Holy Night

By Zainabu Jallo

IT IS CHRISTMAS EVE . EIGHT BOMBS HAVE GONE OFF.VETERAN MOURNS THE DEATH OF HIS GOLDFISH WHILE HE WAITS FOR HIS FAMILY TO RETURN HOME. HE TELLS HIS STORIES TO IBRAHIM,WHO HAS BEEN INJURED ANDSITS AT HIS DOOR STEP, WHO ALSO, HAS NEVER SEEN THE SUN.
SOMEWHERE ELSE, FIVE STRANGERS WHO ARE TRAPPED IN A BUTCHERS SHOP SHARE THEIR DEEPEST SECRETS INTO THE COLD DARK NIGHT

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Dec 20, 2012
• ISBN: 9781477234815

Zainabu Jallo

ZAINABU HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS A YOUNG POWERFUL VOICE IN AFRICAN THEATRE. HER PLAYS, CHARACTERISED BY MOVING MONOLOGUES AND DIALOGUES LACED WITH THE MUSIC OF POETRY AND BRILLIANT USE OF METAPHORS ARE ORIGINALLY REFRESHING! SHE IS THE AUTHOR OF AWARD WINNING, ONIONS MAKE US CRY AND SARAYA DANGANA

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© 2013 by Zainabu Jallo. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 12/17/2012

ISBN: 978-1-4772-3480-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4772-3481-5 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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For Jat

1974-2011

& the many others

HOLY NIGHT

I’ve been to the sun

It’s nothing special

A place of violence

Much like our own.

LEONARD COHEN

The book of Longing

Holy Night was partly developed during a one-month residency at Villa Le Pinede, Maussane Les Alpilles, Aix en Provence, France in 2010.

Holy Night is one of the five finalists in the 2012 Internationalists Global Playwrighting Contest.

The play was first performed in August 2012 in Lagos Nigeria with the following cast:

VETERAN   Aderopo Ewenla

IBRAHIM   Jeremiah Ikongio

HAUWA   Omolara Oyewumi

PROFESSOR   Sinmilola Oyewole

HAMEED   Rasheed Aluko

BULUS   Tobi Joel-Taiwo

ALEX   Uche Enechukwu

Director   Olusegun Adefila

Lights   Dotun Olagbegi

CHORUS

Joy Akrah

Aisat Onitiri

Nike Shittu

Mary-anne Okpeodu

Taiwo Ojudun

Segun Akinduro

Michael Olukayode

Femi Akinde

Moses Olaitan

Christian Ekpo

Busayo Olowu

11:50AM

   Veteran sits in a wheelchair by his door. The furniture that can be seen is old and worn; the room is clean and tidy.

Veteran   I hear it coming.

   I hear them coming. Did you ever hear things coming?

   And you knew so well they were coming?

   It is a disturbing feeling.

   Like when I saw Zamani in my dreams… she was joyful.

   Waddling in her space. She made to whisper something to me; but she only made bubbles. Her eyes told me she was in despair.

   She wriggled and turned away. Zamani never turned her back on me.

   She did, that night. And I began to sweat a very salty sweat.

   I found Zamani in her bright orange, floating on the water surface.

   Her eyes were still open.

   What was she trying to say to me?

   From that very sad moment, I have heard them coming…

   Above the rumpuses of football fans, the rain tapping furiously on rusted zinc, above the humming of confused votaries, the cranking of car engines, the nagging of wives and grunting of men… above the cat fights at happyman brothel… Above all of the clatter of the universe, I hear these things coming.

   So I drink to erase, I drink to forget and I forget to remember and I remember only the extraneous.

   I saw shadows on my veranda. I did not know whom or what they sought.

They multiplied and