Let Me Die Alone By John K. Kargbo (Thematic Preoccupation)

 THEMES

(Thematic Preoccupation)

  

Inordinate ambition and desire to govern

 

             This theme of inordinate ambition and desire to govern is evident in the play. Madam Yoko for instance, cannot be said to be excessively ambitious but she holds on to the vow Gbanya made towards her to relinquish power to her a long time ago, that upon his death the chiefdom hill is passed into her hands.  Gbanya insists because if Senehun is to survive a man must lead her not a woman.  Yoko who knows what it means to be in power, and knows what she wants, refuses to be bribed with all the cattle Gbanya offers to compensate her with. Also, the theme of coordinated ambition can be traceable to the characters of Lamboi, Yoko’s brother, and Musa, the beer and medicine man.  Lamboi hashes a plot to eliminate Gbanya and succeed him for fear of Yoko.  “I fear that woman.  Yoko, if he lives longer, she might be able to convince him to pass the chiefdom to her.  And with her threatening each passing moment, with enemies surrounding us, it is necessary that a man should succeed Gbanya, not a soft woman… all I want you to do is to kill the chief and help me to prevent the chiefdom from falling into the hands of a woman”(15) Lamboi feels so disappointed when Yoko takes over the chiefdom thereby making Lamboi’s desire to govern and ambition still pending knowing fully well that Gbanya has already asked Yoko to take the chiefdom before he slumps and dies.

             However, Lamboi continues in search of ways to realize his dreams of becoming the chief of Senehun.  The first plot to kill Gbanya and take over did not materialize, he swears to make Senehun ungovernable for Yoko.  This is quite driven by his inordinate ambition.  Firstly, he conspires with Musa to kidnap Jeneba, Ndapi, and Jilo’s daughter, kill her and brainwash the people to believe that Madam Yoko used her as a sacrifice to wield more powers to control the Governor.  They succeed in turning the people of Moyamba in the new town against Yoko, especially Ndapi who threatens to kill her with his bare hands if she refuses to produce his daughter.  In the end. Yoko is vindicated and exonerated from the murder.  Lamboi and Musa lost out and were unable to realize their selfish ambitions.

 

BETRAYAL AND DECEPTION

 

The play Let Me Die Alone also explores the spate of betrayal, cheap blackmail, and deceit, and this is seen in the characters of Lamboi, Musa and other people in Yoko’s chiefdom.  For instance, for fear of a woman assuming the enviable post in Senehun, Lamboi, that is, Yoko’s blood brother connives with Musa, the seer and medicine man to kill chief Gbanya when it is quite apparent that he might pass the power to his wife.  Yoko Lamboi, therefore, instructs Musa to do it and when he refuses.  Lamboi threatened to expose Musa’s past dirty secret which has to do with his killing of Yattah’s son and Mama Kidi’s daughter. 

“Those ones you slaughtered and whose fat you used for your bofima.  Do you want me to name what charms you made with their private parts?  Or do you want me to lead Gbanya, whom you want to protect, to their shallow graves out there in the bush? (13) The thought of being exposed to the general public propels Musa, therefore, betrays the chief and the entire community because as a seer, he has a priest-like role to play as one who is supposed to protect the land and Gbanya, the chief of Senehun.

             However, Musa continues in his wicked ways with his partner in crime, Lamboi.  This time, Yoko next plan is not only to make Moyamba ungovernable for Yoko but also to implicate her and turn the people against her.  To achieve this, Lamboi connives with Musa to kidnap and kill Ndapi and Jilo’s daughter.  And when it is done, both will stir the women and others to rebel against the Queen.  The people would be reliably informed that Yoko used her as a sacrifice to acquire more powers so that the Governor will be at her beck and calls and her, reign will be rendered useless and destabilized.  This singular act of betrayal contributes to what leads Yoko to commit suicide because she feels betrayed by her own blood brother when she finds out through the divination of Gbeni.

 

Bargain for power and dominance

 

Quest for power and dominance is another main theme in the play where everyone is poised to be in power and this leads to the tragic death of Madam Yoko.  It is the same apparent dominance and quest for authority that makes Lamboi and Musa frustrate Yoko’s reign as a chief.

Firstly, when Gbanya assumes the chiefdom as the arrowhead of Senehun,

Yoko constantly reminds him of the promise to pass the chiefdom to her when he’s no more but Lamboi and Musa are totally not in support of it.

Yoko’s urge to be in charge of Senehun makes her vowed not to have children.  She also sacrifices her motherhood for the future throne and she commits suicide when she becomes very uncomfortable with the turns of events in the later Kingdom of Moyamba she relocates to.

This act of dominance can be traceable to the Governor who also makes Gbanya and Yoko’s reigns unstable and fluid Rowe, the Governor keeps interfering with the affair of Senehun even when they sing and adore him, spoil him with all nicety and gifts.  He not only humiliates Gbanya in the presence of his people, but also divides the boundary towards the end of the play.  Rowe represents colonial domination and subjugation in the play because he not only disrupts Gbanya’s reign but also extends it to Yoko and this also adds to the reason why Yoko takes her own life.  She acknowledges this and laments bitterly before she dies “And now I will know peace.  Now I will never be used again” (83)

             Also, Bargain for power is also seen in the character of Lamboi and Musa as both stand against Yoko becoming the next Chief in Senehun at the beginning.  Lamboi sets forth at dawn to disrupt Gbanya’s reign, to force himself on the throne.  “I fear that woman, Yoko.  If he lives longer, she might be able to convince him to pass the chiefdom to her (10).  Lamboi, therefore, forms intrigue in an underhand manner to kill Gbanya for fear of handing over the chiefdom to his wife, Yoko.  They succeed in exterminating Gbanya, but Lamboi failed to assume the throne.  Their next plan is to kill Jeneba and mislead the people to believe that Yoko used her as a sacrifice to gain more power in order to subdue the Governor or put him in her palm.

 

 

Conspiracy and Manipulation

 

The play also explores the spate of cabal or conspiracy which is a secret agreement between two or more people to perform an unlawful act.  This group of conspirators in this play includes Lamboi and Musa.  One of their selfish aims or objectives is not only to take charge of the chiefdom but also to kill and maim at will.

Firstly, Lamboi together with Musa, the seer and medicine man nurses a plan to poison and have chief Gbanya murdered for passing the Chiefdom to Yoko, a mere woman.  Lamboi then compels Musa to poison chief with Alligator gall when Yoko is not available in the courtyard.  Part of Lamboi bitterness is the fact that he advised Gbanya not to undertake the Caulker campaign, but Yoko told him she needed more slaves to work on the farm he’d given her, so they had to go to war which was not their own.  Consequently, many of their finest fighters, young men died just to satisfy the want of a woman.  The fear of Yoko turning the chiefdom and leading Senehun astray makes them come with their plan to eliminate Gbanya.

In addition, as soon as Lamboi’s plan to take over from Gbanya yield no fruit.

This time around, they intend to kidnap and kill Ndapi’s daughter, Jeneba, bury her in a shallow grave.  They will therefore trick and manipulate the people to believe Yoko used her as a sacrifice for more power and authority. “Suppose we kidnap her, take her to the bush and you know (he makes the death sign).

  Then we tell the warriors and the people that Yoko has sacrificed her to consolidate her position as chief.  We shall tell them that she buried the child alive.  That will cause a lot of trouble.  Then the people will force her to give up the chiefdom and go onto exile. If she refuses, then measure will be taken to depose her.  And if that fails, she will definitely be killed… This new plan must be put into effect immediately (48) Lamboi schemes another plan to humiliate Yoko out of the throne.

In addition, it is also pertinent to know that Musa is used by Lamboi as a dog of war because Lamboi knows exactly what to do to course him to do his biddings.  He uses Musa’s past dirty secret that is, the killing of Yattah and Mama Kadis's daughter.  This is Musa’s shortcoming Lamboi has utilized to cajole Musa to perpetuate his evil plans.

 

                                               

                                            Colonialism and alien civilization

 

This theme of a colonial and alien civilization is introduced at the beginning of the play when Gbanya narrates the dreams he had last night to Yoko on how the Governor humiliated him in the eyes of his people.  Gbanya vows to receive and treat the Governor well in order not to incur his wrath.  This shows that the setting of the play is connected to a pre-colonial era where Governors were appointed to oversee the activities of African communities.  And some of these Governors, representatives of Imperial Majesty tend to overzealously exploit the people but also treat them as sub-humans or humiliate them when the people in the community err against them and that is exactly what Dr. Samuel Rowe, the Governor does to Gbanya when he finds out that the people have not

stopped engaging in the war despite his stern warning to desist from such barbaric act.  “When people like us leave our civilized society to come and bring both light and the word to you out here in the bush, we expect you to confirm.  You, Gbanya, you have the effrontery, the audacity, to participate in a revolt even when I, Dr. Samuel Rowe, the sole representative of her Imperial Majesty, has commanded that there should be no more fighting” (18).  As a punitive measure or punishment, Gbanya the chief of Senehun is humiliated before his people.  Rowe orders the soldiers to stretch Gbanya out on the ground.  He also fires a shot from his pistol in the air to threaten Lavalie and Ndapi not to retaliate, Rowe takes the rice and cattle Gbanya entertained him with and zoom off.

Moreover, colonial domination also makes the chief and the people, not to have confidence in themselves because they feel and believe that the Governor, the white man is awash with superior and supreme power.  That is why even when Rowe sends his Messengers to Moyamba, the people especially the chief treat him well like the Imperial Majesty herself.

              Lastly, the people receive a dirty slaps on their faces when the Governor turns against them to gives out a portion of land that belongs to them to the chiefdom of Bo.  He sends a message through his messenger which reads. “From his Highness, the Governor South of Bandajama, the six villages to the north of the Tabe River now belong to the people of the chiefdom of Bo.

 

CHARACTERIZATION

Madam Yoko

 

Madam Yoko is the tragic heroine who is also a historical figure in the play, She is the wife of Gbanya who is the chief of Senehun and Lamboi’s blood sister.  She is high-spirited, determined, focused, and courageous, she knows what she wants and she is willing to do everything to achieve her heart desire. Gbanya made a promised to pass the chiefdom to her when he is no more her derails in his decision.  Yoko refuses to cave into Gbanya’s attempt to give it to his chief warrior.  Ndapi, Yoko continues to pester him until an unfortunate incident happened.

            She is very sensitive to other people’s plight.  She is not a greedy leader who is power drunk.  She is very empathetic, for she is ever willing to share in her people’s feelings.

She is a peace-loving leader who does not derive joy in shedding innocent blood and that is why she strives hard to put an end to wars during her reign as Queen of Moyamba.  She also demonstrates this in her relationship with the Governor.  She knows how to be calm in a tense and unfortunate atmosphere. This is seen when she’s accused of being responsible for the death of Ndapi’s daughter, Jeneba, she could not react immediately but waits patiently to dig deep into the root of the matter.

Yoko is sensitive and soft-hearted.  She allows the problems in the land to affect her psychologically, consequently, she could not manage it, and she feels that taking her own life is the best option, she takes poison and dies.  This is because she believes that the only way to achieve peace on earth is through death.

             Madam Yoko is a woman who loves to make sacrifices.  She sacrifices her womanhood in order to govern her people.  She refuses to bear children, a decision she took with Gbanya.  She keeps to Gbanya’s decision not to allow her to have children but she concurs.  She reminds him of the promise when Gbanya apparently declares that he cannot give a woman, the land of his ancestors “Remember you told me to bear no children as the Poro might need me.  And now on the verge of age, you leave me, to remain alone in distress. What is the value of old age without children? Now I know all my sacrifices these past years have been in vain “(7) Yoko laments, Yoko feels betrayed by Gbanya in this regard and the people she eventually governs.

 

 Gbanya

 

Gbanya is the chief of Senehun and ruler of Mende Chiefdom, husband of Madam Yoko.  He assumes the office when it becomes clear that the British people still pilot the affairs of the kingdom.  As a peace lover, he endeavors to do everything not to incur the wrath of the Governor, the sole representative of her Imperial Majesty, since they still monitor the activities of the African communities at that time.  But could not escape being humiliated by Samuel Rowe, the Governor who orders soldiers to stretch Gbanya out on the ground, thereby humiliating him in the presence of his people in the courtyard.

Also, Gbanya does not know how to keep a promise.  He could not keep to the promised he made to Yoko to pass the chiefdom into her hands “Remember you made a promised a long time ago that at the time of your death the chiefdom passes into my hands” (5) Gbanya also reminds her that at the time of meeting that promise, he never knew that war would be ravaging this land because enemies are bent on wiping his people out and if Senehun must survive a man must lead her.

Gbanya dies on the day of the Governor’s visit Lamboi, and Musa conspires to poison him for fear of passing the chiefdom to a mere woman, Yoko.  Before then, he foresees his own death long before Rowe’s visit.

 

Lamboi

He is Yoko’s blood brother who is also the villain or an antagonist in the play. He is wicked and power-drunk.  He specializes in plotting evil against his own people. He seems to be introduced early enough in the play as a vicious and vindictive character.  For fear of Gbanya’s handling over the chiefdom to Yoko, he connives with Musa the seer and Medicine man to poison and kill Gbanya to wrestle power with Yoko who has been mandated to be the potential heir apparent to the Mende Chiefdom. “I fear that woman, Yoko, if he lives longer, she might be able to convince him to pass the chiefdom to her.  All I want you to do is to kill the chief and help me to prevent the chiefdom from falling into the hands of a woman “(4) Lamboi warns sternly.

     He is also a special schemer and very manipulative Lamboi uses every available opportunity not only to eliminate Gbanya but also to destabilize Yoko’s reign as a Mende chief, especially when he’s fed up with Gbanya’s activities in the kingdom which ranges from his relationship with Rowe the Governor, Lamboi initially warned Gbanya not to undertake the caulker campaign but Yoko forced him to go to war because she needed slave to work in her farms.

 

            On account of this, Lamboi vows to make the reign of Yoko miserable and chaotic.  To achieve this aim, he plans to kidnap and kill Jeneba, Ndapi’s daughter and make the people believe that she used her as a sacrifice to acquire more powers.  “Suppose we kidnap her, take her to the bush… then we will tell the warriors and the people that Yoko has sacrificed her to consolidate her positions as chief.  We shall tell them that she buried the child alive.  That will cause a lot of trouble.  Then the people will force her to give up the chiefdom and go into exile.  If she refuses, then measures will be taken to depose her.  And if that fails, she will definitely be killed“ (47), Lamboi pilots also take over the chiefdom.  All his plans could not materialize as Yoko and Ndapi visit Gbeni to divine who is responsible for the killing of Jeneba Lamboi and Musa are therefore the prime murderers of Jilo’s daughter.

              Lamboi has a sugar-coated tongue to incite and convince people to do what ordinarily they should not do.  He is a betrayal as he does not only betrayed his blood sister, Yoko but also his entire Mende Community. He also resorts to cheap blackmail to win Musa over most times.

 

 MUSA

 

Musa is a seer and medicine man in Mende kingdom who is supposed to be the eye of the gods and the custodian of the culture and morality in the land, but his activities in the kingdom are carried out contrarily.  He allows himself to be used as a dog of war and puppet by devil incarnate, Lamboi who lacks human feelings.  He allows Lamboi to use his past ugly misdeeds to achieve his devilish desire.  Musa is a man with questionable character, full of falsehood and deceit.

             Musa is co-opted by Lamboi into the murder of Gbanya.  He uses alligator gall to poison chief Gbanya’s water, all in a bid for Lamboi to succeed him.  Musa is also portrayed as a wicked seer, because according to Lamboi, Musa killed Yattah’s son and Mama Kadi’s daughter. “Those you slaughtered and whose fat you used for your bofima.  Do you want me to name what charms you made with their private parts? Or do you want me to lead Gbanya, whom you want to protect to their shallow graves out there in the bush? (13) The fact that Lamboi always threatens to expose his past deeds often gets Musa to do whatever he asks him.  Lamboi continues to use this cheap blackmail as a weapon of enlistment and enticement. Musa and Lamboi’s plot to kidnap and kill Jeneba, and have Yoko implicated fail woefully and both of them are still at large (on the run)

 

 NDAPI

 

He is the chief warrior in the Mende Kingdom who is always at the beck and call of the chief.  He is also Jilo’s bully and aggressive husband and Jeneba’s father who drives Jilo into the hands of another man, Lansana. He handles his wife and household with utmost high-handedness, and as a result, she feels unwanted and she needs someone who will always be there to make her feel like a woman.

             Ndapi is a gullible warrior who does allow emotions and circumstances around him to becloud and obstruct his sense of reasoning.  He effortlessly believes Lamboi and Musa’s narrative about the person responsible for the death of his daughter, Jeneba.  He initially accuses Madam Yoko without making any attempts to verify the authenticity of such claims.  Ndapi, therefore accuses her of being greedy, insolent, and power-drunk and also threatens to kill her with bare hands if she refuses to provide for his daughter. He is very impatient and he often loses his head over little things that can be settled easily.  He insults Yoko impatiently when he could have ascertained the veracity of the accusation leveled against Yoko.  “You have killed my daughter, but I cannot blame you.  You do not know the pain of childbirth, so you don’t know the worth of a child.  You have never had children of your own so you don’t know what motherly love is“ (66), Ndapi rains abusive words on Yoko.

 

 DR. SAMUEL ROWE

 

He is the British Colonial representative who oversees the activities of Mende chiefdom.  He is very boastful and authoritative.  He dictates for the chief and also takes advantage of the power relinquished to him to exploit and impose his decisions on the people.  Rowe plays both the executive and judiciary role in the Mende Kingdom.  He also tries to maintain law and order and also interpret and punish the offenders.

               Rowe not only looks down on Gbanya the chief but also humiliates him in the presence of his chief in council and his people.  He dealt with Gbanya when he found out that the people participated in a revolt, and Rowe tells them to also stop fighting.  As a punitive measure, Rowe charges Gbanya to pay a fine of fifty pounds in the equivalent of cattle and rice.  “And the next time you disobey my orders, you will be arrested and locked up in jail in the colony” (20) he warns everyone and also fires his pistol in the air to scare, Lavalie, Ndapi, and Lamboi from retaliation or any reprisal attack.  Rowe, therefore, represents the precolonial power.

 

 

MESSENGER

 

He is a black representative of the British colonial government.  He is a Poro man who runs all the Governor’s errands.  He is a faithful servant whom Yoko has loved to work with.  He also enjoys all that should be accorded to the Governor. Yoko treats him well to a point where the Governor might even become jealous.

 

JILO

 

She is Ndapi’s adulterous wife.  She thrives hard to become a good wife to Ndapi, but Jilo wouldn’t reciprocate such affectionate love gesture. This drives her into the hands of Lansana who has a sugar-coated tongue and they become lovers until they are caught in the bush embracing each other. Meanwhile, they have been meeting secretly in Ndapi’s house whenever he’s not around.

  When brought to Yoko, she orders her to be put in stocks pending when Lansana who had gone to Taiama and be back in three days’ time is found.  She attempts to defend the act, but unfortunately, there is no reason why she should cheat on her husband.

Jilo also confesses to Fanneh that she is a woman who is constantly abused by a man whom she gives her body.  “For Lansana, it was easy….. I tried to resist him.  But as a woman, I needed reassurance and admiration” (54) she admits that it is frustration from her marital home that compelled her to flirt and have an affair with Lansana.

 

LANSANA

 

He is Jilo’s lover and one of the warriors of the Mende community.  He is secretly having an affair with Nadpi’s wife and he’s aware that she is a married woman – a form of aberration in the land.  Jilo warns him earlier on that it is dangerous to make advances at her because Ndapi could kill him if he finds out.  Jilo tells him to go to his wife, but Lansana laughs it off and claims that he cannot continue to eat one particular food all the time. “From time to time, he should taste “Jolabete” (29).

Lansana being a man with smooth talk and who sugar coats, succeeds in wooing Jilo.  And they are consequently caught in the bush and Jilo is brought to Yoko for prosecution.  Meanwhile, Lansana leaves Moyamba for Taiama.

 

Lavalie

 

            He is also a warrior in the Mende chiefdom who innocently falls for their antics and joins Lamboi and Musa in blackmailing the Queen over the murder of Jeneba, Ndapi’s daughter though He is very loyal to the core, sometimes allows the circumstances around him to override his reasoning.

 

FANNEH AND MUSU

 

  They are Yoko’s faithful and loyal maids who attend to her day in day out.  They are ever willing to lay down their lives to make the Queen happy, especially Fanneh who promises and opts to die with Yoko on the verge of committing suicide.  But the Queen insists and chooses to die alone.

 

 

LIKELY WAEC and NECO 2011-2025

 

1.      Discuss the theme of cheap blackmail and betrayal in the play.

2.      “Lamboi is a schemer”.  Discuss.

3.      Identify and discuss any three (3) themes in the play

4.      Discuss the title of the play.  How does it relate to the incidence and events in the play?

5.      Examine the role played by Samuel Rowe

6.      How is the character of Lamboi portrayed in the play?

7.      Assess the weaknesses of Madam Yoko, how do these affect the play.

8.      Compare and contrast the character of Lamboi and Musa

9.      Examine the leadership quality of Gbanya and Yoko in the play

10.    “Ndapi is very rash and gullible” Discuss.

11.    “Trace the events that made Madam Yoko opts for suicide.

12.    Examine the theme of conspiracy and manipulations in the play.

13.    “The plays also mirrors advent of colonialism”. Discuss

14.    Write short notes on the following: (1) Ndapi  (II) Jilo  (III) Lansana

15.    Musa is a disgrace to Mende Chiefdom as the medicine man and eyes

          of the gods “Discuss

 

  

 

 

                                                            Exercise

Literary Appreciation

Pick the correct option lettered A-D in the following literary terms.

 

1.    All the world’s stage is an example of ….. A metaphor B paradox

    C allusion  D personification

2.    A  literary work which intended to teach a moral lesion is…  A romantic

    B didactic  C mimetic D moralistic

3.    A short account of an interesting event is …. A a tale  B an anecdote 

    C an episode  D a story

4.    He is no citizen of no mean city illustrates…. A bathos  B euphemism 

    C metonymy  D litotes

5.    The introductory part of a play, a novel, or a poem is the ... A epilogue 

    B plot  C setting  D prologue

6.    An elegy is a poem of……  A mourning  B complaint  C hope  D joy

7.    The trees bowed their heads in shame illustrates … A personification

    B alliteration  C assonance  D paradox

 8.   A character whose actions are predictable in a literary work is……  A around

    B a flat character  C the hero  D the villain

9.    A scene in fiction enacting past events is A allusion  B foreshadow 

    C flashback  D interlude

10.    Poetic license is a term applied to a poet’s…. A choice of words B choice of 

    characters  C restriction in the use of language  D freedom in the use

    of language

 

         Milton thou shouldst be living at this hour

11.The literary device used in the line above is….A An aside apostrophe  B soliloquy  C suspense  D Simile

 

              Here lie I. Martin Eliginbroddle

              Have mercy on my soul.  Lord God

 

12.    The extract above illustrates  A epitaph  B elegy  C ballad  D dirge

 13.   We live to die, we die to live is an example of  A paradox  B hyperbole

     C  inversion  D oxymoron.

 

Read the poem and answer Questions 14-15

 

Here she lies, a pretty bud,

Lately made of flesh and blood

Who as soon fell fast asleep

As her little eyes did peep

Give her strewing, but not stir

The earth that lightly covers her.

 

14.  The poem is about a/an…..  A flower  B old woman  C little child  D traveler

  15. The persona’s mood is one of…..  A  An anger  B admiration  C indifference  D joy