Author: Clinton Dan-Jumbo Esq
Publisher: Valuebug Solutions.
Reviewer: Pius Dukor
No of Pages: 30
The book the Amaechi’ Mgbu is a play written by Bar. Clinton Dan- Jumbo from Rivers State. This play is a master-piece centered on the author’s vivid account of the political imbroglio that characterize the situation in Rivers State especially as it relates to security, social transformation, political maneuvering in the conquest of power.
According to Clinton Dan-Jumbo Esq, the play is about his personal observation of the happenings in Rivers State and Nigeria.
“The play is not about any individual or a particular institution but as a playwright my work is to mirror the society which I live in and Nigeria is a society and I will be failing in my duty if I don’t report what I see in my society and if anybody is not happy that will be too bad”.
Explaining on the objective of the play, Dan-Jumbo said the purpose is to make our leaders to learn and not to politic with our moral value.
The 30 page play is a combination of fiction and reality, a juxtaposition that blend with African literature. Fiction mostly is an imagination of thoughts put together that has an understanding with the trend in the society.
It is very important to note that the setting in the play is deliberately fixed at an eatery in the local language a “mama put”. The significant of the setting allows a gamut of discussion.
Conceptually, Dan-Jumbo scores a credit on the depth and creativity found in the play, for instance, the drama that took place at the police station even though it was an imagery was a calculated attempt to send a strong message to those who frequently experience cases in our police stations.
The play is segmented into Five Acts without diving into a scene because of it compact-ability.
The characterization is drawn within the confine of Rivers State, such local names give credence to the play with a close proximity of culture and the people, e.g. names like Boma, Barikor, Tamuno etc.
Act 1, Opens a wide range of discussions within the context of the setting, views are shared, exploited and discussed, sometimes solutions are suggested for those who care to understand. You can also imagine the choice of soup made at an eatery has a local delicacies and their origin.
There is actually a contradiction between law and ignorance, where a car packed by the Commissioner of Police anywhere becomes an offence
Act 2, also presented how some Lawyers are been tricked by police at some point in their life especially if they fail to present their case properly.
Act 3, centered on conflict of ambition, especially the way people look at politics and also examined the way forward, in all this the unity of the state should not be compromise.
Act 4, pictures how police knowingly or unknowing exposed people to danger at the police detention cells, the rape element is also very critical.
Act 5 gives a vivid account of how government intentions are sometimes defeated because of lack of information dissemination. The Act captures the dilemma of the tenants whose houses were demolished which is the epilogue of the imbroglio that happened in the play. The writer suggested that “holding talk is better than fighting. On the duration of the play, Dan-Jumbo said it took him 30 days to capture the ideas in the play. The target audience is the general public and the children are also not left out, as the play x-rays the thought provoking question of numbering in the play.
In conclusion, the play exposed the benefit of good governance to the generality of the people, as it catalogue the achievements in the state in the area of Education, health and roads.###
