The Weeping Voice Fortune Nwaiwu

ACT 1 SCENE 3 INT. DR. FIDELIS’S OFFICE – DAY. DR FIDELIS’S office is decorated with pictures, books and emblems. One of the books is titled: 'No Food for a Lazy Man'. The quotes read, 'Think what you can do for your country, and not what the country will do for you' and 'No hope for the poor'. These are affixed on a notice board. A teeming crowd of people are queuing up outside the lecturer’s office to see him with sorting money, but only one of his students, Charles, has come to see his grades and discuss his project proposal with the lecturer. A woman is pushing through the throng, making her way to see DR. FIDELIS with her sick daughter. As she walks closer to the door, a light shines more brightly on it so that the audience can clearly read the quote pasted to it: 'Your sickness cannot be cured if you do not sort yourself out'. The woman opens the door a bit, and DR. FIDELIS sees her and lets her and her daughter into his office. Some students stand...

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. Plea...

                          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 mainta...

                               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 ...

                                  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