Theatre
The Blood of a Stranger
Dele Charley · 1977
Synopsis
In the village of Mando, in colonial times, ruled by the old king Santigi, Maligu, the king's counsellor, learns of the arrival of a white man who has come to grow tobacco, and gets the priest Soko to prophesy in the stranger's favour, against Kindo, the king's son and chief of the warriors. Mr Whitehead arrives, scorns local customs and buys complicity; in secret, he has come for Mando's diamonds, and the conspirators turn on Wara, Kindo's companion, to destroy his influence.
Context
The play was performed in Lagos in 1977, at the World Festival of Black and African Arts and Culture, where it received the prize for best play. Written in English by an author who also wrote in Krio, it transposes into an imaginary village the story of the country's diamonds and of the complicities the foreigner found on the spot. It is still staged by university troupes, in Ghana in 2024.
Who it is for
In English. The play is short, follows a linear plot and is read in schools in the region.
Prizes and reception
Crowned at the Nigerian festival of 1977, then added to the examination syllabuses of anglophone West Africa.
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