October 29, 2022
Afro-Scope—The Magazine
(Directed By Harry Agina)
WHATEVER IS GOOD FOR THE GOOSE, IS EQUALLY GOOG FOR THE GANDER
Greetings!
This is “Afro-Scope,” the telescope that beams on Africa, the African people, and the African Culture. Of course, there are loads of sub-cultures within the African Culture. And we strive to bring you comparison in the variations among the sub-cultures. Importantly, Afro-Scope is a magazine project for InterCultural Exchange between Africa and the rest of the world. By ‘magazine,’ we mean that the project has several categories or segments. They include “AfroCultural Titbits,” “AfroCultural Entertainment,” “AfroCultural Festivals,” “AfroCultural Documentaries,” “AfroCultural Dramas,” and more. Our basic style is InfoTainment, which means Information through Entertainment.
I am Harry Agina, the director of the project, and today’s presentation is under our “AfroCultural Dramas” category. If you have not seen our drama series on various African cultural traditions, please browse around this site and check them out. I will make it easy for you at the end of this episode by providing the links to each of our series so far. One of them is a series on polygamy in Africa, which is titled “The Deal.”
We strongly subscribe to the idiom that “Whatever that is good for the goose, is also good for the gander.” A man can marry several wives and live together with them in the name of polygamy. So, by Jove, a woman should also be able to marry several husbands. This is called polyandry. Let the women also enjoy, or suffer, whatever it is that comes from being married to several spouses of the opposite sex. Today, our dramatist, Michael Shaibu, is introducing our series on polyandry in Africa, which he aptly titles, “Reversed Harem.”
“REVERSED HAREM,” EPISODE 1
- INT. CLUB LOUNGE. DUSK.
BEAUTIFUL, CLASSY ZALIKA SITS ALONE SIPPING A BEER AND CHATTING ON HER PHONE, SMILING AND CHUCKLING NOW AND THEN.
OTIENO, ALSO ALONE, IS A FEW SEATS AWAY, SIPPING HIS OWN BEER AND TAKING QUICK LOOKS OVER AT ZALIKA, FAILING TO CATCH HER EYES. HE CALLS A WAITER…
OTIENO (To Waiter): Please give her a refill of whatever she is drinking. On me.
THE WAITER NODS AND WALKS AWAY.
SOON THE WAITER DELIVERS THE ORDER TO ZALIKA.
SHE LOOKS UP, SMILES, AND WAVES HER THANKS TO OTIENO.
OTIENO SMILES, WAVES BACK. AS HE STARTS A MOVE TO GET UP, ZALIKA PICKS HER DRINK, AND WALKS OVER TO HIM; HE STANDS TO WELCOME HER…
ZALIKA: Uh…may I sit with you? Don’t worry, when your date comes, I will uh…uh…
OTIENO: No, no, no; please sit. I don’t mind a company.
ZALIKA (Sitting): Thank you! And thanks again for the drink.
OTIENO: Oh, come on! Which man would not feel honoured to buy a delectable woman like you a drink?
ZALIKA (Smiles): Such beautiful compliment. Thank you.
ZALIKA SMILES, JUST AS AN ALERT SOUNDS ON HER PHONE, AND SHE GOES BACK TO HER CHATTING. BUT SHE KEEPS PEEKING AND SMILING AT OTIENO, WAITING FOR A CONVERSATION.
OTIENO ONLY KEEPS SMILING.
AFTER A WHILE, ZALIKA KEEPS HER PHONE AWAY AND TURNS ON THE CHARM…
ZALIKA: Please, forgive my manners. I am Zalika.
OTIENO: I am OTIENO. Nice to meet you.
THEY SHAKE HANDS…
ZALIKA: I have never seen you here before. May I call you Tee?
OTIENO (Smiles): Yes, you may. It’s my first time here, actually. You come here often, then?
ZALIKA: Well, you could say so.
THEY DRINK IN SILENCE FOR A WHILE, LOOKING AT EACH OTHER…
ZALIKA (Smiles): Do you usually do this?
OTIENO (Puzzled): Uh…do what?
ZALIKA: Well, do you usually just keep smiling at a woman and wait till she says something?
OTIENO (Smiles, shrugs): I am usually at a loss as to how to start a conversation, really, especially when I am struck speechless by such beauty as yours.
ZALIKA (Smiles shyly): That’s okay. What do you really want? Because I don’t do flings.
OTIENO (Chuckles): That makes two of us.
ZALIKA: Really? Good then. And I don’t mind dinner…as long as I am cooking.
OTIENO: Wow! Someone is really liberated.
THEY BOTH LAUGH A BIT…
ZALIKA: Come on! It is the 21st century!
OTIENO: Oh, I know. Just joking.
ZALIKA: Good. So…?
OTIENO: My evenings are all free, Zalika…if only I could have your number. Please…?
HE HANDS HIS MOBILE PHONE TO HER. SHE TAKES IT AND INPUTS HER NUMBER…
DAYS LATER…
- INT. LUSH DINNING. DUSK.
SOUND OF COOKERY FILTERS OUT FROM THE KITCHEN. SOUND OF COOKERY FILTERS OUT FROM THE KITCHEN…OTIENO IS ALONE, STANDING AND STUDYING A PIECE OF ART…
OTIENO: Wow! Your art collection is amazing.
ZALIKA (Out of sight): Actually, I didn’t pick them. That one at the dinning was picked by one of my uh…
OTIENO: Oh! Okay.
THEY ARE SILENT AGAIN FOR A WHILE. MORE SOUND OF COOKERY FITERS OUT, THEN ZALIKA POPS HER OUT OF THE KITCHEN DOOR, SMILING…
ZALIKA (Smiling): Hello! Have you lended out your voice to someone?
OTIENO (Chuckles): Nah! Just thought I should stop distracting you.
ZALIKA: I don’t feel distracted at all. In fact, dinner will be ready in minutes. Could you uh…come over for a second?
OTIENO WALKS OVER TO HER, PUZZLED. SHE TAKES HIS HAND AND LOOKS INTO HIS EYES…
ZALIKA (Smiling): A woman saying that you are handsome must now sound like a cliché to you, right?
OTIENO SMILES, OPENS HIS MOUTH TO SAY SOMETHING. BUT ZALIKA COVERS HIS MOUTH WITH HERS IN DEEP FRENCH KISS…
- INT. LUSH SITTING ROOM. EVENING.
OTIENO AND ZALIKA, NOW SCANTILY DRESSED, SIT NECKING ON THE VERY LUXURIOUS COUCH. A CAR DRIVES UP TO THE FRONT DOOR AND TOOTS ITS HORN. OTIENO JERKS TO ALERT, PUZZLED, AND LOOKS AT ZALIKA…
ZALIKA (Relaxed): It’s okay. That must be my husband.
OTIENO (Alarmed): Jesus Holy Christ!
EYES POPPING OUT, OTIENO JUMPS TO HIS FEET, BEGINS TO GRAB HIS DRESSES…
ZALIKA: Relax, Tee. He has his own key!
OTIENO IS EVEN MORE ALARMED AS HIS EYES POP OUT AND HIS LOWER JAW DROPS TO THE FLOOR—PETRIFIED. BUT ZALIKA ONLY SMILES AND PATS THE SPACE OTIENO STOOD UP FROM…
ZALIKA: Come on, Tee. Sit. And relax.
RELUCTANTLY, PUZZLED, AND SCARED, OTIENO SITS UNCOMFORTABLY. KEY TURNS IN THE LOCK, THE DOOR OPENS, AND MWANGI ENTERS…
ZALIKA: Hello, Mwangi. Meet Tee. I told you about him.
MWANGI: Hey, Tee.
MWANGI GOES OVER AND ACTUALY SHAKES HANDS WITH VERY PUZZLED, VERY CONFUSED OTIENO…
MWANGI (To Zalika): So uh…is John back yet?
ZALIKA: Not coming today.
MWANGI: Oh, okay. Anyway, I will be upstairs then. See you in a bit, Tee. Or will you leave soon?
ZALIKA: Of course, not! Why are you asking him that?
MWANGI: Oh, okay. Later then.
MWANGI WALKS AWAY AND CLIMBS THE STAIRS UP. CONFUSED OTIENO WATCHES HIM WALK AWAY AND CLIMB THE STAIRS. THEN HE TURNS TO ZALIKA ASKANCE. ZALIKA SMILES…
ZALIKA: Welcome to my world.
END
Whoof! Talk about female liberation!! Talk about the saying that “Whatever a man can do, a woman can do, even better!!!” Zalika is not wasting any time in letting Otieno into her world of female liberation; is she?
I can tell ya, I, Harry Agina, a man, cannot even begin to compete with Zalika in such forthrightness in the pursuit of a relationship. Nope! Did you notice that she took over control right after Otieno’s drink gesture, starting with her move to Otieno’s seat? I love that! Don’t tell me that you are a liberated lady, and yet, you leave every move for the dude. You like the dude, make the move if it makes you happy, I always say! However, the touch of the feminine lady, in self-carriage, must never be compromised in whatever liberated-girl’s move.
Well, so far, I don’t think that Zalika has gone too far; do you? All that I want to say at this point is that I can’t wait to see what else this 21st century liberated woman is up to. Please, don’t tell me that you’re not curious yourself. But we all must wait to hear again from our dramatist, Mikey, and Zalika the 21st century girl. That will be next week, as our drama on polyandry in Africa unfolds. To ensure that you don’t miss any episode, please subscribe to Afro-Scope through all our social media platforms, shown here.
Finally, may I remind you that Afro-Scope is migrating to our new home at the end of November, 2022…just about four weeks away.
LINK TO EPISODE 2:
