Hopes of the Living Dead By Ola Rotimi

HOPES OF THE LIVING DEAD BY OLA ROTIMI

PLAY ANALYSIS BY EGURIASE S. M. OKAKA

This play is based on the rebellion in Nigeria in the year 1928-1937. The play story is centre on Ikoli Harcourt Whyte and the British administration that include the Senior Medical Officer, the Superintendent of Police and many others in the administration. The play is about leprosy. Leprosy is an infectious disease which cause painful white area on the skin and can destroy nerves and flesh.

The play has characters cutting across all segments of the country. “The baboon laughs at the vulture of having baldness on it head forgetting that he too have baldness on it buttock.” That is the case we faced in reality. We also looked at the roles played by other characters in the story making all the elements a unified whole in itself.

The conflict started when Dr. Fergusson relocated to London. His departure caused a total stoppage in his research for the cure of leprosy, meaning that their hope of getting a cure from their predicaments was slim. His departure also caused a stopped in their medical treatment and this gradually led to lack of care for them and their feeling also was affected and partially stopped by the authorities. Tell me why this group of persons should not revolt or rebel?

This the case of the less-privilege persons among us considered by some as the dead amongst the living because of their conditions. Today, we face similar plights in Africa where the government does not provide welfare for citizens. They prefer to stock these moneys abroad keeping for their unborn generation. What do you expect the inmates of a leprosarium to do in this circumstance? When they are neglected     by those who sworn to an oath to protect and provide for them. Revolt and rebellion that characterized most Africa government’s because they lack care for the people and refused to release welfare packages for them.

The hate speech which is now a feature of most Africa governments would not be there if the government had provided welfare for the people. Old men and old women are in our streets demonstrating for the non-payment of wages and salaries or pensions allowances as the case may be.

All these troubles emanated when Dr. Fergusson left in other words his departure justifies the saying that when the King who knew ‘Joseph” was reigning in Egypt the Israelites rejoice but when the King was no more and another King reign in his stead the Israelites suffers. That is just the case with the Lepers in this story.

Harcourt Whyte the inmates leader had a different type of leprosy (skin leprosy) still fight for the welfare of the lepers. He is their human activist who always fights for their right by speaking to the authority about their present and future plights.

Man’s inhuman behaviour came to the front burner when the authority took a firm decision to remove them from the General Hospital to the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH) a place opposite the cemetery. Their activist revolted saying that it is a place where they will eat and dream ghost, in other words the authorities wishes them dead by planning to take them to a ghost land. The movement from the General Hospital was a calculated attempt to the authorities to dump them and find excuse not to feed them. This is a vivid feature of most Africa governments where they take unclear decisions against the poor unknowingly to them. In addition, the movement to the infectious disease hospital at Uzuakoli was a script written and directed by the authorities.

Not until the Senior Medical Officer (SMO) came and gave the inmates a sigh of relief through his speech in the end plot. He eventually moved them to Uzuakoli the desired or preferred Promised Land according to the authority

Harcourt Whyte still holds a different opinion when he said in the end plot that there are challenges waiting for them at Uzuakoli . this goes to mean that there is no perfect condition for the Lepers at Uzuakoli so the struggles continue for them.

This play depicts what we faced in real life situation. Do you know that no government has ever kept all its promises, no not one? If you have seen I have not seen any. In most cases when they promise to help us it results to agony and pain. No perfect situation anywhere not even at Uzuakoli.

By:

Eguriase S. M. Okaka