Climate of Change

Author:         Elaigwu Ameh

Reviewer:     Yemi Adebisi

Publisher:      University Press Plc.

No of pages: 71

Struggling for survival in most of the third world countries has sent several innocent souls to the great beyond. While many great minds have passed away through the strokes of poverty bedevilled by societal norms, others have crossed the boundary of life to death by the harsh lashes of those disgruntled leaders in the corridor of power in the name of ruling their world by force.

In Climate of Change, set in an imagined land of Bagada village, the untold stories of the despotic and unruly behaviour of politicians, who pitch their nest with greedy leaders of the masses, desperately unveil the mass injustice in our society.

As the name implies, a team of climatic advocates with rare strength and sense for durable change chooses to challenge the powers-that-be even at the risk of their life.

The story is intertwined with issues on gender, health, politics, conflicts and food insecurity in the rural community. The book also reveals some of the injustices women face in our society today. The author, through his creative insights, is able to portray women, not as passive victims, but as effective change agents and repositories of valuable knowledge that can engender societal development. It establishes the symbiotic relationship that exists between both genders in a nutshell.

The story is found to be innovative and instructive as it uses theatre as a tool for development to screen some overt or covert interconnections between climate change and livelihood. Climate change, as stressed in the book tends to score eminently that Nigerian government and its public can work together to revamp the economy if certain measures are taken to protect the natural resources. Such include fact- finding mission like the business of renewable energy, carbon trading, transport management and technology transfer.

Zaza’s father, a renowned farmer in Bagada, is killed and his land is taken away from him. Years later, his wife is also killed by the prince of the ruling king, when Chief Nisa, one of the eldest chiefs who takes the land lies that the woman is a witch. The only daughter, Zaza, a teacher, vows to stand for justice and protect the climate. She is into a love relationship with Umanna, a prince to the new king, Kado. It will be recalled that it is Kado that kills Zaza’s mother ignorantly when he is a prince.

The death in the land is increasing in geometric progression daily because the gods are angry. The seer and some leaders of thought including the king have been bought over by the politician with his loot and juicy promises to take their wards abroad. The politician sleeps around with girls, attracting them with money and impregnating freely. He has cut away the trees in the village for exchange for money abroad.

The youth, led by Zaza, make up their mind to protest against the injustices and protect the environment.

The politician knows that his best bet is to propose a love relationship to Zaza to defuse the tension in the village.

The Honourable wants to win the senatorial elections willy-nilly. He also believes that sleeping with Zaza, a brilliant young lady, will give him the supernatural powers he needs to achieve his ambition. Zaza refuses his advances. In order for him not to be disgraced, he branded Zaza a witch like her mother and asks Baba Toka, the trusted seer of the land to persuade the entire dwellers including the king that Zaza is a witch. In return, the politician promises to send Baba Toka’s only son abroad. Zaza is arrested the day she goes to report in the palace the politician’s attempt to rape her. She is tied down like a goat. She is forced to drink all manner of concoctions made from urine and faeces. Yet, she is arraigned for public execution in the palace before the ghost of her mother appears pursuing one of the chiefs. The only son of Baba Toka, who the politician promised to send abroad, dies mysteriously in a scene that suggests the beginning of divine vengeance.

What does the ghost of Zaza’s mother tells the people? Is Zaza eventually killed? What happens to the politician and Baba Toka? Is there any end to the affliction of Bagada village? Does Prince Umanna eventually get married to Zaza? What is the picture of the last days of King Kado?

These questions and many more are packaged in this play, loaded with various seasoned quotations from the nobles of this world.

From all indications, Ameh has used his book to demystify climate change, situating within the existential realities of our society. He has created awareness on the multifaceted impacts of climate change on livelihood. He has also, through the pages of his book, sensitised the masses on environmental health and safety. He uses the book to increase masses’ capacity to respond to the adverse effect of climate change.

This play, which was first produced in 2011, is reprinted with support from the Government of Japan-funded Africa Adaptation Programme being implemented by the Department of Climate Change, Federal Ministry of Environment in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The reprinted copy indicates that going by the quality of the book and the creative acumen of the author, Ministry of Environment, UNDP and the Government of Japan, have procured five thousand copies of the book, five hundred of which have already been freely distributed to students at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where the play was staged to mark the World Day of Desertification. The four-day staging of the play ran from June 14-17, 2012. The author, in his claim, also proposed to distribute four thousand copies of the play freely to participants at the Abuja and Lagos performances of the play coming up soon.

Elaigwu

Ameh, a creative writer, social analyst and development communicator, currently serves as the coordinator of Theatre for Concerted Change, a non-profit organisation, geared towards enhancing grassroots development through participatory communication and development.

The portable book is written in witty language; the story is full of meaningful suspense and the flow of the story is consistently admirable.

The book is recommended to all who appreciate creativity value.

Source:  Daily Independent