THOSE of my age-range or and older, perhaps even those possibly younger, but are bookworms, names like Chinua Achebe, Mungo Beti, Ngungi wa Thiong’o, Flora Nwapa, Bessie Head, Gabriel Okara, Doris Lessing, Ferdinand Oyono and many others evoke memories of the good African Writers Series.
In the late 70s and 80s it was fashionable to walk about with a novel in hand, some habit that signified there was a lot of reading going on among young people in school, and the general public. Somehow, we read those African book series such that many times we got mixed up with the thesis, and who wrote which book; stories often marked traditional setups like Things Fall Apart, No Loner at Ease, The River Between, Houseboy, A Question of Power, The Grass is Singing and Mission to Kala among others.
This fuse is the mood I developed last Saturday when I watched Evans Kalandanya’s play Let Fools Die, staged by Chingola Arts Society (CAS).
The title, Let Fools Die in my unassuming view, is bizarre in liaison to the play’s theme though I am fully aware that celebrated British playwright William Shakespeare had absurd titles for his plays which ended up being attractive, charismatic, captivating and successful.
Kalandanya’s play was an account on sheer frivolity, inconsistency and irresponsibility on the part of two young people who naughtily, disobediently elope to live together in the city.
The play begins with the energetic couple Kaswende (Edgar Chikombe) and Nakaswende (Monica Namwiyi) bragging about village life, good efforts they have put up in growing and grooming their son Spade (Brave Chisala) in the best of ways. The aged couple is content with themselves now that their son was in the village to marry from there, the chosen village girl; but unexpectedly, Spade had changed his mind, and would marry a girl of his choice, a girl, Kasapo he just recently meet!
Finally, Spade  flees the village with Kasapo (Memory Kasweshi), and from here the story begin to hang on the threshold of imbalance; lacking moral steadiness, evenness and consistency – these are vital ingredients in scriptwriting as playwrights must by all efforts try to equilibrium, and poise their theme.
Kalandanya sums up the play by saying; the idea was to bemoan bad omens! He says, “Bad things happen because we know. Sometimes we know but we tend to ignore. Whatever way, when a calamity befalls, there is always an accusing finger pointing at someone.”
Initially, Spade, does his infancy education in the village, later attain higher education in the city. Education makes him see African tradition as a barrier to his freedom, and he wanted to be free.
When Spade sees another girl, one engaged to a fish monger, he cares little about that – Kasapo willingly accept to run for the bright lights of the city, a factor I find is the blame on moral degradation on the part of the girl. It takes two to tangle, so the adage goes!
The misfortune of the disappearance of Kasapo unsettles the families in the village; And in the city Kasapo uncovers that Spade is a worthless person, untrustworthy, a lover boy – finally Kasapo’s uncle (Evans Mulenga) locates her, and gives the impression, he is a trusted man, yet was devious, uncouth and coarse – he effortlessly takes a bribe from Spade, his supposedly son-in-law, and later gulps Spade’s concoction which turns out to be poison, and both Spade and uncle die!
Recognising that Evans Kalandanya went beyond his creative mind in selecting this theme; he could have mixed up common ideas of other traditionally written stories and plays as Let Fools Die is comparable to an old play originally scripted in the late 1980s under the title ‘Tracks of my Tears’ and performed twelve years ago on 27 and 28 September 2003 at Mufulira Little Theatre. Actors like Richard Simpemba who played the main role as Patrick the guy who eloped with Lindi (Breand Mwansa) remembers this episode. Others in Tracks of my Tears according to Richard, who is now an astute actor and director for Kantanshi Secondary School in Mufulira his other colleagues included Webster Chamene, Chanda Cabandama and his younger brother Fumba Kabandama, Namakuwa Namangolwa, Moses Silwenga – the play was directed by Innocent Jere, a young versatile actor who currently resides in Mkushi where he is making local films.
Besides the similitude of the themes in Let Fools Die and Tracks of My Tears particularly towards the end; the general performance of the CAS play was spirited, full of courage and strength with lots of efforts in Edgar Chikombe. Edgar’s acting was established, befitting alongside mature Monica Namwiyi – a duo that heightened the play into dramatic force and anecdotes.
The movements for these two were talkatively well mannered, and tribute goes to Elias Chabushiku as director, and producer.
Taking a part in a play for the first time Monica Namwiyi, 37, a hairdresser in Chingola said she found acting pleasantly rewarding, and applauded Memory Kasweshi for introducing her to CAS. Monica is indeed an upcoming strong character whose director needs to chop down on that energy to fittingly suit every role. She was natural, and good.
For Brave Chisala as Spade, I found him cosmetic and scrupulous with his language, movements. I may not wholly blame Brave who happens to be a decisive actor, but the director for allowing him speak with a warped, twisted accent. Even without Brave behaving to behave selfishly, he could still have depicted a contemporary young man!
Kasapo alias Memory Kasweka was ordinarily a high-quality actress full of stead and composed character; but in Let Fools Die, she hurriedly rolled her part with ecstasy, and I felt this was the director’s problem again. Memory needed composure not thrills; conversing and talking, not wild exclamations and screams – Memory was hyper active which in future could spoil the soup in relation to her expected feeble character!
Gwen the prostitute, a part played by Lillian Chibwe was thrilling. Being plump than Brave, it was awe-inspiring to see Lillian fight off her former boyfriend in the presence of his assumed new wife Kasapo.
The struggle that ensue when Lillian shows up for her unpaid sexual services offered to Brave, the mood changes. This ‘safe violent’ thrash about excitedly amused the delighted half-packed auditorium which included this year’s three CAS adjudicators; Alfred Mukanaka, M’ilingo Mwambu and Perry Mwale.   Oh yes, Evans Mulenga as Kasapo’s uncle was impressive in the excursion of his role; self-possessed, calm, but annoyed, humorous, yet critically serious.
The facade of traditional dancers composed of (Memory Mwansa, Febby  Bwalya, Ketty Lungu and Maluba Kambilo) and drummers; Mathews Mwansa, Howard Kafinda and Grahama Chakanda at the beginning of the play, mid-way, and the unison signing in the background was well thought-out and choreographed. I habitually prefer live background music in plays to recorded often uncoordinated ones which time and again is lured by technical faults.
The stage crew led by Alick Chileshe assisted by Kamuzimu Muhone deserves a pat on the back for a highly continued performance of fading lights, sounds, props and make-up. Apt background sounds operated by Clarence Chisela was lovely while Maluba Kambilo on props and makeup rightly suited the sceneries without over stretched exaggeration.
Produced by resourceful, all-round and adaptable Clement Muyasani, Let Fools Die can pass for a morally traditional argument with honest, frank, open and ethical morals in planning the youth into marriage – this on the other hand, is what budding and prolific playwright Evans Kalandanya in part achieves.
Kalandanya, presently boosting of several scripts at his hand which have been performed at Nchanga Trust School and CAS, wrote Let Fools Die late in 2014.
I am still hesitant to think titles in the African Writers Series influenced our writings; Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Weep Not Child by Ngugi wa Thion’o, Efuru by Flora Nwapa, Houseboy by Ferdinand Oyono, The Interpreters by Wole Soyinka, Mineboy by Peter Abraham and The Great Ponds by Alechi Amadi – easily come to mind. Others are God’s Bits of Wood by Ousamane Sembene and The Beautiful Ones are Not Yet Born by Ayi Kwei Armah.
The good and active club that CAS has always been, efforts are further being made to audition another play The Family by Peter Ng’ambi with Bwalya Chikwanda, who is the current club chairman as director soon.
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An interesting copy sent from the Poets Essayists and Novelist (PEN) African Network has come through requesting budding writers to submit their works for publication in an anthology.
Signed by Dr Frankie Asare-Donkoh (PhD), Secretary General of PEN Africa Network, the memorandum reads, “As we agreed in Johannesburg last December, the PEN Africa Network is to publish an anthology with works from members from our centres.
“I wish to inform you that we are now ready to receive contributions from members. We would like to receive scripts from all who want to contribute poems, short stories, essays, etc. The deadline for submission is 30 June, 2015.
“Submissions could be in English and French as well as any African language. We would however wish that submissions in other languages other than English and French are accompanied with either English or French translation, both of which would be contained in the anthology.
“It would be refreshing to have some short stories or articles on freedom of expression, use of minority languages, effects of criminal defamation on writers, and the role of women in literature from our various countries included.” Further contacts can be through Nicholas Kawinga of Lusaka on 0977723568.
John.kapesa818@yahoo.co.uk – 0955-0967-0955-710975