TITLE: THE UNSEEN PATH
CHARACTERS:
OBA ADEWALE: The King, troubled and seeking guidance.
BABA FAKUNLE: The blind Babalawo (Ifa Priest), a wise elder.
EGBON: An attendant to the Oba.
SETTING:
The inner chamber of the King's palace in the ancient city of Ile-Ayo. A divination tray (opon ifa) and a bowl of palm nuts (ikin ifa) rest on a mat. The room is quiet and dimly lit by oil lamps.
(The scene opens with OBA ADEWALE pacing the floor. EGBON stands respectfully near the door. BABA FAKUNLE sits on the mat, facing the King, his eyes covered with a cloth.)
OBA ADEWALE
(To himself, distressed)
The crops fail, the children sicken. The sky itself seems angry with Ile-Ayo. My people call my name, but my mouth is empty of answers.
EGBON
(Quietly, to the Oba)
My Lord, Baba Fakunle awaits your word. He is the witness to destiny. Perhaps Orunmila will offer us a path.
OBA ADEWALE
(Turns, his face drawn with worry)
Yes, the path. The king walks in shadow. Baba, you are the eye that sees beyond the veil. The land is sick. What does Ifa say of our misfortune?
BABA FAKUNLE
(His voice is calm and measured)
The mouthpiece of the Deities speaks when called, Kabiyesi. Ifa does not depend on mortal sight, but on the signs laid bare upon the tray. Give the Ikin, Egbon.
(EGBON approaches the mat and places the bowl of palm nuts near Baba Fakunle's hands. Baba Fakunle begins the process of casting the nuts, his movements rhythmic and focused. He chants softly.)
BABA FAKUNLE
Ase wele, ase wele.
The gentle touch reveals the hidden word.
Olorun sees all, we seek but a sliver of His wisdom.
(He casts the nuts onto the tray and quickly observes the pattern. He repeats the process, then marks the Odu (divination sign) in the wood dust on the tray.)
OBA ADEWALE
(Leaning forward, anxious)
What Odu is it, Baba? Speak the word plainly. Is it war? Is it famine's curse?
BABA FAKUNLE
(Silence for a moment. He traces the marks carefully.)
It is Okanran Meji. The single sound that pierces the silence. It speaks of a warning, of a voice unheard, of a truth neglected. It says: the illness comes not from the sky above, but from the river below.
OBA ADEWALE
(Confused)
The river? Our life source? How can that be?
BABA FAKUNLE
Ifa says that the great river spirit, Olokun, is offended. A promise made long ago has been forgotten by the king. The spirit of the water holds the blessing of abundance, but now it brings sickness.
OBA ADEWALE
A promise forgotten?
BABA FAKUNLE
The ancestors know. The offering must be made to appease the water spirit. The Odu further says, "The slanderer in the home, the slanderer out on the street... Orunmila made ebo and was victorious." There are those around you whose hearts are not pure.
OBA ADEWALE
(Stands up straight, his expression hardening)
Who? Who would harm my people?
BABA FAKUNLE
Ifa does not name names in the palace, only the necessary action. The ebo must be made: sweet things, a pigeon, a rooster, and an offering to Obatala, for peace and purity. The king must make an offering of humility, not just of goods. Only then will the path be cleared. The water can be full if the proper respect is shown.
OBA ADEWALE
(Paces again, mulling the words over. He stops and looks at the priest.)
So be it. The king will make the sacrifice himself at dawn. If pride caused this, humility shall end it. Egbon, prepare the offerings. We follow the unseen path.
EGBON
It shall be done, my Lord. Aase.
(OBA ADEWALE nods, a flicker of hope in his eyes. BABA FAKUNLE begins to clear the divination marks from the tray.)
(FADE OUT)
CHARACTERS:
OBA ADEWALE: The King.
EGBON: Attendant.
BABA FAKUNLE: The Babalawo.
OLORI IDOWU: The King's Senior Wife.
SETTING:
The King's private garden near a small shrine for Obatala, dawn the next day. A small fire burns. Offerings of white cloth, pigeons, a rooster, and sweet honey cakes are laid out. The air is misty.
(The scene opens with OBA ADEWALE, dressed simply in white, kneeling before the shrine. EGBON stands behind him with BABA FAKUNLE close by, guiding the ritual.)
OBA ADEWALE
(Chanting softly as instructed by Baba Fakunle)
Obatala, Father of White Cloth, maker of humanity.
He who molds the body, hear my plea.
Purity in the heart, purity in the home.
Cleanse our land as you cleanse the soul.
BABA FAKUNLE
(Whispering guidance)
Now, the offering to Olokun, spirit of the deep waters.
(OBA ADEWALE takes the honey cakes and walks to a large clay bowl filled with water, representing the river. He places the cakes into the water, watching them dissolve.)
Olokun, Ruler of the Vast Sea, owner of abundance.
A promise was forgotten, pride blinded my eyes.
Accept these sweet things as a sign of my humility.
Release the land from the sickness of the forgotten word. Ase.
(As the King finishes, he hears the rustle of robes. OLORI IDOWU, his senior wife, enters the garden unexpectedly. Her expression is troubled.)
OLORI IDOWU
(To the King, with a tone of quiet urgency)
My Lord, the sacrifice is good, but the truth remains hidden.
OBA ADEWALE
(Turns, surprised by her interruption of the ritual)
Idowu? What do you here? The ebo is ongoing. The oracle has spoken the path.
OLORI IDOWU
The oracle spoke of a forgotten promise, did it not? Of a slanderer close to home?
BABA FAKUNLE
(His blind eyes seem to focus on her voice)
Okanran Meji speaks of many things, Olori.
OLORI IDOWU
(Steps forward, her voice trembling slightly)
Then let the truth that was buried come to light. The promise forgotten was mine, my king. Years ago, before our first child sickened and passed, a pledge was made for an annual festival to Olokun in my father’s name, for the safety of our children. Grief hardened the heart, and the offerings stopped. The river's sickness is a result of this.
OBA ADEWALE
(Stunned
OBA ADEWALE
(Stunned, stepping closer to his wife)
You? You kept this silence for so long?
OLORI IDOWU
The priest's words this morning—"the slanderer in the home"—they pierced the soul. The spirit was slandered by neglect. The word was broken. Misfortune is a result of this.
(OBA ADEWALE looks from his wife to BABA FAKUNLE, the realization sinking in.)
BABA FAKUNLE
(Nodding slowly, his face solemn)
Ifa brings the truth to the light when the heart is ready to receive it. The ebo of the king's humility opens the way, but the ebo of confession completes the appeasement. The spirit seeks honesty, not just goods.
OBA ADEWALE
(Puts a hand gently on his wife's shoulder, his anger fading into understanding)
Pride and grief blinded both of us. The oracle’s warning was for both.
(He turns to the shrine, a sense of calm finally settling on him.)
OBA ADEWALE
Ifa has been heard. The truth is found. The festival to Olokun will be renewed, starting today, and the offerings will be made in the name of all the children of Ile-Ayo. Ase.
EGBON / BABA FAKUNLE / OLORI IDOWU
Ase!
(The sun breaks fully over the horizon, casting a strong, warm light on the garden.)
(FADE OUT)
This scene shows the identification of a problem, the consultation of an oracle, the necessary action, and the revelation of a hidden truth, following the narrative pattern common in traditional Ifa storytelling.
(For further exploration of these traditions in a dramatic format, consider consulting the published works of Nigerian authors such as Ola Rotimi and Wole Soyinka, or the academic translations of Ifa verses by Wande Abimbola and Chief Ifayemi Elebuibon.)
ACT I, SCENE III
CHARACTERS:
OBA ADEWALE: The King.
BABA FAKUNLE: The Babalawo (Ifa Priest).
EGBON: The King's Attendant.
OLORI IDOWU: The Senior Wife.
CHIEF OGUNSAN: A palace official, suspected of slander.
SETTING:
The great courtyard of the palace, open to the public. Later that morning. The people of Ile-Ayo are gathered, whispering, curious about the morning's announcements. The atmosphere is tense.
(The scene opens with OBA ADEWALE on his throne. BABA FAKUNLE stands to his right. OLORI IDOWU sits beside the throne, calm but determined. EGBON stands by the entrance. CHIEF OGUNSAN is among the assembled crowd, looking uncomfortable.)
OBA ADEWALE
(To the assembled people, his voice strong and clear)
People of Ile-Ayo, the veil of misfortune that shrouded our land begins to lift. This morning, we made the ebo as Ifa prescribed. The Oracle, through Baba Fakunle, did not just ask for the pigeon and the rooster, but for a truth long buried.
(The crowd murmurs. Chief Ogunsan shifts his weight.)
BABA FAKUNLE
(Stepping forward slightly)
Ifa speaks in riddles, yet the truth is plain for all who listen with an open heart. Okanran Meji warned of the "slanderer in the home" and "the slanderer on the street." The illness of the land is a mirror of the broken word.
CHIEF OGUNSAN
(Calling out from the crowd, trying to deflect)
My King! We have all kept the faith. Who among us would speak ill and bring the gods' wrath upon our heads?
OBA ADEWALE
(Fixes his gaze on Ogunsan)
He who speaks first often has the most to hide, Chief Ogunsan. The Queen, my wife Olori Idowu, in an act of profound honesty, revealed the forgotten promise to Olokun. The neglect was a silent slander against the water spirit's grace.
OLORI IDOWU
(Stands and addresses the crowd, her voice clear)
I confess my silence. For years, grief prevented the annual rites for the river. The Queen carried this shame. Ifa's message was a burden she now shares with you all. She prays for forgiveness.
(The crowd is hushed, a collective gasp. Egbon looks impressed.)
EGBON
(Whispering to Baba Fakunle)
A brave woman.
BABA FAKUNLE
(Nodding)
The path is clearing.
OBA ADEWALE
Now, the second truth. The oracle spoke of those whose hearts are not pure. Chief Ogunsan, it has been whispered that you have spread tales in the marketplace that the King is weak, that the gods have abandoned him, sowing discord when unity was needed most. Is this not a slander upon the street?
CHIEF OGUNSAN
(Stammering, his face pale)
My King, they are just idle words! The people were hungry, they needed hope!
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