BACKGROUND OF THE PLAYWRIGHT
Caleb Ayodele "Dele" Charley (27 March 1948, Freetown 8 May 1993, Freetown) was Sierra Leonean writer and playwright in English and Krio language. He studied in Freetown and London and worked for the Ministry of Education. His play, The Blood of a stranger, was Sierra Leone's entry to the African Festival of Arts (FESTAC) held in Lagos, Nigeria in 1977. The Blood of a Stranger is the late dramatist's best play and is perhaps the most dramatized play in the last half century in Freetown. Dele Charley who also wrote several plays in Krio and Krio adaptations of some of the of Shakespeare, remains the most celebrated artist in Sierra Leone and is seen as the father of modern theatre in that country, because his theatre group, the popular Tabule Theatre, birthed many of the artists who later founded notable groups, such as Shegureh Players, Kailondo Tiata, Ronko Theatre, Kakua Players, Freetown Players, and Spence Productions. Many restless youths hung out at Dele Charley's house and he helped them realize their dreams to start a social club a competition organized by the Ministry of Tourism in 1975 in Sierra Leone, Dele Charley won the award for Best Play with The Blood of a Stranger Storytelling was a robust tradition in Sierra Leone and had a telling significance in that society because of their pedagogical contents. In Central Freetown, Dele Charley through his Tabule Experimen Theatre presented improvisational performances regularly at the Victoria Park, accompanied
with deep ingredients of music and dance. These were based on ordinary tales transformed into improvised acts not only to entertain but to teach. The Freetown Players with Charley Haffner, Yulisa Amadu Maddy's Gbakanda Tiata, John Kolosa Kargbo, and Raymond De Souza-George were also part of the tradition of transforming stories into actual performances on stage or in street corners. It is however widely acclaimed that theatre as a positive developmental force began in the 1970s in Sierra Leone with Raymond Dele Charley. His political theatre under censorship was not by bluntly attacking the government but by animating the community to dance and share their joy, grief, hopes and frustrations giving them a sense of pride and self-esteem.
with deep ingredients of music and dance. These were based on ordinary tales transformed into improvised acts not only to entertain but to teach. The Freetown Players with Charley Haffner, Yulisa Amadu Maddy's Gbakanda Tiata, John Kolosa Kargbo, and Raymond De Souza-George were also part of the tradition of transforming stories into actual performances on stage or in street corners. It is however widely acclaimed that theatre as a positive developmental force began in the 1970s in Sierra Leone with Raymond Dele Charley. His political theatre under censorship was not by bluntly attacking the government but by animating the community to dance and share their joy, grief, hopes and frustrations giving them a sense of pride and self-esteem.
Dele died on 8 May 1993 in Freetown, Sierra Leonean.
BACKGROUND AND
SETTING OF THE PLAY
The Blood of a stranger is an African drama written by a Sierra-Leonian playwright, Raymond Dele Charley. The play is set in Sierra Leone during the colonial period. It reveals the exploration and exploitation of Africa by the European.
The colonialists posed as tobacco farmers, but had their eyes fixed on the Diamond of the land; this led Seirra-leone civil war that lasted from 1991 to 2002.
Its locality is the village of Mando, from the past Sierra Leone during the colonial era. The joke about is a tragedy with a linear plot structure.
PLOT AND SUMMARY
Maligu, the Chief advisor to King Santigi Mando V, declares that an unidentified white man would be their village guest soon, as written him in a letter sent by his brother from the city. He seeks and finds the cooperation of Soko, the priest of the village shrine, to prophesy that the land should welcome this guest. This manipulated prophecy is against the existing spiritual ordinance of the community not to accept visitors, which has been observed since the war in the land. It
is a difficult injunction for the people to accept. To them, strangers represent illness, disease, and aggression. However, because Soko is the ordained priest of the village that has always interceded between them and their forefathers, the people have no reason to question or doubt his divination; their forefathers must have sent this vision. They prepare therefore to welcome the visitor. Kindo, chief warrior and son of the king, feels otherwise and senses something is wrong
because of the strange alliance between Soko and Maligu on this news. Knowing that the two are fraudulent and dishonest, Kindo becomes
suspicious of Soko's claim that he received the vision to admit the stranger into Mando land. The white man symbolically called Whitehead, arrives and show little or no respect for the culture and traditions of the land. Kindo forces him to order and a seed of discord between them is sown. Whitehead soon takes Maligu into confidence that his true motive of coming is the diamonds on their land. He has given the king a false impression he is in the land to cultivate a tobacco farm,
build a school and help the village from the proceeds of the tobacco farm. Indeed his actual purpose is to have the farmers unsuspectingly harvest the diamonds for him.
is a difficult injunction for the people to accept. To them, strangers represent illness, disease, and aggression. However, because Soko is the ordained priest of the village that has always interceded between them and their forefathers, the people have no reason to question or doubt his divination; their forefathers must have sent this vision. They prepare therefore to welcome the visitor. Kindo, chief warrior and son of the king, feels otherwise and senses something is wrong
because of the strange alliance between Soko and Maligu on this news. Knowing that the two are fraudulent and dishonest, Kindo becomes
suspicious of Soko's claim that he received the vision to admit the stranger into Mando land. The white man symbolically called Whitehead, arrives and show little or no respect for the culture and traditions of the land. Kindo forces him to order and a seed of discord between them is sown. Whitehead soon takes Maligu into confidence that his true motive of coming is the diamonds on their land. He has given the king a false impression he is in the land to cultivate a tobacco farm,
build a school and help the village from the proceeds of the tobacco farm. Indeed his actual purpose is to have the farmers unsuspectingly harvest the diamonds for him.
THE SUMMARY OF THE STORY
ACT 1, SCENE ONE
Maligu, the king’s adviser, stands in front of the cave waiting for Soko, the chief priest, to come out. The chief priest of the land is supposed to be sleeping in the cave every night to atone for the sins of the people, but, Soko stays there in the day and spends his night in a nice hut inside the forest. Only Kindo and Maligu know this.
Maligu informs Soko that a white man is coming to Mando land. Soko is surprised at this having known that an albino (Baliha) is not allowed in the land. Maligu tries to convince him that a white man is not an albino. He tells Soko that the white man is coming to farm tobacco in the land and that anyone who will work with the white man will become rich. Soko also wonders why Maligu is telling him this instead of the King. Maligu says to Soko that he is the mouthpiece of the gods and whatever he tells the people they will believe. Hence, he is to tell (lie to) the people that the coming of the white man is ordained by the gods and the ancestors. Soko is reluctant to accept this, but Maligu puts it to him that he should not pose as a true priest after all he sleeps in a hut inside the forest instead of the cave. Soko agrees to tell the people that a white man is coming and if he is driven away, evil will befall the land.
Kindo drags Wara, his secret lover to the side of the cave. Wara is uneasy because they are beside the shrine and what they are about to do might annoy the gods. Kindo informs her that there is no cause for alarm, after all the priest does not sleep in the cave. Wara tells him to shut up and stop blaspheming or the gods will strike him down. Wara insists they leave the cave side and make use of the forest. But, Kindo refuses, saying that the forest is dangerous and he didn’t come with his weapon. Besides, hunters might sight us. Wara does not believe this. Kindo drags her closer to the cave telling her that it does not harm. There Kindo tells Wara that he sense that something unpleasant is about to happen in the land, and he needs to be prepared. Just as they are talking, Soko comes out of cave beating a gong. Kindo wonders why Soko is calling the people to gather. He senses that something has happened. Kindo drags Wara inside the bush to do what they came for.
SCENE TWO
The people of Mando gathers to know why the summoning gong sounds. Soko stands in front of the stone of sacrifice. The King, Kindo and Maligu enter and the rite begins. The King and his elders drink wine from a horn but, Kindo refuses to do same arguing that he cannot drink from the same horn with his king. Soko asks the ancestor to come help him to understand his dreams as he makes sacrifices to them. Soko smears some blood and applies it on the Kind’s forehead. Then, begins incantation, goes into trance and speaks in strange language: “a stranger will come to the land. If you want peace, receive him and treat him well. If you want peace, throw more blood of a virgin from another land”.
Having heard the message, the King orders Maligu to prepare for the coming of the stranger. Kindo appeals to the king not to accept any stranger since they always bring trouble and calamity to the land. But, the king stands on his words that the stranger must be welcomed. Maligu also agrees to this. As such, the King orders Kindo to go and find out what this stranger looks like. Maligu says that there is no need for such finding that the letter his brother sent him explains everything about the strange visitor. On hearing this, Kindo demands to see the letter, but, Maligu declines on the ground that Kindo cannot read. The king explains to Maligu that his son, Kindo can read. Maligu declines again owing that there are some personal information in the letter. An arguments ensures and the King calls Kindo to follow him inside.
As the king exists with Kindo, Soko joins Maligu. Maligu jokingly asks him if he has returned from the land of the dead. Soko blames Maligu for telling the king about the letter, and Maligu asks him why he added virgin sacrifice to the plan. Soko replies that he will name Wara when the sacrifice comes up because Wara is not an indigene of Mando. Maligu alarms that Kindo will make trouble for them if they are not careful. To work against Kindo and reduce his power, they both plan to declare Wara a stranger before the king and that she is ripe for the virgin sacrifice.
ACT 2, SCENE ONE
In the palace as the people expect the arrival of the stranger, The king asks Kindo if he has seen the white man, Kindo replied yes, but he was not able to see his face; that he covers his head with a cap like that of the government officials. I am waiting for Maligu who has gone to see the white man, he says. As Maligu enters, he informs the King and the people that the white man will not make it to the palace today, he is tired. Maligu tells the people that the white man will come tomorrow and he, the white man, will make the people rich. Kindo refuses and orders the guards to go and bring the white man to the palace and drag him forcefully he resists. Soko appeals to the king to control Kindo before he incurs the wrath of the gods who emphasized that the stranger must be treated with respect if the land wants peace. But the king blames Maligu and Soko for backing the white man against the custom of the land.
Kindo begins to question the right-hand man of the white man who follows as the white man is being dragged to the palace. The right-hand man says that his name is Andrew Samuel Stevenson Parker Thomas, Esquire, and that he is the white man’s secretary, adviser and interpreter and not his servant. Kindo orders the guards to punish the white man for not paying homage to the king. Kindo moves forward and throws the white man on the ground. Soko tells the king to stop Kindo before he brings curse to land. But, king ignores him and leaves the scene for Kindo to handle the issue with his own discretion. Kindo orders the guards to give Parker, forty-two strokes of cane (42). Maligu tries to intervene but stops when Kindo threatens to beaten him.
Kindo insists that the white man bows before him and lick the dust, order wise, he will be flogged. Maligu cries to the gods to have mercy on the land. Kindo then orders the white man to come tomorrow to properly present himself before the king. Then he leaves with Wara and two guards. The Whiteman blames Maligu for allowing Kindo to treat him with disrespect and asks if Soko can be trusted. The white man gives Maligu some money to use and buy things for those will work with him, and make provision for women and other logistics.
SCENE TWO
Maligu, Soko and some girls gathers around the white man drinking and dancing. Maligu tells the white man that men are ready to work for him, courtesy of the gin and tobacco given to them as gift. However, the white man demands that Wara be brought to him, but Malign refuses opining that Wara is Kindo’s woman. The white man threatens to take back the money he gave to Maligu if he cannot give him whatever he needs. Then Maligu agrees to bring Wara.
Kindo comes to find out from the white man why he chose to come to Mando land. The white man also known as whitehead, says that Mando land’s soil is fertile and good for tobacco plantation. Kindo also enquires about who gave gin and tobacco to his people. Whitehead replied that he gave some men money to go and get it from somewhere else. As Kindo leaves, Soko and Maligu enter to inform Whitehead that Wara has been kidnapped and is in Whitehead’s compound under the vigilance of Parker.
Kindo confronts Maligu and Soko for giving gin and tobacco to the people having known its negative effect. He tells them that whitehead is evil. Parker runs in to inform Maligu that Wara has escaped. Both Maligu and Soko takes different routes in search of Wara before Kindo finds her.
Soko is the first to find Wara and pretends not to know what is happening. He asks her why she is running. After her explanation, Soko tells her to run to the next village and not to Kindo, that she will be safer there. Wara escapes to the next village. As Maligu meets Soko, he inquires if Soko has seen Wara. Soko affirmed that he advised her to run to the next village. Maligu likes Soko’s decision that it will prevent Kindo from sending whitehead out of the village and denying them the opportunity to make money. Whitehead enters the scene and promises to give Soko and Whitehead more money if they bring him whatever he asks. He also makes plan to kill Kindo before he drives him out of the village. On hearing this, Maligu and Soko starts perceiving that Whitehead is evil and that they will stop assisting him before he puts them in trouble, but Maligu opines that it is already too late to do so.
ACT 3, SCENE ONE
In the King’s palace are whitehead and Parker waiting for the king’s arrival. They prostrate as the King and Soko enters. The king asks Soko if he has prepared the girl for the sacrifice and Soko lies that he has done that. Whitehead breaks into the conversation asking that the gods can take animal instead of a human, because where I came from virgin sacrifices are not allowed. On getting a negative response, he apologizes for dabbling into Mando land’s custom. The King overlooks this and asks Whitehead when he intends to start his farming and if that will not hinder the men from attending to their farms. Whitehead promises that the work in his tobacco farm will be in the morning and will not hinder the men from working in their own farms. He also promises to build a school where Mando children will learn how to read and write if the men works hard in his farm.
In the absence of the king, whitehead confides with Maligu that he is not actually in their village with the sole aim of planting tobacco, but to extract diamond. More so, he reveals to Maligu his plan to get Kindo banished from the land for killing parker. The king comes back and informs Whitehead that his people are ready to work. Whitehead succeeds in convincing the king that tobacco is good for the body, the king starts taking it and becomes addicted to it. As the time for the sacrifice draws near, Whitehead tells Maligu to offer more gin and tobacco to the people so as to have their track covered.
SCENE TWO
The king looks confused and Whitehead sits beside him complaining that he has never seen a human sacrifice before. The girls start to dance as the drummer runs the drum. The priest who is now Maligu enters with his face covered with a mask. Kindo orders the sacrifice to stop, but the king refuses. Kindo then informs the king that Wara is no longer a virgin and that the body lying in the stone of sacrifice is not Wara but Parker. Just as he is speaking, two warriors enters with Soko’s dead body and Kindo tells the king that he killed Parker for killing Soko. Immediately, whitehead shouts that Kindo has killed someone in peace time and must be banished, Maligu supported him. Unfortunately for Kindo, the king agrees to banish him. Kindo’s men arrest Maligu and Whitehead, and force them to confess their sins. Kindo then ask his men to place whitehead on the stone of sacrifice, there he kills the white stranger. After that he turns to the people telling them that he will leave, but to come back later to take what belongs to him – the crown – when is father, the king, travels to the great beyond.
BLOOD OF A STRANGER – THEMES, DRAMATIC TECHNIQUES USED IN THE PLAY
Themes of The Blood of a Stranger
Themes are the issues treated in a piece of literature. In The Blood of a Stranger, Dele Charley examines various issues some of which are highlighted below:
Deceit: Throughout the play, The Blood of a Stranger, deceit permeates every aspects of the characters' lives especially the antagonist such as Whitehead, Maligu, Parker and Soko. Maligu's deception is made known from his plans to make fortune from the white man's visit, at the expense of the people of Mandoland. This is evident in his conversation with Soko, from whom he canvasses support for his mischief. To the morally dangling priest, he says: "Do you want to die a poor man?" Similarly, Soko deceives the entire village regarding the coming of the white man when he lies that the oracle has indeed prophesied the event and that a virgin girl be sacrificed. In addition, the white man, Whitehead, and his assistant, Parker, connive to rob the village of her naturally endowed diamond while fooling the king and the palace chiefs that his mission is to empower the villagers through tobacco farming. With this, Charley seems to portray the deceptive and amoral means, which the White colonialists used in raping their colonies, African countries, of their God-given natural resources.
Greed and ambition: Sometimes one wonders what could have prompted a man with enormous wealth and countless fortune to engage in stealing of public funds! Of course, the answer is not far-fetched– it is greed! In The Blood of a Stranger, everybody is greedy: from the king to the priest, to the chief adviser, to even the villagers who leave their local mampari for the white man's intoxicating gin. However, of them all, the greediest is Whitehead, who left his own country, risking all the dangers, to a small village in Mando land in search of diamonds. No doubt, his greed has blinded him from pity and sexual perversion. With this he corrupts the villagers through sexual assault on Wara and the tobacco pipe with which he distracts the people. In the same way, Maligu also exhibits greed. Despite his position as the chief adviser to the king, he goes to the extent of deceiving the king and the village. He also has a hand in the killing of Soko, all in the name of getting rich. Thus, Charley seems to tell us that being greedy is evil and has a serious consequence on the one who exhibits it.
Exploitation: Without doubt, the entire play is all about exploitation. During colonialism, the white men came to Africa to rob the people of their rich natural and human resources. The result was a monumental destruction of the people's cherished culture and tradition. Indeed, of what worth is a people stripped of their culture and tradition? It is based on this premise that Charley wrote The Blood of a Stranger. The white man's presence in Africa was not only to exploit the people of their natural resources, but it was also to destabilize them and destroy their ways of life in such a way that they begin to see themselves as inferior to the white people. This, indeed, is the motive behind colonialism nay imperialism. In the play, Whitehead, with his assistant, Parker, are in Mando land, to not only cart away the people’s God-given natural resources but also to rape, maim and destroy the people and their way of life.
Disrespect for custom and tradition: In the play, The Blood of a Stranger, Charley dramatizes the white man's disregard for the people's culture and tradition. In Mando land, it is the custom that any visiting stranger must first pay homage to the king at the palace before setting down in the environment. It is this common practice of the people that Whitehead and Parker defy when, on getting to Mando land they refuse to pay their respect to the king at the palace despite several effort made by Kindo to make them obey the laws of the land. To show the strangers that where there is no law there is no sin, Kindo makes sure the two deviant strangers Whitehead and Parker pay for their stubbornness. To atone for his sin, Parker is beaten black and blue while Whitehead is compelled to bow down. Hear what Kindo says to Whitehead: "Your forehead should touch the ground!" (page 60). With this scenario, Charley is exposing the flagrant abuse of the African people's culture and tradition during colonialism. During that period, the white men claimed superiority to the Africans and were above the law of the land. Therefore, they did whatever they deemed fit with no one to question them.
Blind followership of religious figures: In Africa, superstition is attached to almost every aspect of the people's lives. Those living in a traditionally oriented society are susceptible to lies and deceit of their religious figures, be he a priest, occult healer, medicine man, or herbalist. It is the tradition of the people to seek help and advice from the traditional priest who is believed to possess some supernatural powers. The position has elevated them above any other person, thereby making it easy for them to deceive and swindle the people as they please. This is the case with Soko in The Blood of a Stranger. Looking at this issue from another angle, we can see that there is a Soko in every religion in Nigeria, be it Christianity or Islam, bamboozling the people and swindling them of their hard earned money in the name of religious duties. In the Nigeria of today, for instance, it is no longer news that the congregation is pauperized while the “General Overseer” travels the world on a luxurious private jet. The same is also true of the muslims and their religious leaders. In this connection, therefore, Charley seems to aver that religion has never been this twisted and its adherents never been this manipulated.
DRAMATIC TECHNIQUES USED IN THE PLAY
The use of Irony in The Blood of a Stranger
Irony
Dele Charley uses irony richly in the play for dramatic effectiveness. Maligu the most educated in the community and a wise one complains that Soko puts "too many obstacles on the way" and Soko replies that "the obstacles have been in the way all the time. I only warn you do not fall over them in your blindness" (24-25). It is ironical the wise one is perceived as blind. Indeed, Maligu is blind to the mischievous intentions of Whitehead until very much later in the play. Another incidence of irony
is when soko chooses wara, Kindo's woman, for virgin sacrifice, him fire and will you ifyou touch Wara" (45). t is ironical that in the end Soko is consumed by his own sacrificial fire. King Santigi and Whitehead argue over the relevance of virgin sacrifice which he is not used to in his homeland. The king him that to "shed the blood of a stranger just one life, not the blood educates Whitehead of a goat (87) as instructed by the spirits to secure peace for multitudes is not out of place. then asks, "My man and I are strangers. Why did you not choose one of us?" (87). Here, Whitehead foretold the future without knowing it, for he becomes the stranger whose blood is shed on the sacrifice stone, which is the highpoint of an ill-meditated ritual orgy. This is a very poignant irony in the play and this is probably what informs the title of the play too. man who uses all his energy
Kindo's banishment for killing Parker is another irony. This is a only comelude
wit to defend Mando customs but ends up a victim of that which he protects. Kindo can that "Mando land is danger" (99).
The use of symbolism and iconography in The Blood of a Stranger
symbolism and iconography
symbolism is the use of something abstract to represent something concrete, lt is the artistic method of revealing ideas or truths through the use of symbols; it seeks to evoke, rather than describe, ideas or feelings through the use of symbolic images. The most prominent and engaging symbol in the play is blood. Blood is projected as a symbol of wisdom and strength, life giver and sustenance, and peace. Blood is a symbol of wisdom and stiength, for at the communal gathering at the shrine, Soko says "The monkey is wise. The leopard is strong. Their blood for kings and great warriors" (36). The king and Maligu drink the blood as a symbolic emphasis of their great wisdom and strength. The king captures blood as life giver and sustenance, and symbol of peace this way:
SANTIGI: Spirits of kings! Spirits of warriors! Spirits on the mountain! Your blood flows to give us life. Your blood flows through our bodies. Your blood flowed to give us peace, We give you blood so that you can give us more peace. (37)
Soko adds that "We gave our blood for peace. We gave our lives for our children if peace throw more blood. The blood of a virgin, born in another place" (38). Blood as used in these contexts becomes a mediating channel between man and the spirits, and therefore a strong image of our existence as human beings. Of a truth, we all survive on blood, there is no life without blood. To secure peace, blood is often shed and this is the language the spirits of Mandoland seem to understand. Kindo wants peace for his land too and since he has no means of verifying he believes Soko that spirits ask for the blood of a virgin. The intended stranger virgin for the sacrifice, Wara, leaves the community and no other stranger in their midst but Whitehead. Kindo capitalizes on that te ask bis men to take Whitebead
to the sacrifice stone and calls on the spirits to accept him as a credible alternative
KINDO. Spirits of our forefathers! Spirits on the mountain look down from your home up there and receive the blood, which you asked for through the mouth of your priest. There is no virgin in the land who is a stranger so receive the blood of a stranger who brought evil to the land.(102)
In all of these, horn and sword become ritual tools and the icons of the quest for peace; sword for cutting sacrificial animals for blood and hom for drinking the blood (36 and 37), while drumming is used as a symbol of communal cohesion (26, 33, 36, 37, 55, 94, 97). We also have the symbolic use of dances to suggest the occupational sources of the presents the people bring to honour King Santigi, especially hunting, farming and fishing occupations (55)
.
The use of Incantations, music and dance in The Blood of a Stranger
Incantations, music and dance
The ritual colouration of this drama necessitates rich use of incantations and dance most especially, Even though we are not given the contents of the incantations, they are expected to be drawn from the cultural milieu of Sierra Leone and also have direct relevance to the dramatic context of utility. In the play, there is integrated use of these three artistic elements; incantations, drumming and dance occur concurrently most times. For instance, we are told that at the communal gathering at the shrine after some ritual observances, "drumming starts again and Soko starts an incantation. He starts to dance and the attendants join him. At the end, he assumes trance-like pose" (37-38). By this, we can infer the functionality of these three elements of incantation, drumming and dance, which is to facilitate the transportation of the priest to a higher plane to commune with the spirits on behalf of the people Besides these, we also have a group of men singing, dancing and drinking which expresses the social use of music and dance in Mandoland (71)
THE BLOOD OF STRANGER—CHARACTERS:
KINDO:
He was the son of the king of Mando as well as the chief warrior. He was a brave warrior and the protagonist in the play. He led his people to war when he was very young. His main concerned was to protect his people against external attack. He was always accurate and had a sense of good judgement. When Maligu and Soko planned to enrich themselves at the expense of their people, Kindo was able to tell the people the danger involved should they accept the stranger. Kindo was a custodian and protector of the custom of the land. He had respect and was concerned in the young ones giving respect to the elders and the followers to the leaders. He believed in justice, he killed Parker who killed Soko, the chief priest for no cause. He knew it was wrong to kill during peace time but was afraid that Parker would be freed from Soko’s death. He was the only person that was not influenced. The people were deceived into drinking gin, talking hard drug and tobacco. The land was polluted but Kindo remained perfect. He was banished for killing Parker.
He was the son of the king of Mando as well as the chief warrior. He was a brave warrior and the protagonist in the play. He led his people to war when he was very young. His main concerned was to protect his people against external attack. He was always accurate and had a sense of good judgement. When Maligu and Soko planned to enrich themselves at the expense of their people, Kindo was able to tell the people the danger involved should they accept the stranger. Kindo was a custodian and protector of the custom of the land. He had respect and was concerned in the young ones giving respect to the elders and the followers to the leaders. He believed in justice, he killed Parker who killed Soko, the chief priest for no cause. He knew it was wrong to kill during peace time but was afraid that Parker would be freed from Soko’s death. He was the only person that was not influenced. The people were deceived into drinking gin, talking hard drug and tobacco. The land was polluted but Kindo remained perfect. He was banished for killing Parker.
MALIGU:
He was the chief king’s adviser. He conspired with Parker to rob his own people. He had no regard for customs of the land. He was corrupt leader. He was able to convince Soko the priest to accept the stranger as against the customs of the land. His intention was to make money for himself. Later in the play, Parker confessed that he did not trust Maligu. Maligu was ready to terminate anyone that was against his money-making idea. As a cunning man, he was able to arouse the people’s interest. He hid under the fear the people had for the spirits and used it to convince them that the priest represented the gods.
He was the chief king’s adviser. He conspired with Parker to rob his own people. He had no regard for customs of the land. He was corrupt leader. He was able to convince Soko the priest to accept the stranger as against the customs of the land. His intention was to make money for himself. Later in the play, Parker confessed that he did not trust Maligu. Maligu was ready to terminate anyone that was against his money-making idea. As a cunning man, he was able to arouse the people’s interest. He hid under the fear the people had for the spirits and used it to convince them that the priest represented the gods.
SOKO:
He was the village priest. He was well respected in the village. He was proud to be a priest. Maligu was able to use this to convince him. He was supposed to sleep in the cave but had a nice warm hut in the bush where he passed the night every day. He can be regarded as a deceiver. Kindo and Maligu were aware of the acts. He had conscience. When he realized the outcome of the evil things they were doing , he advised Maligu that they should stop it. Maligu told him to hold on until he was killed by Parker.
He was the village priest. He was well respected in the village. He was proud to be a priest. Maligu was able to use this to convince him. He was supposed to sleep in the cave but had a nice warm hut in the bush where he passed the night every day. He can be regarded as a deceiver. Kindo and Maligu were aware of the acts. He had conscience. When he realized the outcome of the evil things they were doing , he advised Maligu that they should stop it. Maligu told him to hold on until he was killed by Parker.
PARKER:
He was forty-two years old. He was the black man that came with the white man to Mando village. He was the one that sent a letter to Maligu to inform him about the coming of White head. He claimed to be the white man’s secretary, assistant, interpreter and adviser. He had lost his identity as a black man. He saw himself as a stranger because he was not in Africa. Kindo believed Parker was an African man and should be taught in African way. The white man planned his death. He sent him to kill Soko and Kindo killed him [Parker] in retaliation.
He was forty-two years old. He was the black man that came with the white man to Mando village. He was the one that sent a letter to Maligu to inform him about the coming of White head. He claimed to be the white man’s secretary, assistant, interpreter and adviser. He had lost his identity as a black man. He saw himself as a stranger because he was not in Africa. Kindo believed Parker was an African man and should be taught in African way. The white man planned his death. He sent him to kill Soko and Kindo killed him [Parker] in retaliation.
WARA:
She was Kindo’s woman. She loved Kindo very much. She always guided Kindo against his utterances. She believed that whatever evil thing that happened to Kindo would affect their marriage. She was a beautiful woman. Her beauty attracted Maligu. Whitehead saw the beauty in her, he instructed Soko and Maligu to bring her to his house. His intention was to have sex with her. She was put into a sack with her mouth covered with cloth and her hands tied. She escaped being raped by whitehead.
She was Kindo’s woman. She loved Kindo very much. She always guided Kindo against his utterances. She believed that whatever evil thing that happened to Kindo would affect their marriage. She was a beautiful woman. Her beauty attracted Maligu. Whitehead saw the beauty in her, he instructed Soko and Maligu to bring her to his house. His intention was to have sex with her. She was put into a sack with her mouth covered with cloth and her hands tied. She escaped being raped by whitehead.
SANTIGI:
He was Kindo’s father and the king of Mando village. He relied much on Soko as a priest of the village. He believed what Soko said about the coming of the stranger despite the fact that his son, Kindo was against it. He wanted respect for himself. He asked his son what he was going to do when the white stranger did not pay him respect. He believed in the customs of the land. He banished his own son when he heard that he killed during peace-time without fair hearing.
He was Kindo’s father and the king of Mando village. He relied much on Soko as a priest of the village. He believed what Soko said about the coming of the stranger despite the fact that his son, Kindo was against it. He wanted respect for himself. He asked his son what he was going to do when the white stranger did not pay him respect. He believed in the customs of the land. He banished his own son when he heard that he killed during peace-time without fair hearing.
WHITEHEAD:
He was a white man, falsely presented by Soko that the gods wanted the village to accept. Soko presented his coming as a means to enrich the village through the tobacco farm. He used gin, tobacco and hard drug on people in order to deceive them. He saw Kindo as an obstacle and planned to kill him. He wanted to rape Wara. He plan worked well when he sent Parker to kill Soko and knew that Kindo will kill Parker.
He was a white man, falsely presented by Soko that the gods wanted the village to accept. Soko presented his coming as a means to enrich the village through the tobacco farm. He used gin, tobacco and hard drug on people in order to deceive them. He saw Kindo as an obstacle and planned to kill him. He wanted to rape Wara. He plan worked well when he sent Parker to kill Soko and knew that Kindo will kill Parker.
Role and List of Characters in The Blood of a Stranger
1. ROLE and Character analysis OF MALIGU in The Blood of a Stranger;
Maligu is the king advisor, he is refer to as the wise one because he is educated, he has lust for riches, maligu is one who say everything he sees, an attitude kindo doesn't like because it amounts to not having "backbone", Maligu is greedy and has an overambitious personality
2 ROLE and character OF SOKO in The Blood of a Stranger;
Soko is the village shrine priest league with Maligu to deceive the king and community with false prohecy in respect of the coming of a white man to Mandoland, soko is false, full of deceit and treachery, he is a "sincere liar" and very greedy, Whitehead calls him funny witch doctor because of his queer disposition.
He is a coward; despite his tough proposition on how to acheive their goals, he frets when it matters most: "i am not interested in getting money if there are too many dangers."
3. Role and character analysis of WARA in The Blood of a Stranger
wara is a stranger in mandoland too but has lived there long enough to detest being called stranger, and She is also in love with Kindo, She not born in Mandoland, her mother was taken prisoner by one of mando's warriors during the war; her mother ran away after giving birth to her.
Wara cautions kindo form doing anything which will anger the spirit, Wara is the only Kindo's woman that will be sexually assaulted by Whitehead. Maligu and soko lot abduction into a sack and then take to whitehead's compound. she fortunately escapes.
4. ROLES and Character analysis OF KINDO in The Blood of a Stranger
kindo is the son of the king and head of worriors of mondoland; a hunter and heir-apparent to the throne of Mando, Kindo is an upright defender of Mandoland; he is willing to defend his culture and his people even his own hurt. He is very young and only a boy when he fought in his first war.
Kindo is very sensitive instincts; feels evil in the air easily - very sensitive to a crooked situation, He is an ambitious character he is sturbborn and also impatient; Loves and protects the custom of his people, Kindo is boastful and keeps a dossier on people, He can speak reasonably like a wise elder. He is regid and unnfeeling; More concerned for the safety of his people.
5. Roles and Character analysis of SANTIGI MANDO V in The Blood of a Stranger
santigi mando v is the king of mondoland, father of kindo, He is an upright and a observer of traditional law and cultural norms. Santigi Mand V is manipulated into admitting a stranger into his domain, His rigid sense of justice propels him to banish his son, kindo from his land for killing parker.
6. Roles and Character analysis of PARKER in The Blood of a Stranger
Parker; Parker is an african who is the secretary, assistance, interpreter, adviser and the right hand man of whitehead, Parker often serves as whitehead's voice and solicitor advocate, he hates Maligu and does not trust him
Role and character analysis of WHITEHEAD in The Blood of a Stranger
Whitehead; This is the arrow head of the crisis in the play; every evil and a schemer. Whitehead is a crass, greedy, dictator who arrogantly believes he can deceive the entire land into granting him access to its diamond.
whitehead lies to the king and is people that he is in mandoland to cultivate tobacco.
He dies in the hand of kindo
SIMA
Sima; Another warrior of Mandoland
1st Man
praises the white man when his people are under the influence of head drug and gin spirit drink
1. ROLE and Character analysis OF MALIGU in The Blood of a Stranger;
Maligu is the king advisor, he is refer to as the wise one because he is educated, he has lust for riches, maligu is one who say everything he sees, an attitude kindo doesn't like because it amounts to not having "backbone", Maligu is greedy and has an overambitious personality
2 ROLE and character OF SOKO in The Blood of a Stranger;
Soko is the village shrine priest league with Maligu to deceive the king and community with false prohecy in respect of the coming of a white man to Mandoland, soko is false, full of deceit and treachery, he is a "sincere liar" and very greedy, Whitehead calls him funny witch doctor because of his queer disposition.
He is a coward; despite his tough proposition on how to acheive their goals, he frets when it matters most: "i am not interested in getting money if there are too many dangers."
3. Role and character analysis of WARA in The Blood of a Stranger
wara is a stranger in mandoland too but has lived there long enough to detest being called stranger, and She is also in love with Kindo, She not born in Mandoland, her mother was taken prisoner by one of mando's warriors during the war; her mother ran away after giving birth to her.
Wara cautions kindo form doing anything which will anger the spirit, Wara is the only Kindo's woman that will be sexually assaulted by Whitehead. Maligu and soko lot abduction into a sack and then take to whitehead's compound. she fortunately escapes.
4. ROLES and Character analysis OF KINDO in The Blood of a Stranger
kindo is the son of the king and head of worriors of mondoland; a hunter and heir-apparent to the throne of Mando, Kindo is an upright defender of Mandoland; he is willing to defend his culture and his people even his own hurt. He is very young and only a boy when he fought in his first war.
Kindo is very sensitive instincts; feels evil in the air easily - very sensitive to a crooked situation, He is an ambitious character he is sturbborn and also impatient; Loves and protects the custom of his people, Kindo is boastful and keeps a dossier on people, He can speak reasonably like a wise elder. He is regid and unnfeeling; More concerned for the safety of his people.
5. Roles and Character analysis of SANTIGI MANDO V in The Blood of a Stranger
santigi mando v is the king of mondoland, father of kindo, He is an upright and a observer of traditional law and cultural norms. Santigi Mand V is manipulated into admitting a stranger into his domain, His rigid sense of justice propels him to banish his son, kindo from his land for killing parker.
6. Roles and Character analysis of PARKER in The Blood of a Stranger
Parker; Parker is an african who is the secretary, assistance, interpreter, adviser and the right hand man of whitehead, Parker often serves as whitehead's voice and solicitor advocate, he hates Maligu and does not trust him
Role and character analysis of WHITEHEAD in The Blood of a Stranger
Whitehead; This is the arrow head of the crisis in the play; every evil and a schemer. Whitehead is a crass, greedy, dictator who arrogantly believes he can deceive the entire land into granting him access to its diamond.
whitehead lies to the king and is people that he is in mandoland to cultivate tobacco.
He dies in the hand of kindo
SIMA
Sima; Another warrior of Mandoland
1st Man
praises the white man when his people are under the influence of head drug and gin spirit drink
Advertisements
