SCENE I
CAST: BERRY
LOCATION: Interior of Berry’s room
It’s a bright morning, a young bodily built adult youth seated in his room, majorly scanty, with a camp bed at the right corner of fine linen curtains and a standing mirror. He is seated with a camcorder, recording.
Berry: My name is Berry; I belong to a gang named the day hunters. We specialise in causing chaos and snatching ballot boxes during election in favour of the politician(s) we work for. The baton of being the leader of the day hunters, after the death of Jalingo fell on me but my reluctance to accept my new role is out of my realisation of how much we actually worth to these politicians. We were just being used, our live meant nothing to these politicians, they used us and gave little or no attention to our lives, we were worthless. We were paid N10.000 to carry out our operations. I remember vividly ho w Jalingo died, we were hired to rig the last election. Effectively, we bought votes, caused chaos where necessary just to meet up with the target we were given and it was on this day, Jalingo our ring leader was shot right in the act. I watched as his strength fail him while realising how much the N10.000 we were paid has cost him his life as I fled the scene. The big question that I left for myself to answer; is it really worth it? And behold the reason for my revolt
LASH BACK
SCENE TWO
CAST: BERRY/HONOURABLE CHIBUZOR
LOCATION: The office of Honourable Chibuzor
It’s 2:45pm, Berry walks into the office of Honourable Chibuzor who is on a call.
Hon. Chuks: (On a phone call) Chairman Sir, trust me the boys will deliver this time. We’ll surly smile in this election (laughs like a lunatic) Oh yes! That’s the spirit! Our opponents won’t know what hits them when the results o the election comes out. I’ll mobilise the boys and give you a feedback call when I’ve tidied that. Thank you very much Mr chairman, that’s the spirit (ends the call)
Berry: good day honourable
Hon. Chuks:(turns to berry) yes boy, i sent for you. You are aware that’s the party chairman i just finished talking to right; eh sorry for the loss of Jalingo, life goes on you know.
Berry: (keeps staring at Hon with keen interest)
Hon. Chuks: that’s the spirit. You need to mobilize your boys, you know the forthcoming election is very important to my career, we can afford to lose it, recruit as many are willing, strong men, sharp ladies.
Berry: (tries to speak) but Hon. (interrupted by Hon. Chuks)
Hon. Chuks: shhhhh, but what? This is not a negotiable deal boy, that’s the spirit.
Berry: (interrupts) Honourable, we lost our ringleader, we are still trying to comfort ourselves.
Hon. Chuks: let the dead bury the dead, young man! Okay okay, listen to me, i will increase your pay, i promise you this time, when we win this election; jobs will be made available, youth empowerment and lot more. This election would be vital to our career. Of course, you know the amount of money we are putting into this job.
Berry: i see honourable, this is about the money and your career?
Hon. Chuks: yes! Oh yes
Berry: i see
Hon. Chuks: no1 no1 (laughs), its about the national cake.
Berry: okay honourable.
Hon. Chuks: yes! That’s the spirit
Berry: well, hear this honourable, enough of this rubbish
Hon. Chuks: (opens his eyes wide).
Berry: i and my boys are done ruining elections, shedding innocent bloods and handing over our future to selfish people like you.
Hon. Chuks: (holds his chest) my chest
Berry: its time things change, gone are the days when we think of you as the rich and privileged in the society, you steal from us and try to get us killed with the very same wealth you’ve accumulated at our expense, why do we have to fight for you and endanger our lives while your children school abroad and don’t even show their faces during the election, the only time you invite them is during the inauguration, we are no longer blind, we see the light and we are going for it, í think it’s high time you get your sons to do the deal for you. Good day. (Walks away and slams the door).
Hon. Chuks: (removes his agbada) what! Biting his fingers, chai! Ekwensu! My career, that boy must go down, this is not the spirit. (picks up phone to dial a number) chief we are in trouble, we need to see immediately.
SCENE THREE
CASTS: Berry, acid, sauce, fifty and the rest squad
LOCATION: in day hunters regular meeting point
Boys are not smiling, they are furious. Berry walks around in a circular frame, acid stamping his foot in impatience.
Berry: how did we get here? What future are we trying to create for our children yet unborn? What platforms are we establishing for their advantage? We are paid to sell our conscience? We ruin our nation with our own hands! How long are we going to continue like this in misery? We deserve to be given equal opportunities like our peers,
Acid: wetin you dey talk guy, which one be the future you dey yarn about, guy we need bar for pocket abi man no go benz this year, wetin you won gain guy.
Sauce: berry calm down, make we to understand where you comot from na, time no dey o!
Berry: (looking at my team, i could see the wrinkles on their faces, hunger in their eyes, years of untold hardship and pain built up within them, i could see people with passion but channelled to the wrong cause, with pain in his eyes and fear for the next thing he was about to say, wiped his face),
My friends we have to choose this day, the part we must thread, battles we must fight, whose hands to exalt because now we can see clearly that leadership has grown beyond belly governments, our country has become a joke on the international scene for too long, for the change we deserve we need to participate in choosing competent people who will ensure that education and security will be given top priority, wealth and resources will be evenly distribution and job provision be consistent enough to end the so-called street hustle. ‘It is said that you can count the seeds in apple but you can’t count apples in a seed’, they underestimated us at their own risk but we can spread the word no more fights, killings, rather let our vote speak for us, they said we have no voice but we can voice to the one who will speak for us and fight our cause, let us refuse to lay down our lives, for a plate for food, clothes or any of the false promises we were cajoled with, let us refuse to wait at their gates singing their praises for pennies, we the youth are the future of this country and our voices must be heard. My people let’s make it count (as i turned to leave I knew I hit them hard but above all I prayed jalingo was lesson enough).
(RESUMES)
SCENE FOUR
CASTS: Berry
LOCATION: same room where He is narrating his story (Berry resumes from his flash black)
Berry: That was how the day hunters gang was dissolved we made a stand; to let our voice speak through our votes. I want to leave you with this question what future are you creating for your generation? We have the choice now to say no to election violence! This is our choice to make a positive change through our votes! (He presses the stop button and shutdown the camcorder)