Lion and the Jewel
-Wole Soyinka
The play is set in the
village of Ilunjinle, Nigeria. Sidi, a beautiful young woman also known as “The Jewel,"
carries her pail of water past the school where Lakunle, the schoolteacher and a village
outsider with modern ideas, works. He approaches her and chastises her for
carrying her water on her head and stunting her shoulders; she is unfazed.
Lakunle loves Sidi and wants to marry her, but he refuses to pay her
bride-price because he considers it an archaic tradition. Sidi does not love
Lakunle; she finds him and his ideas about making her a modern, Western bride
obnoxious. However, she plans to marry him if he can pay the price as the village
traditions necessitate.
While Sidi and Lakunle are talking, several young women run up
to Sidi and tell her that the stranger—a photographer who visited the village
some time ago—is back, and that he brought with him the magazine that contained
within it pictures of the village and villagers. Sidi occupies a central space
and is stunningly beautiful. Lakunle is dismayed to hear this, but Sidi glows
with pride.
Sidi suggests the villagers act out and dance to the story of
the stranger. She pushes Lakunle to participate and act as the stranger, and
the performance commences. The drummers and singers and actors play out the
arrival of the stranger and his camera. Lakunle gets into the spirit of the
performance. As it goes on, the Bale (i.e. head) of the village, Baroka—a.k.a.
“the Lion"—arrives. He plays the role of the chief. Later that day he
stares at the pictures of Sidi and muses that he has not taken a wife for some
time.
Sadiku, Baroka’s senior wife and head of the
harem, finds Sidi and tells her that Baroka wants to take her for a wife. She
paints this as an incredible honor, but Sidi laughs that Baroka is old. She
glories in her photographs and says Baroka only wants her because she is so
famous and has brought so much honor to the village. Lakunle, who is jealously
listening, excoriates Baroka as being against progress and modernity.
Sadiku
returns to Baroka and gives him Sidi’s reply. He is calm at first but becomes
distressed when she tells him Sidi said he is old. He bemoans the fact that he
is no longer virile, and tries to take comfort in the elderly Sadiku’s gentle
touch.
Sidi is standing and admiring her photos near the schoolhouse
when Sadiku, cackling to herself and carrying a bundle, arrives. Inside the
bundle is a carved figure of the Bale. Sadiku looks at it and bursts into
laughter, exulting in how she and the women have undone him. Sidi is confused,
and Sadiku whispers to her about the Bale’s impotence.
Lakunle sees them talking and tries to learn what they are
saying, but both women tell him to leave them alone. Sidi announces she has a
plan, and tells Sadiku that it would be wonderful if she could go to dinner
with the Bale and see him thwarted. Sadiku gleefully agrees, and Sidi bounds
off. After she leaves, Sadiku and Lakunle argue, with Lakunle telling Sadiku
that his plans of modernity are what is best for the village.
The scene shifts to the Bale’s bedroom, where he is engaged in
wrestling with a man hired for the purpose of making him stronger. Sidi enters
confidently, but the Bale’s dismissive attitude confuses her. She pretends to
ask his counsel on a man who wanted to marry her, describing the Bale instead.
As Bale continues to wrestle, he criticizes Sidi for listening
to Sadiku and being one of the vexing young women of the village. He asks her
if Sadiku invented any stories, and she says no. He pretends to complain about
Sadiku’s constant matchmaking. He does admire Sidi, though, for seeming much
deeper and more mature than how he once saw her.
Baroka confides in her his plan for a stamp machine that will
have images of Ilunjinle on it, as well as of Sidi herself. He ruminates more
to himself that he does not hate progress but only bland similarity. He admits
he and the schoolteacher are not so different, and that they must work
together.
The drums begin, and female dancers pursue a male. Sadiku and
Lakunle wait for Sidi to return. Lakunle is very nervous, and claims he will go
rescue Sidi.
The mummers play in the distance, and Sadiku joyfully assumes
the Bale has been brought down. She also tells Lakunle he must pay the mummers
for a performance or it would be rude. She grabs money from his pocket and pays
them; they dance out the story of Baroka and his downfall. Sadiku herself is
invited to help “kill” the Bale.
Suddenly Sidi runs in, sobbing. She throws herself to the
ground. Lakunle is horrified and asks if she was beaten. Sidi sobs that Sadiku
was fooled: the Lion tricked her and was not impotent at all, so he raped Sidi
and took her virginity.
Lakunle announces he will still marry Sidi. She is perplexed and
asks if this is true. He assents. However, almost immediately when marriage
preparations start, Lakunle becomes visibly distressed. He claims to need more
time.
Sidi laughs and says she is actually getting ready to marry
Baroka, because it is the only thing she can do. Sadiku blesses her and asks
the gods for fertility.
The festivities begin, and even Lakunle seems to be getting into
the spirit of things when he chases a young woman who shakes her butt at him.
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