Rainbow City
Enemies of the People
Madam Asabe in the marketplace battles with council members who insist on seizing her bale of second-hand clothes which they have labelled as ‘contraband’ goods. The entire market is in an uproar as local council members terrorize the traders and brazenly cart away their merchandise on bogus claims.
Endurance Villa…
At home, Madam Asabe narrates her woes to her son Cephas who proposes that they head to the council immediately. Madam Asabe is woebegone as neither the police officers nor council members seem to be ready or able to assist her.
Cephas mourns the state of his country as the very people who are supposed to protect the citizenry are a part of the problem. He suggests that they hire a lawyer, but Madam Asabe declines citing a paucity funds. Refusing to be rendered impotent, he advocates that they seek free legal aid from the Legal Clinic. Madam Asabe has a plan of her own however; she wants to seek help from Beauty whose friend, Sergeant Innocent she recognised as part of the illegal task force.
In Beauty’s Home…
What a world! We discover that some of Madam Asabe’s seized goods have been handed over to Beauty by Sergeant Innocent, the friend who works with the council. Madam Asabe ignorantly comes to plead her case to Beauty and discovers her bale of goods in Beauty’s possession although she keeps mute about her discovery.
Bach home, Madam Asabe relates her discovery to Cephas, and the facts are laid bare; the council members have shared her goods amongst themselves and Sergeant Innocent has bequeathed his portion of the loot to Mama Vero.
Cephas presses his case to visit the Legal Clinic and report these discoveries to the police and his crushed mother reluctantly acquiesces.
Unfortunately, we cannot say that such cases of injustice and brazen illegality are things of the past; who indeed upholds the rights of the people?
This is a production of the African Radio Drama Association [ARDA]
