oladipo Agboluaje, a significant force in Black British drama. Described as an 'exciting, vital new voice' (Time Out), Agboluaje demonstrates his versatility to write plays that transcend African and British cultures.

Early Morning is a satirical comedy about three Nigerian office cleaners who decide to mount a coup to institute Blackocracy in Great Britain.

'The comedy is witty, astute and sublimely irresponsible' The Spectator

The Estate centres on the conflicts within the wealthy Adeyemi family as they make funeral arrangements for their late patriarch, Chief Adeyemi. The Estate is also a social study of class conflict in Nigeria.

'Agboluaje writes with a sharp, satiric eye.' Guardian

The Christ of Coldharbour Lane is the story of Omo who, believing he is the son of God, preaches to the people of Brixton to abandon the 'wilful peace' that is holding them down.

'an often hilarious, and often profound, snapshot of modern London...[a] thought-provoking piece of original theatre.' The Stage

The Hounding of David Oluwale is based on Kester Aspden's award-winning book and reworks the tragic story of David Oluwale, who was hounded by two police officers in 1960s Leeds, and of the man who fought to get justice for him.

'a shocking and engrossing story...a kind of In Cold Blood set in Leeds' Financial Times

Iyale (The First Wife) is the prequel to The Estate and tells the story of Helen Adeyemi's rise from being the servant to becoming the wife of the patriarch, Chief Adeyemi.

'satirical yet sympathetic, brutal yet beautifully observed.' The Times

IYALE (THE FIRST WIFE)
The Prequel to The Estate

Iyale is the prequel to The Estate. It was commissioned and produced by Tiata Fahodzi. The first performance was at Soho Theatre on Thursday 14 May 2009, with the following cast:

HELEN	Estella Daniels
LOMI PAKIMI	Javone Prince
CHIEF OLANREWAJU ADEYEMI	Jude Akuwudike
MRS TOYIN ADEYEMI	Antonia Okonma
SOLDIER	Chucky Venn
AFOLABI	Nick Oshikanlu
MRS OKOMILE	Marcy Oni
SOJI ADEYEMI	Tobi Bakare
YINKA ADEYEMI	Babatundé Aléshé
ARCHBISHOP BILLY ROBERTSON	Chucky Venn
ONIJUJU	Marcy Oni
K K FOLARIN	Chucky Venn

All other roles played by members of the company

Director/Choreographer, Femi Elufowoju Jr

Designer, ULTZ

Lighting Designer, Trevor Wallace

Costume Designer, Moji Bamtefa

Soundscape Designer/Composer, Simon McCorry

Fight Director, Tom Lucy

Choral Consultant, Ayo-Dele Edwards

Casting, Nadine Rennie

Assistant Director, Kolawole Oluwole

Assistant Designer, Milja Amita Kilumanga

Characters

CHIEF LANRE ADEYEMI
late fifties aka Baba Yinka (Yinka’s father)

TOYIN ADEYEMI
50

YINKA ADEYEMI
mid-teens

SOJI ADEYEMI
mid-teens

PAKIMI
mid-20s

HELEN
18

AFOLABI
late 30s

SOLDIER

MRS OKOMILE
Governor’s Wife

ARCHBISHOP BILLY ROBERTSON

K.K. FOLARIN

ONIJUJU

PARTY GUESTS

DOMESTIC ASSISTANTS

The play is set in 1989, Lagos, Nigeria.

Note
A / indicates an interruption.

ACT ONE

SCENE ONE

Saturday, before 9 a.m. The sitting room of the Adeyemi Mansion. In a corner there is a box of party stuff: paper plates, plastic cutlery, decorations etc. HELEN, the house-girl is in a corner on her knees with her arms raised, as a form of punishment. PAKIMI, terrified, dashes in. SOLDIER, horsewhip in hand, chases after him. HELEN runs into the kitchen, screaming. LANRE comes downstairs.

LANRE: Who is that?

PAKIMI: Chief, oh!

LANRE: Officer!

SOLDIER ignores LANRE. He continues pursuing PAKIMI.

LANRE: Officer, I’m talking to you!

SOLDIER catches PAKIMI and is about to whip him.

PAKIMI: Chief! I don die, oh!

LANRE: Touch him and I will report you to your Commanding Officer! How dare you barge into my house?

SOLDIER pauses, hatred in his eyes.

LANRE: Get out!

SOLDIER, eyeballing LANRE, exits. HELEN peeps through the kitchen door.

LANRE: I told you get the car ready. What were you doing on the street?

PAKIMI: Ess sah, he’s the one/

HELEN returns to her punishment.

LANRE: Shut up! Oloshi.¹ Helen! Get up.

HELEN: E’ sah, Madam/

LANRE: Get up!

HELEN gets up.

LANRE: Help Afolabi to clean the front yard.

HELEN curtseys. LANRE exits upstairs.

HELEN: Lomi! You wan’ die? You no fit wait make nine o’clock reach?

PAKIMI: It’s because of you.

HELEN: No be me say make you comot before environmental² finish. You lucky say Chief dey house. Dat soldier for pieces you.

PAKIMI: I have watched Shaolin Temple. I would have given that beast of no nation. (Makes kung fu poses and Bruce Lee exclamations).

HELEN is unimpressed by PAKIMI’s antics. She rubs her shoulders.

PAKIMI: Hey, you’re not grateful that I do like Amitabh Bachchan and risk my life for you, my lover. (Sings a Bollywood love song, dances over to her and massages her shoulders.)

HELEN: If you no disappoint me you for no need to massage me.

PAKIMI: Nitori Olorun,³ Helen.

HELEN: I beg no talk n’gbati-n’gbati for me! You say we no go spend New Year for dis house. New Year reach, ‘Oh, we go comot before Madam birthday.’ Her birthday don reach, we still dey here.

PAKIMI: Once I collect my money from Benjamin we are on our way.

HELEN: Before or after Madam structurally adjust my back?

PAKIMI: Shebi⁴ you were there when Alhaji Mukaila increased the deposit.

HELEN: When you hear say dem go increase workers salary you suppose to know say na so ’im go do.

PAKIMI: I’m not Archbishop Billy Robertson. If I could predict the future I too would be riding in Benz.

HELEN: All this your talk, ’e dey enter dis ear comot for my nyash⁵. All I know be say if Madam birthday meet us for here, all talk of marriage will be suspended until further notice by military decree with immediate effect and automatic alacrity. You hear?

PAKIMI: Pack your load!...

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Half-title page
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Introduction
• Early Morning
• The Estate
• The Christ of Coldharbour Lane
• The Hounding of David Oluwale
• Iyale (The First Wife)