The Lion and the Jewel: A Nigerian Play by Wole Soyinka, Schemes and Mind Maps of Dance

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The Lion and the Jewel

Wole Soyinka

The Lion and the Jewel

-^ The play is set in the village ofIlunjinle, Nigeria. Sidi, a beautifulyoung woman also known as “TheJewel," carries her pail of water pastthe school where

Lakunle

, the

schoolteacher and a village outsiderwith modern ideas, works. Heapproaches her and chastises her for carrying her water on her head andcarrying her water on her head and stunting her shoulders; she isunfazed. Lakunle loves Sidi and wantsto marry her, but he refuses to payher bride-price because he considersit an archaic tradition. Sidi does notlove Lakunle; she finds him and hisideas about making her a modern,Western bride obnoxious. However,she plans to marry him if he can paythe price as the village traditionsnecessitate.

-^ Sidi suggests the villagers act out and dance tothe story of the stranger. She pushes Lakunle toparticipate and act as the stranger, and theperformance commences. The drummers and^ singers and actors play out the arrival of the^ stranger and his camera.

Lakunle

gets into the

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. “theLion"—arrives. He plays the role of the chief.Later that day he stares at the pictures of Sidi andmuses that he has not taken a wife for sometime.

-^ Sadiku

, Baroka’s senior wife and head of the harem, finds Sidi and tells her that Barokawants to take her for a wife. She paints this asan incredible honor, but Sidi laughs that Baroka

is old. She glories in her photographs Baroka

is old. She glories in her photographs and says Baroka only wants her because she isso famous and has brought so much honor tothe village. Lakunle, who is jealously listening,excoriates Baroka as being against progressand modernity.

-^ Lakunle sees them talking and tries to learn what they aresaying, but both women tell him to leave them alone. Sidiannounces she has a plan, and tells Sadiku that it would bewonderful if she could go to dinner with the Bale and seehim 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

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 isengaged in wrestling with a man hired for the purpose ofmaking him stronger. Sidi enters confidently, but the Bale’sdismissive attitude confuses her. She pretends to ask hiscounsel on a man who wanted to marry her, describing theBale instead

-^ As the Bale continues to wrestle, he criticizesSidi for listening to Sadiku and being one ofthe vexing young women of the village. He^ asks her if

Sadiku

invented any stories, and

asks her if

Sadiku

invented any stories, and

she says no. He pretends to complain aboutSadiku’s constant matchmaking. He doesadmire Sidi, though, for seeming much deeperand more mature than how he once saw her.

-^ The mummers play in the distance, and Sadikujoyfully assumes the Bale has been broughtdown. She also tells Lakunle he must pay the^ mummers for a performance or it would bemummers for a performance or it would be^ rude. She grabs money from his pocket andpays them; they dance out the story of Barokaand his downfall. Sadiku herself is invited tohelp “kill” the Bale.

-^ Suddenly Sidi runs in,sobbing. She throwsherself to the ground.Lakunle is horrified and^ asks if she was beaten.asks if she was beaten.^ Sidi sobs that Sadiku wasfooled: the Lion trickedher and was not impotentat all, so he raped Sidi andtook her virginity.