By Ben Ezumah
Tittle of Play: Death and the King’s Grey Hair &Other Plays
Name of Playwright: Denja Abdullahi
Publisher: Kraftgroit
Year: 2014
Pages: 108
Denja Abdullahi is a well known hand within the Nigerian writers’ circuit. Having published several works in poetry which include Abuja Nunyi (2008), The Talking Drum (2001), A Thousand Years of Thirst (2011), Mairogo (2001), and several others. The present work is his first attempt at publishing a play. Having grown at the feet of the masters serving in various capacities at ANA and working closely with so many writers in and outside Nigeria there is no doubt Denja Abdullahi has come of age as an experienced and serious writer.
Summary of the Play
The book has three different plays: Death and the King’s Grey Hair, Truce with the Devil and Fringe Benefits respectively. However, the focus of this review is on the lead play and title of the book, Death and the King’s Grey Hair. The play is woven around a “Jukun myth of young kings and short reigns”. The play opens in a controversial circumstance over the supposed long reign of King Esutu, which is against the tradition of the land. Thus ,the seven wise men sat in conclave to decide the next line of action. By tradition, King Esutu is supposed to drink poison and die as soon as a grey hair is spotted on his head by the ruffler of king’s hair, Gabisi. The council is bemused that no grey hair has been spotted in spite of several visits and spirited attempts by Gabisi to be allowed to ruffle the king’s hair in search of graying. There is suspicion of a foul play by the king but none can lay a finger on it. According to the fifth Wiseman,”…I meet Esutu’s head blacker than it was the season before…”(p.15)
Of course the only reason for the king’s ever dark hair is as a result of dyeing, a technique, alien to the land, which he acquires from his friend and prince who visits him whenever his services are needed by the king. The discovery of the foul play perpetrated by king Esutu pits the wise men and the palace on a war path which raises the tension across the land. The prince is unmasked by the council and he is consequently expelled from the land. King Esutu sensing an ignominious end to his “long” reign waxes tyrannical ordering the imprisonment of Gabisi,the poet and council messenger. Hear the king: -call me the palace guards to take this dung away and hide him in the darkest of holes. His words at this point reveals the extremities of power when misused, a dangerous situation that founders of Shakaga land wanted to avoid in the first place by requiring their kings not to over stay on the throne. But, Gabisi’s response as he is being hauled to jail is instructive: Power drunk king, you cannot imprison the word! The word will outlive you and the palace! The people will outlive you! No matter what, the truth shall prevail who arrives the palace to present him poison that will end his reign. The poison Bearer and the Royal Bard are murdered or rather led away in circumstances unbecoming of royalty. But alas, how can one restrain a desperate king. King Esutu fouls the very air he breathes with his misrule and cowardly flees under the cover of darkness leaving behind Shakaga land in great tumult and confusion.
At dawn, the wise men and townspeople arrive to behold the atrocities committed by the fleeing king in the course of the night which now aggregates his entire reign. They regret not coming early enough to apprehend the king who like the proverbial cock has soiled its pen with droppings and would now have to sleep on a tree branch.
Literary Analysis
The play is divided into six movements. Each movement surges climactically into the next, thereby increasing the suspense that started growing from the first movement. The king’s vehement refusal to submit his hair for ruffling as a way of ascertaining whether or not he has sprouted some grey hair is an aberration which sets the racy pace of the play.
Myth is an essential part of the sociological and cosmological framework of many societies. Often times some people’s perspectives on life are shaped by their mythological and cosmological systems of knowledge. For instance, ancient Greek’s myths, mythologies and legends have for centuries continued to influence western thought. Sometimes, it seems a bit difficult differentiating between ancient Greek History from their Myths. In other words reality and illusion seem to collide fusing in seamless harmony. Greek mythical gods, heroes and legends such as Zeus, Atlas, Agamemnon, Aphrodite, Dionysus, Apollo, Hades, Artemis Europa, Prometheus, Sisyphus, Poseidon, Heracles, Nemesis and so on are as popular today as they were among the ancient Greeks; historians and scholars of several centuries ago. Myths are as rich as the cultures which inspire them. Myths are often prescriptive and naturally instructive.
The Junkun myth on their ancient kings not sprouting grey hair is only meant to protect society from tyranny or such misrule that comes from long reigns of kings and rulers. It is quite instructive in some modern African political milieu, where sit tight rulers even in supposed democratic contraptions hold sway refusing to yield an inch of democratic space to the succeeding generation, thereby making discontent and violent change of power inevitable.
Use of Language
The playwright’s use of language can be described as both simple and elevated. The simplicity of the language of the play stems from the fact that the play is easy to read and comprehend. It is also elevated when you consider the diction- conscious choice of words to achieve poetic beauty and poignancy of style.
For instance, in one of those ominous visits to the palace, Gabisi chastises the Royal Bard thus: Your eyes have been too much around sights of ease to recognize the signs of unease in the land. This is the banner of warning. This banner carries the people’s voice that the king should submit to the people’s question or face the wrath of the land. If your shallow memory permits,think and you will remember that this banner precedes our warriors to the land where we are about to make war.
There are so many other instances, where the playwright consciously uses language as well as his unique style of prose to achieve beauty of expression thus, conveying the deeper contents of the subject matter which is where the import of the play resides. He richly uses proverbs, anecdotes, idioms and so on to make the play pleasurable to read. A good illustration of these would be the encounter between King Esutu and Otolofon upon the latter, a visitor to the palace refusing the king’s offer of a seat:
King Esutu
Stand on your head if you wish. As to your heavy words you claim to have, let me tell you that the horns can never be too heavy for the cow that bears them.
Otolofon: True words. Before you today I am the messenger of the wise men, the overseers of tradition. And I was sent forth with the backing that the messenger does not fear the one the message is meant for but it is the sender that should be feared…(p20).
Conclusion
The dramatic techniques such as suspense, climax, rhetorical questions, innuendo, irony exaggeration, hyperbole and so on were all appropriately used to achieve purpose. The typographical errors are quite few and can easily be corrected though not overlooked in subsequent editions. Example is in Movement two,(page19) “chew grinded meat in their homes” should read” chew ground meat in their homes” The overall impression one gets after reading the play is that it was well proof read and edited prior to publishing. Anyone with even the faintest idea of editing and proofreading knows that there is no end to editing. Denja Abdullahi has written a rich book and we must commend him for his creativity, imagination and literary flair. The book is therefore strongly recommended to schools and for general use.
The Junkun myth on their ancient kings not sprouting grey hair is only meant to protect society from tyranny or such misrule that comes from long reigns of kings and rulers. It is quite instructive in some modern African political milieu, where sit tight rulers even in supposed democratic contraptions hold sway refusing to yield an inch of democratic space to the succeeding generation, thereby making discontent and violent change of power inevitable.
