You should listen to those whose voices remain unheard although the wisdom they carry is shaped by their closeness to the earth. No refined language but the pace of life at a gallop refashions outmoded images, well‐worn phrases, and ways of thinking that are out of date.
There is a story in each of us. Listen, somebody is speaking:
‘It is three o’clock. I will be late. I have just half an hour to get across town. This bus not arriving will get me in trouble. Rehearsals tire me. It is the same every day, at the same time. Today it is the second act. I go on stage. I represent the people. Symbolically. I do many things. I till. I fish. I cast my net high. I hunt. I dance. The drum beats loudly and rhythmically. My feet step in time. Chest stiffened, neck arched. Then, ‘Stop,’ my arms are stretched outwards like a cross. The hero is fighting for me, against the monarch.
I do not really understand everything. He often explains all the acts to us, though. We also discuss things in groups. Still, I don’t understand.
It is hot. I am dripping with sweat. My head aches. I will miss the warming‐up exercises. He must pay me back my bus fare. I have to tell Him about my accommodation problems. I do not want to live in this compound any more. It’s too noisy. The toilet door is broken and it stinks.
The area is huge, yet I don’t know anybody. People come here for sleeping. In the morning, when the sun rises, the bus stop looks like a market place.
When I think of the last play we performed, it hurts. It is very depressing. I don’t feel like going to rehearsals. If it wasn’t for Him, I would stop going. He is counting on all of us, though. Yesterday He told us not to worry, that we were professionals and that our time will come. He said, ‘Don’t worry, just keep playing so that at least the hire of the room can be paid.’
Me, I just wanted to cry. When I look at the others, they look like they are about to cry also. After all that work! The room was empty. Only three rows full. We waited until 9.15, then 9.30 and then 10 o’clock. Somebody came to the door and asked, ‘Hey, is it going to begin or not?’
Then He said: ‘We have to perform. It is okay. That will teach you to perform no matter what the circumstances. That’s how you will gain experience.’ But me, my throat was tight, and when the curtain opened, I felt like I was going to die. I felt unable to move. But in the end, I performed. We played, the people laughed and that made me a bit pleased. They clapped. They were happy.
We too were happy in the end. He gave us a bit of money, which He asked that we share out among ourselves. After that, we went to talk to the spectators. I like that. They asked us questions. Some of them were kind.
As for me, I was speaking to a girl. She asked me if being an actor was tough. Then all of a sudden, we heard shouting. I thought that the people were just messing about, but the shouting went on for a long time and it was even impossible for us to go on talking. We went to see what was happening. Even me, I was shocked by what I saw. Two youths sat on the ground, completely naked except for their underwear. They were the ones we could hear screaming, yelling. They were putting their hands on their heads to stop the stick from hitting them on the shoulders and backs. One of them was shouting: ‘Forgive us, sir, forgive us.’ The beating got harder and harder. The other one was crying and his mouth was twisted as he kicked his feet about. The girl standing next to me asked:
‘But what’s going on? Why are you beating them?’
He turned suddenly and looked at her straight.
‘They are thugs. Thieves! They were caught breaking into a car in the parking area. They stole everything: papers, radio, cassettes. Everyone is scared now. That is why nobody comes to the theatre any more!’ But the girl went on when He began hitting them again:
‘Stop it! You’re going to injure them!’
‘Don’t stick your nose in things that don’t concern you, it’s none of your business!’
The girl made a face and left. We too felt sorry for them because He was so big and strong. But He kept whacking them, and there is nothing we could do. He was angry and you could tell that no matter what we said, He was going to take it out on the two youths. Somebody went to call the police. We stood around Him and begged for mercy on behalf of the thieves. He got angry again. He whacked them harder. Towards one o’clock in the morning, the police came. He went with them to report the robbery.
It is hot. That bus is not coming. If the new play works, that will be great. That should make a bit of money. As you know, acting is not a real job. One day you are lucky and another day you are not. I love it but it is not a real job. What is good about it is that we get to travel. We perform around the country. That way, I know many towns. Sometimes we stay in hotels and sometimes we stay in people’s houses. He said that maybe we would go to France one day. France … I have seen it in the cinema and on television, but that will be great, if we go to France. I will buy lots of stuff. They say you can find all sorts of things over there. Then we can earn some money. I know a guy who made it as an actor in Paris. I saw a picture of him in a magazine the other day. He looked smart and there was a white girl next to him. He had his arm round her shoulder and he was smiling.
My friends say that my acting is good. Anyway, He is happy with me. He says that I am making good progress. I have to keep doing it, no matter what.
I left school early. I did not study to become an actor. I was just hanging around, not doing anything special. One day He called me. At the time, He lived near the police station. I knew Him because I had seen pictures of Him in the papers. I also knew that we are from the same place back home. His village is near my mother’s one. Everybody in the neighbourhood knows His name.
His house is always full of people. The drummers from the group sleep at His house. Sometimes there are a few actors there too. Anyway, the place is always crowded. They eat together and if you are around at lunchtime, you can join in the meal too. The girls cook rice and stew. In the morning He gives them money to go to the market.
He writes and directs the plays Himself, and we perform. In town, they say that He is a good producer. When He speaks on television, His French is good. He usually talks with people from the university. They say that He is a revolutionary and that the plays we perform say bad things about the government. We always get into trouble. At times, when rehearsals finish, we are not even sure if we are going to perform or not.
One day, after we had performed at the theatre just three times, the minister called Him. After that, we could not perform any more. He got angry. There were pictures of Him in the newspapers and He spoke on the radio. We had to stop the performing. That year, we did not do a thing. He called us and told us that we had nothing to fear and that if there were any problems, He would deal with them. He asked us to stay at home. We will see what will happen in a few weeks’ time.
Things were much better when His wife was around. She was kind. She always gave good advice. She knew everything that went on, but she hated it that the house was always full with people. One day she came back from work and kicked everyone who was there out of the house. Because of this, He went off to stay at His brother’s house for one month.
I agree with what His wife did, although it is not a good thing to kick people out like that. I would personally never go to live with married people. It causes too much palaver. Now because His wife is gone away, the house belongs to everybody. They never lock the door. You can come and go as you like. If He is not around, you can stay. In any case, there is nothing to steal. He has a TV, but it does not work.
So, the day when He called me and asked me whether I wanted to act, I said, ‘Yes.’ That is how I got involved.
In the play, I represent the people. My hands are stretched in the form of a cross. Symbolically. The hero is fighting for me. Fighting against the monarch.’