ÒKWUTE (A PLAY)

|A Play About An Adventure|

written by Tochukwu Chike Muonagolu

Copyright © 2020 by Tochukwu Chike Muonagolu

All rights reserved

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INTRODUCTION

My inspiration for writing this play comes mainly from the sacred traditional practices, beliefs and wisdom of the Igbo people of Nigeria—an ethnic group and nation I belong to by ancestry. But I had also been thinking about the meaning of human life—the things that move us to do the things we do, like the way we love and dance and, sometimes, labour and strive for things that are irrelevant to our fundamental reason for being. I wanted to speak to the issue of economic inequality, the human struggle for power and dominance, and how all these affect our relationships and perception of life. I thought, perhaps, if I could tell a story from a distant time, a story with sounds and voices from another world, a world familiar yet different from ours, we might remember who we are and what we ought to be doing as temporary inhabitants of this planet called earth. This is the kind of story I wanted to tell.

Ikedinobi, the protagonist in this play, is a bush hunter, warrior and successful wrestler. The inspiration for the character comes from my patriarchal ancestors who my father told me, were hunters and warriors. When the Dibia, the chief priest of Iruwelle and voice of the gods, tells Ikedinobi about his great but unknown destiny buried in a land far away, the young man sets off for the land of the spirits to retrieve the Okwute—a stone analogous to the highly disputed philosopher’s stone. However, what Ikedinobi does not understand is that his quest to retrieve the Okwute is a challenge to his Chi—a person’s guardian and personal god according to Igbo spirituality.

Okwute, which translates to stone or rock in the Igbo language, is a play about searching, self-discovery and realization. I hope you enjoy reading it.

CHARACTERS

IKEDINOBI     A young wrestler, hunter and warrior

THE DIBIA       The chief priest of Iruwelle

AZUKA            Ikedinobi's first wife

AMOBI              Ikedinobi's second wife

LOTANNA       Ikedinobi's first son

ANICHEBE                The Dibia's first son

THE CAT          The Igbo trickster god, Ekwensu

THE

FAMILIAR                The Igbo earth goddess, Ajaana

VOICE

THE OWL        A voice Ikedinobi encounters on his journey

VOICE 2                     A voice Ikedinobi encounters on his journey

VOICE 3           A voice Ikedinobi encounters on his journey

VOICE 4           A voice Ikedinobi encounters on his journey                                                

 

SETTING

A small village in ancient Nri Kingdom, now Igbo land in modern-day Nigeria.

ACT ONE

Scene 1

Many years ago. Sunset. A small village deep in the tropical rain forest of ancient Nri Kingdom (now Igbo land in modern-day Nigeria). The people's annual Igba mgba wrestling contest has just ended, and the village chief priest has called the winner of the competition, a young man named Ikedinobi, to congratulate him privately.

(Lights fade in to reveal two men sitting and discussing in the Dibia’s hut.)

The Dibia: Nna, ị bụ ezigbo onye agha! <My son, you are a true warrior> Congratulations! I knew you would throw all those men down. If your parents were still alive, they would be very proud of you.

Ikedinobi: Thank you, Onye isi. Thank you very much.

The Dibia: Yes, and the people of Iruwelle are proud of you today because you have given them something to hold. Our children have someone to look up to, and the women, you know how they are, will not fail to boast with your name when they gather at the coming Ahia festival.

Ikedinobi: You are right, Onye isi. But I fear that my wives, Azuka and Amobi, have taken things a little too far. Do you know that they had been going around the neighbouring villages months before today, telling everyone that no one was fit to defeat me at the coming Igba mgba? I was very angry with them when their stories reached my ears.

The Dibia: My son, it is true that a man should not count his chickens before they hatch, but when it comes to wrestling, I can bet all my yams on your victory.

(The two men laugh heartily, and the Dibia continues with his felicitations.)

My son, with the way you handled those men today, I am sure our neighbours will start to think twice before taking any action that might disturb the peace of our people.

Ikedinobi: Yes, Onye isi, I am sure they will.

(They raise their drinking gourds and slurp the palm wine in them.)

The Dibia: Now, my son, let me get to the reason why I called you here. I do not want the night to catch you before you reach your hut.

Ikedinobi: Take your time Onye isi. I will be fine.

(The Dibia clears his throat.)

The Dibia: Ikedinobi, what I want to tell you is something I have had in my heart for a long time. That day when I saw you at the village square wrestling with a man from Ejighnandu—this was many years ago—I knew you were special. I started watching all your bouts, and I observed that your back, even to this day, has never touched the ground. I think the spirits might be calling you.

Ikedinobi: The spirits? What do you mean, Onye isi?

The Dibia: I am almost eighty rains now, and I have never seen anyone carry the Mgbidi title fifteen times consecutively. My father, who was also dibia of Iruwelle, told me that the greatest wrestler to come out of this village was a man who lived during his grandfather's time.  His name was Ndulaka, but the people who saw him fight called him Agbụsị because of how fast his legs moved. However, I believe that your greatness surpasses that of Ndulaka.

Ikedinobi: I will not refuse the honour, Onye isi. But, please, tell me more about this Ndulaka. I have never heard of him.

The Dibia: Ah, my son, it is wise of you to ask. But know that I can only say what I know from the stories my father told me about the great but unfortunate wrestler.

Ikedinobi: Unfortunate?

The Dibia: Yes, unfortunate. Although Ndulaka fought in all the neighbouring villages of Diedo, and even as far as the kingdoms of Benin and Edo, and no one ever threw him to the ground, he could not win a single fight in his father's village. It was as if our gods had rejected him.

Ikedinobi: But why would the gods reject their own son.

The Dibia: It beats me, my son. But our fathers used to say that the bird that does not die by the hunter's stone will end up in the mouth of the hawk. Greatness comes to some that way; they are loved and praised in faraway places but mocked and despised in their homes.

Ikedinobi: But you and your fathers acknowledge that he is the greatest wrestler to come out of Iruwelle. What does it matter if he never fell a man from here?

The Dibia: Ah, you have asked me two questions, but I will do my best to answer them. Now, I am sure you know that the child that has travelled wide tells better stories than an elder who has never left the village.

Ikedinobi: Yes, Onye isi. That is true.

The Dibia: But will you also agree that just because a dog barks loud does not mean it will bite?

Ikedinobi: Yes, Onye isi. That is what our fathers told us, and I know it is true because I am a wrestler, and I have seen big men fall to the ground like the leaves of a tree during harmattan.

The Dibia: Good, I am glad you understand. You see, that was how the gods saw Ndulaka. He was a dog that only knew how to bark.

Ikedinobi: But you said no man outside of Iruwelle could fall him in a fight.

(The Dibia laughs.)

The Dibia: Yes, my son, but remember, we are looking at how things are from the perspective of the gods. What matters to men does not matter to them. Ndulaka was a great wrestler, but he was not worthy in the eyes of the gods.

Ikedinobi: So they rejected him?

The Dibia: It was already in the stars.

(Silence.)

The Dibia: My son, there is something I must show you.

Ikedinobi: I am here, Onye isi.

(The Dibia reaches into his skin bag and brings out a canvas made from goatskin. He places it on the earth in front of Ikedinobi.)

The Dibia: Look. What do you see?

(Ikedinobi looks at the stretched goatskin for a while.)

Ikedinobi: Onye isi, you know I cannot read the language of the gods. If there is something the gods want me to know, you are the one to tell me what it is.

The Dibia: No, Ikedinobi. It is not the language of the gods, although the knowledge and wisdom come from them. What you are looking at on this board are the nine sons of Diedo. This is us, Iruwelle, and that is Ezioka, that is Umoh, do you see them? Here is Nkolofia, and Ejighnandu, and Ogunzele, and here is Ocha, Nnaba and Dunuezue.

Ikedinobi: The nine villages.

The Dibia: Yes, the nine villages as they appear before the eyes of Chukwu.

Ikedinobi: It is beautiful.

The Dibia: Everything Chukwu created is.

Ikedinobi: But Onye isi, why are you showing this to me. I mean, I am only a wrestler. What is my concern with the affairs of the gods?

The Dibia: Do not run faster than your shadow, my son. Look, if you turn this board upside down so that the nine sons of Diedo overlook the earth, it becomes a different image.

(Ikedinobi watches the Dibia flip the board slowly and is bewildered when he sees the drawings rearrange into a different image.)

The Dibia: Now, can you tell me where Iruwelle is?

Ikedinobi: Forgive me, Onye isi, but I cannot see it anymore.

The Dibia: Look well, my son. Our village is still there, only that its location has changed.

(Ikedinobi studies the image for a while.)

Ikedinobi: Ah, Onye isi, I see it now. It is up there. And that river there must be the Obiaja river.

The Dibia: You are right about where Iruwelle is, but that river is not Obiaja.

Ikedinobi: Is there any other river that our land knows other than Obiaja?

The Dibia: No, there is none. But do not confuse yourself, my son. This image is not of our land. You are looking at a different land, and except that that is where Iruwelle is, I cannot say what the other places are.

Ikedinobi: But Onye isi, if it is a different land, why does it have our village in it? Or did Diedo have another son named Iruwelle?

(The Dibia laughs.)

The Dibia: No, my son, there was only one son named Iruwelle. But what the Dibia sees with a glance, the ordinary man will not see in a thousand years. What you and I are looking at is the image of another land separated from ours by a mighty river; a river so vast it would take a man two lifetimes to swim across it.

Ikedinobi: Onye isi, please forgive me, but I do not think you have answered my question. If it is a different land, and one so far away, why is Iruwelle there?

(The Dibia laughs again.)

The Dibia: I have answered your question, my son, but you are not listening. And who told you that the land is far away? I only said it is separated from us by a mighty river.

Ikedinobi: You are confusing me, Onye isi.

The Dibia: Okay, I will explain again and will say nothing more after I have clarified what I meant. So make sure you are listening.

Ikedinobi: I am listening. Thank you, Onye isi.

(The Dibia turns the board upside down and then upside down again so that the first image continues to face the earth.)

The Dibia: Now, I showed you this image and asked you to show me where Iruwelle is. You pointed out the village to me, and I told you that you were right. I explained to you that this image represents another land, and you asked why is Iruwelle, our village, there. I told you that what the Dibia sees with a glance, the ordinary man cannot see in a thousand years. Do you believe that what I said is true?

Ikedinobi: Onye isi, I know that you are the mouthpiece of the gods, and it is only through the dibia that the gods make known their intentions.

The Dibia: Good, my son. You have spoken like a true son of the soil. See, this is where Iruwelle seats, but what lies beneath it is not Iruwelle. Do you understand?

Ikedinobi: I am not sure I understand, Onye isi. And I am beginning to get the impression that you are trying to make me into a Dibia.

(The Dibia laughs, and Ikedinobi joins him with uncertainty.)

The Dibia: Ah, Ikedinobi, new things can be strange, but light sometimes is found in darkness. We do not always have to fear those things that appear bleak to us. But that aside, you should also know that it is not in my discretion to make you Dibia. That duty belongs to the gods alone.

(The Dibia takes a lobe of Kola nut from the calabash tray and chews it meditatively.)

The Dibia: If you can understand that the Iruwelle on this image is but a symbol for something only the Dibia can see, and you trust me, you will be able to grasp what I am about to tell you.

Ikedinobi: Onye isi, if it is a matter of trust, you know you have mine.

The Dibia: Good. Now, do you know where the Ogbunike cave is?

Ikedinobi: Onye isi, even a child knows that the cave of Ogbunike is in Ocha.

The Dibia: No, my son. I meant to show me where the cave is in this land.

(Ikedinobi scratches his head.)

Ikedinobi: Onye isi, but only you can see what lies in that land.

The Dibia: Good. You see, I spent all my childhood and adolescent years watching my father throw cowries and seeds on this very earth, praying and interceding for the people of Iruwelle. But of course, I cannot complain, that is what is expected from the Dibia’s son. From what I have learned about this land, I can confidently tell you that the Ogbunike cave is here, seven days walk from where Iruwelle is.

Ikedinobi: But that would not be the cave, Onye isi. I mean, following what you said, something else lies beneath the cave. The cave is only a symbol on the image, yes?

The Dibia: Ah, you understand.

(The Dibia laughs heartily.)

It is the secret of the Dibias. See, when I use the symbols, I can hide things. There are many mysteries that the gods reveal to the Dibia, and they can be abused if grasped by a person with ill will. It is necessary that I use the symbols.

(Silence.)

Ikedinobi: Onye isi, you have shown me a lot this evening, and I cannot help but ask again why you have chosen to tell me things that concern the gods.

The Dibia: Okay, I shall tell you. Beneath the cave is what the spirits call the Okwute, the Philosopher’s stone. Many men have gone searching for it, but only those favoured by the gods can find it.

Ikedinobi: Onye isi, forgive me, but I believe you are still telling me the mysteries and secrets of the gods. How does the Okwute that you speak of concern me?

The Dibia: My son, I am telling you about the stone because the gods have found favour in you. They have chosen you to find the Okwute. It is a great blessing.

(Ikedinobi stands abruptly.)

Ikedinobi: I am a wrestler, Onye isi, not a scout. Why would the gods choose me to find a stone from an unfamiliar land?

The Dibia: Ah, my son, the Okwute is not just any stone. It is the philosopher’s stone, and there is nothing more accomplishing than finding it. It will be the peak of your success when you discover it because you will not just be the greatest wrestler, but the greatest man to come out of Iruwelle.

Ikedinobi: But why me, Onye isi? I am only a savage wrestler. Look at the scars on my face and body. How can you say that the gods have found favour in me? Are there not men more worthy and noble in Iruwelle? You must be mistaken!

The Dibia: You question the gods, but it is in the stars, my son. If you sit down, I will explain to you how I came to know that you are the chosen one. 

(Ikedinobi paces back and forth, then sits down.)

Dibia: My father’s father was the first to hear the spirits whispering about the stone. He thought they had called him to go in search of it, but the old man was wrong. The spirits would not even explain what made the Okwute special. It was not meant for his eyes they told him. He accepted their words, but before he died, he told my father about the strange stone and instructed him to keep inquiring of the spirits about it. So when my father became Dibia, he did as his father instructed him. The spirits were more open with him. They told him that whoever found the Okwute would be blessed by the gods, and even more so, the Okwute would continually grant its owner whatever wish he makes—even immortality. My father was eager to know where such a stone was, but the spirits told him that the gods did not ordain him to possess it. The site of the Okwute, they told him, would be revealed on the day when the man chosen to harness the powers of the stone is born.

(The Dibia coughs and clears his throat.)

My father. He was quite inquisitive with the spirits, you know. It makes them angry sometimes, but there are also times when they tend to take pity on the wanderer by giving them a place to rest. When he kept inquiring about the time of the birth of the chosen one, the spirits told him that it would be a child of Iruwelle. Ah, he was elated when he heard the message because he knew very well that palm oil does not stain one finger in a man’s hand. A blessing to one person in Iruwelle was a blessing to all the people. However, my father would not live to see the birth of the chosen one, so when he saw death approaching him, he told me everything about the stone and instructed me to keep my eyes open for the birth of the child whom the gods had chosen. When I became Dibia, I did just as my father instructed me. Not a single day passed that I did not invoke the spirits to read me the position of the child. But It was always the same sign every day, until one morning, long after I had lost hope that I would bear witness to the prophecy, the spirits told me that the child is born.

(The Dibia exhales.)

I danced, and I sang praises to my fathers. I thought it was necessary to visit the child, but the spirits would not reveal the name of the child. You see, with them, it is always one step before another. After they told me where the destiny of the child and the Okwute met, they instructed me to write the names of the fathers of every male child born on that day - it was the sixth market day and the fourth moon before the rains came. Three male children were born to Iruwelle on that day, and when I read their names to the spirits, they told me to observe, because time would make known the chosen one to me.

(Silence.)

Ikedinobi: But, Onye isi, did the spirits tell you that I am the one?

The Dibia: Ah, Ikedinobi. Even that mad man that roams the forest of Nri knows that Golibe and Ikemba’s strengths combined are no match for yours. The spirits did not tell me your name, but they have seen and recognized you through my eyes; I am beyond doubt that you are the one the gods chose to possess the Okwute.

Ikedinobi: But Onye isi, I am a wrestler; my strength lies in falling men and hunting wild beasts. Why would the gods want me to possess such a stone?

The Dibia: Because you will only find the eye of a monkey in its head. It is true the spirits recognized you by your strength, but I do not believe the gods chose you because of that. The gods are not men. They see beyond what we see.

Ikedinobi: I have heard your words, Onye isi. But please, you must allow me some time to think about the calling.

The Dibia: It is well, my son.

Ikedinobi: Thank you. I must be on my way now.

The Dibia: Go.

(Lights)

(to be continued)