Eguria

AFRICAN DRAMA  Let Me Die Alone   -John K. Kargbo     A Brief Biography of the playwright   John Kolosa Kargbo was born in Sierra Leone in 1954 and died in 1992.   He attended the Prince of Wales’ Secondary School in Freetown together with Clifford Gaber, john Kargbo founded Songhai Theatre, known as Shegureh players, and Balangi Dramatic group founded in 1974.   They produced other plays and English plays called Choice of the Gods.   Apart from Let Me Die Alone, which was impressive, Otegu was a successful comedy about love infidelity.               It is probably Let Me Die Alone that assured Kargbo’s reputation; a meticulously researched and well-constructed script.   His early death was a tremendous blow to the development of dramatic literature in his country.       Setting/Background of the play   Let Me Die Alone is a historical-based p...

  Black","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 20pt;">THEMES / THEMATIC PREOCCUPATION   Tradition versus Modernity   The play explores the theme of tradition and modernity in the wake of early colonialism which is the primary conflict in the play. The tradition in question is the Yoruba customs against a western conception of progress and modernity as represented by the conflict between Baroka and Lakunle for Sidi’s hand in marriage. Lakunle who represents the modern Nigerian man, wears Western clothing, speaks and behaves like an English man, and has been educated in a presumably British school.   His supreme desire is to turn llunjunle into a modern paradise like the city of Lagos.   He actively despises the traditional customs of his village and the people who pledge support to them.   This is best exemplified when Lakunle refuses to pay Sidi’s bride price.   He goes further to call the tradition that demands the payment of brid...