The Weeping Voice Fortune Nwaiwu

ACT I SCENE 2 INT. MR. STEPHEN'S HOUSE – MORNING. MR. STEPHEN and his son Charles are in a room with no ceiling or furnishings. Charles recently finished secondary school and is lucky enough to have had excellent results on the University and Matriculation Examination (UME), gaining admission to university. Despite his poor background, he is wiser and more knowledgeable than many rich teens. It's now 6:30 a.m. MR. STEPHEN is seen talking to his only son.       MR. STEPHEN My son, I want you to give me your ear. His voice quakes and tears roll down his cheeks as he remembers what a fellow man once said, despising him- 'When people who have two legs to walk are complaining, what would be the fate of those with one leg? Would they walk with no much groaning?'       MR. STEPHEN (CONT’D)  Our elders say, 'He who tears the garment of honour wears the mark of disgrace.' You see, although your parents are poor, we still want you to further your education. Please do not

                          ACT I SCENE 1 INT. MR. STEPHEN'S HOUSE - NIGHT. A dilapidated two-room house; light halos a clock hanging on one battered wall. If it weren’t for the perfectly ticking clock, it would seem that the house was abandoned. But one funny thing about the owner of the house is that he refused to build a fabulous house, choosing to spend his meager earnings on education instead. Light glints in the same room again, revealing an emblem captioned: NEW LEVEL OF GLORY. The motto seems at odds with the deplorable condition of the house. An ancient black-and-white television, a pair of shoes, a five-inch foam slab covered with a torn bedsheet, an old AM radio made in the 1950s and other antiquated items are visible. Immense care seems to have been put into the stunning flowers planted by the home owner, but the nature of the building creates a stark juxtaposition to the elegant blooms. As the flowers are maintained and the compound kept neat, one might easily conclude t

                               PROLOGUE Spoken in the character of Mrs. Stephen We make up our society and are accountable for anything in it. Our attitude to things is an inborn trait occasioned by our burning desires to survive in a corrupt nation. If I am unable to take a flight to the land of our colonial masters, it does not mean that I do not have any other alternative to get there. I can make a boat and sail to wherever I want to. In this world, there’s always an alternative. When one door closes, another always opens for survival. I was born to advise, and if you can understand me without criticism and heed my instructions, you’re wise. Dear fellows, we have no problem with experiencing unemployment hurdles in our economy. However, what we face in our reality are nepotism and industrial monopoly, where every office has been monopolised by members of certain families. Without a godfather, your career ambition is perhaps ridiculously defused. Let education continue to enlighten o

                                  CAST MR. STEPHEN: Mrs. Stephen’s husband and the  father of Charles.  MRS. STEPHEN: Mr. Stephen’s wife, and the   mother of Charles. CHARLES: The only child of Mr. and Mrs.  Stephen.   CHIKE: The Sufferer  DR. FIDELIS: A lecturer, who impregnated  Ngozi. MAMA NGOZI: Ngozi’s mother NGOZI: Dr. Fidelis’ paramour. IBE: Cecilia’s husband, and the father of  Ikem and Ijeoma.  CECILIA: Ibe’s wife, and mother of Ikem and  Ijeoma. IJEOMA: The daughter of Ibe and Cecilia. BANK OFFICIALS ACTING MANAGER, JOSEPH, ACCOUNTANT. STUDENTS MANSI, PEACE, SALOME

NOTES BY F. NWAIWU AND ALISON NWACHUKWU This play is an artistic piece that portrays the intrigues crippling the aspirations of people seeking jobs. During the process of looking for jobs, most of the characters find themselves in a cyclic web of frustration and death. Chike, one of the protagonists, accepts his fate towards the end of the play and metamorphoses into an unimaginable figure. He’s a dynamic character in every sense of the word. The talisman he received from the chief priest for employment does not work for him, and, because of his bemused manner, his name cannot be found in the book of life. The settings and symbols that this play evokes are extremely powerful in their richness of expression. The play is a touching portrayal of poverty, social injustice, and depraved leaders who reserve positions for their relations. We recommend this play to everyone who would like to learn how to survive in a harsh economy. 

SYNOPSIS This tragic play finds its roots in the alleviation of poverty that consequently leads to the deaths of weeping voices. Mr. Stephen, although a man of principle, believes in the value of education, and this interest in education rekindles his bravado to train his only son Charles, with hope of what the future would bring for him. But his expectation is dashed to the ground as employment becomes a tug of war. His son, a doomed graduate, is inadvertently knocked down by a reckless taxi driver. At this critical time of mourning, his wife faints immediately and is followed by other weeping voices. The weeping voices also witness an astronomical upsurge of corruption, nepotism and social injustice in the country. In this well-crafted play, the author tries to assert the need for vocational education because of the poor economy and lack of employment in the nation. In this vocational training, people would be exposed to different facets of skills and trades that will render them sel