By Edwin NtumfonTangwa (PhD)
In a society that is rigged by
institutionalized corruption and an amateurish political system that feeds on
its own inefficiency, truth and honesty are heretic values that can only be
cherished by the most peripheral. Recent works from Cameroon have either been
scathing attacks in this political system or critiques of the social climate in
the country. Achingale’s latest play deliberately avoids such obvious, overt
political themes but by no means remains apolitical. The playwright artfully
foregrounds the simple striving of ordinary people against the backdrop of
elemental political corruption and successfully depicts the institutional
failure in the postcolonial nation-state and its attendant vexatious social
upshots in the most subtle, yet poignant, tone.
Some
people read plays or watch performances for the entertainment and/or to see how
much of their own lives is mirrored in the characters, while others look for
the playwright’s political message; for as NgugiWaThiong’o puts it, all
postcolonial writers are ‘writers in politics’. The Wrong Decision will
certainly satisfy both groups, for it is a play about young people pursuing
education as a means to build a bright future for themselves in a society
plagued by moral decadence where schools teach corruption. These young people
sharply differ in their perception of what that bright future is and how to
build it.
For
Ango and Gambesso, that future is already assured because of their admission
into the Major Academy for Neo Elite (MANE) where they are “trained to be rich”
(a subtle reference to the thievery for which graduates from that school are
reputed). Ule and Besingi, on the other hand, believe in hard work, love and
modesty and their dreams are limited to Elamron Instructors College (EIC) which
Ango calls “cheap, popular side”, (again a subtle denigration of the teaching
profession which is despised by many in the corrupt Republic of Remak).
There
is an unstated conflict between Besingi, Ule and Bih on the one hand and Ango
and Gambesso on the other. We only get a sense of this conflict through a
passive reference to history made by Besingi in a conversation with Ule.
Thereafter it becomes evident that Remak is a divided country and that the
opposing circumstances of Ango and Besingi are not the work of chance but
rather the consequence of a historically constructed marginalization of people
like Besingi, Bih and Ndemazia. It is in the contrast between these characters
and their ideas of life that the playwright’s message comes through. The
writer’s successful juxtaposition of the simple and the complex, of greed and
generosity of heart brings home the message that we reap what we sow but
without the usual moralising clichés that usually accompany such themes.
The
Wrong Decision is not an elitist play. Entirely absorbing and beautifully
crafted in the typical local Cameroonian speech, it is accessible and relevant
to every society. Achingale successfully portrays the prevailing political and
moral corruption of the barely concealed Central African country through the
eyes of its young victims who seem to have sharply contrasting views about good
and evil. The students’ experiences at the university and their survival
strategies will be familiar to anyone who has been a student in any Cameroonian
university while the use of popular names like Bate Besong and Bole Butake
brings the play ever closer to the unsuspecting reader.
Finally,
Douglas Achingale’s pedagogic drive for which his previous works are reputed is
unmistakable in this play. His successful combination of the virulence of Bate
Besong and the subtleness of Bole Butake sets him on the path towards a new
genre in Cameroonian drama. This is a play that deserves a place in our school
syllabi both for its pedagogic and moral undertones. I look forward to more
works from this budding writer with a lot of promise.
Pic
Cover page
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