The Annual Durbar
The great durbar of chiefs and elders at Carthage, seat of the Ptolemaic Kingdom. A few chiefs have already seated themselves with their Entourage standing behind them. A chief enters with his entourage and greets those who have arrived before him and then takes his seat. All sub kings and chiefs both from far and near made it a must to honour the invite of the great king of the kingdom, as they showed up in their most colourful of dresses for the annual durbar organized in celebrating and honouring their ancestors who made it possible for them to have a place called home and have been guiding them throughout the year. This durbar is important because it serves as a celebration of life and must be observed annually.
As this is supposed to be a festival of joy to the king and the kingdom as a whole, this time is actually different. The wayward daughter of the king, princess Nala, has made it impossible for the king to celebrate the durbar colourfully as he has always done, since her matter is concerned. It is at least notable that she has finally confessed her pregnancy to the king and the queen, but they are yet to find out who the father of the unborn child might be, and until that is confirmed as well, nothing will be at ease for the king as the pregnancy is meant to be od clarity to the villagers, which will surely bring the reign of the king to an unprecedented and undignified end.
Akinidad has been very tedious with his studies as the preparations of his enstoolment approaches even faster that anticipated. He is growing into a full man worthy of kingship and is expected to assume the throne in no time. He has begun to worry less of his ideal identity since he is recognized as nothing but a man in the eyes of the whole kingdom. He works so tirelessly and relentlessly so he can assume the throne and finally make his ambitious mother happy.
A Chief enters with his entourage He greets those who have arrived before him and takes his seat. All these Chiefs are sitting on the lower dais. Just when all seem to be Settled, a burst in with a state sword in hand.
1st BARD: Hail!... Hail!... Haill. All Hail Her Majesty.
She who bears the leopard's heart. The only woman who treads where men Fear to tread but is never harmed. Of her strength not even the tiger is an equal Of her courage, only a lion can compare. Hail her...
Hail the mother whose mind is a cistern of wisdom.
From which the younger ones take gentle sips The sight of her sends creepy feelings Through the spines of all the men. A fleeting feeling of fright.
(Enter Amanirenas Linette Duah, sister to the only great king of the Ptolemaic Kingdom and entourage)
Yes, here comes the mother of the people.
The mother with a Chest of a father. Walk softly.... Tread softly...
Tread softly on the soft bosom of Mother Earth.
Just gently... Ge-e-e-ntly...
Not so hard...
Else Mother Earth shall tremble with fear.
Yes ge-e-e-e-e-ntly...
to avoid the snares of the owls in the Kingdom. Amanirenas, the leopard that breaks the horns of the bull.
She sprinkles you with greetings!...
Her glorious Highness salutes you all! Her majesty is resting herself.
(The accolades continue to pour on her as she makes her majestic entry to the chamber that serves as the parliament to the king)
Gently Your Majesty... Sit very gently...
Sit very gently (She sits) Yes that's it. The Thursday-born leopard that breaks the horns of the bull is seated. Be warned, ye little children, That the leopard tamer is only having siesta It is not yet dead.
(The bard takes his position by Amanirenas. Just then the bigger drums begin to sound from afar. Enter second bard from the opposite direction with a bigger state sword)
Let the drums tumble and rumble.
2ND BARD: (Drums beat louder and louder to a crescendo and fade out gently) Let the horns blow! blow...blow!... (The horns toot to a peak and fade out gently)
Yes, the owner of the soil on which you rest your feet now arrives.
The mighty one, whose mighty wings spread over all the Kingdom, arrives in pomp and majesty...Let the drums rumble!... (Drums beat out the appellation of Masinissa Linette Duah II) The Great King Masinissa Linette Duah II, father of both sons and daughters of Ptolemaic and even far and far beyond from where the sun wakes to wash its face to the land that has the bed on which the sun sleeps (Enter King Masinissa Linette Duah II with a large entourage in regal splendour. Among the entourage are two stool carriers bearing huge stools)
Here he comes! Here comes he who is the Mightiest.
Close your eyes else the sight of him Should blind you.
The Loving Father
He whose love for his people is like nectar to the
birds and insects. And whose words are a source of comfort to
those in distress. He whose words are like white breast milk to the babe.
White breast milk made out of the mother's
blood. Blood out of which children are moulded
Aaaaah... He greets you. The Mightiest
The Majestic, The Greatest of all greets you all.
The great grandson of the sewer of rocks Opambuo Pataku Katawere greets you with an open heart. He is going to take his seat. His Majesty is going to rest himself. Going-going-going...gone! Masinissa Linette Duah II, King of the Ptolemaic Kingdom, is seated. (His Highness Masinissa Linette Duah II takes his seat on the biggest stool on the dais. The horns and drums sound for a while and stop. Libation is poured 'after which there is a short period of Kete dancing. All is quiet)
KING: Emissary, are you there?
Emissary: Your Majesty, I am all ears
KING: Hear this, and let it reach my divisional chiefs and elders here assembled that they are most welcome to this durbar.
Emissary: Well Chiefs and Elders herein assembled, our elders say, "You can tell a good host from a bad one by the way he holds the calabash containing your first water". His Majesty welcomes all of you with all his heart. (Murmuring of general approval)
This durbar is serving as one of the worse for the king as all he had going through his mind is the problem of his daughter, the only princess of the land, and to what extent he can go to get the person who got her in the family way. Tis will be the bother of the king till the end of the durbar.
As all these is going on, the princes have locked herself in her chamber, thinking to herself of what she has done and to what extent can she hide her pregnancy from the eyes of the people. she keeps contemplating to herself if it would be right to just say out the name of Hakeemi to her father, since he is the man of her life and the same person who has actually gotten her in the line of family making without following the necessary procedures as expected and stated by tradition. The real issue isn't just about giving out Hakeemi's name to the king as the sole person who has actually gotten her pregnant, but also the fact that she was warned to stay away from him since his main objective was to get her married to her cousin who is to take over the throne and become king when the time is due, and that would have made her queen to rule over the kingdom together, and continue in the lineage of their fathers in keeping their family name in history forever. All these have come to a halt, as she struggles to say who the father of the unborn child is.
Hakeemi on the other hand, is on his farm trying to cultivate the ripped food and frow more, as the demand for his goods is on the rise after the war. He seems no to have a clue of what is happening to the love of his love and what the fate of his life entails if it finally breaks out to the king that he is the man responsible for the unfortunate and embarrassing state of the only daughter of the king, who is to be prepared to be enstooled as queen beside her cousin Akinidad.
Akinidad has also embraced the celebration as he watches to see how everything is being executed, so that when he becomes king, he can rule and deliver to excellence, never did he know what was actually going to happen to him. At this point, it is getting more clearer that he has finally succeeded the king as the new and youngest king of the kingdom.