SUMMARY

The Sentenceis adapted from ‘Hailstones on Zamfara,’ which was initially written as a monologue and later published as a short story. The Sentencepresents the story in its original form, a play about religious hypocrisy and fundamentalism, in which an unnamed Moslem woman recounts how she was wrongfully sentenced to death for adultery.

CHARACTERS

Woman

Husband

Junior Wife

Imaginary Man

Miriam Maliki

It is possible to have only three actors in this play. The roles of Husband and Imaginary Man, Junior Wife and Miriam Maliki can be doubled up.

SETTING

A prison cell

SCENE 1

A Woman sits on a stool by a bucket. She is dressed in black traditional Moslem wear. She carries white prayer beads. By her feet are mangoes.

Woman On the day I die I will arise, and my executioners will finally be forced to admit, ‘We were wrong. We should have revered you more’. I am not guilty. I have always preferred men as I make them up in my head; imaginary men. Not the kind some women want, those silly fantasy men in romance books. My men are plain – ugly, even – with facial marks, oily skins, dust in their hair. They ride motorcycles, take buses and taxis to their places of work. They walk mostly. They never own cars, otherwise they would have to be rich men, the kind who become senators, chairmen of banks and such. No, my men have spread-out feet from being barefoot as children. They have palms as brown as tobacco leaves. Some have had a hand cut off because they stole to eat. Still, they pray as good Moslems should, five times a day. Enter Husband.

Woman Did my husband think I was pretending the day I stopped hearing him? Had he forgotten he caused the very condition that made him so angry? I tried to help him understand.

‘You call me, I can't hear. You insult me, I can't hear. You tell me to get out of your house. How can I leave when I can't hear?’

Husband You witch! I know you're doing this on purpose!

Woman It is not my fault. My left ear is damaged from the beating you gave me. Sometimes I hear, sometimes I don't, even if I face Mecca.