The Lion and the Jewel

Sidi enters, carrying a pail of water on her head. She is described as young and beautiful, the “village belle.” Two boys see her from a school window and begin making noises at her. The schoolmaster, Lakunle, comes to the window and smacks the troublemaking boys on the head. He is twenty-three years old and dresses like a modern schoolmaster from the West. Lakunle sees Sidi carrying the pail of water and runs out to speak with her. He tries to take the pail from Sidi, berating her for not letting him help. He then implores her to become more like the civilized women in Lagos. They argue back and forth, with Sidi making fun of Lakunle for acting like a foreigner with his modern ways. In turn, Lakunle considers Sidi and the villagers of Ilujinle primitive. He wants nothing more than for them to adopt the progressive ways of countries he sees as more civilized.

It is revealed that Lakunle is in love with Sidi and has asked her to marry him. Sidi has refused, citing his “madness” as a cultured man, and his role as the laughingstock of the village. The main reason Sidi has not considered Lakunle’s proposal, however, is that Lakunle refuses to pay the bride-price for her. He must pay this dowry to marry her, but thinks the practice is primitive. Sidi reminds him the she will not take him seriously until he pays the price, as tradition dictates. Lakunle argues against the village’s outdated notion of betrothal, highlighting this by kissing Sidi on the mouth as those in “civilized” countries do. Sidi thinks kissing a dangerous practice, and brushes it off as unclean.

Villagers interrupt the quarrel between Sidi and Lakunle. Three girls run up to Sidi and inform her that a stranger from the outside world has returned to the village just as he promised. He is a man from Lagos, and has a magazine with him. The wandering stranger, as he is called, has captured Sidi’s beauty in a magazine spread, thereby showing her beauty to the world. He has brought a motorcycle, which the villagers call a horse, and has shown the book to the Bale (village chieftain), Baroka. It seems that Baroka is barely visible in the magazine photos, meaning that he might be upset by being upstaged by Sidi. Sidi takes the news with encouragement, commenting on how she is now more important than the Bale himself. While Sidi and the villagers praise the foreigner for making Sidi and their village so famous, Sidi decides to put on a performance of the foreigner’s first visit. The villagers joke about the drunken foreigner, who fell in the river when he first arrived, then conduct a reenactment of the foreigner’s first visit. Sidi suggests that Lakunle play the role of the Traveller (the foreigner), as he dresses like him and acts like a foreigner. The villagers implore Lakunle to play the role, and he relents, agreeing to playing the part, which he later reveals he enjoys.

The villagers reenact the visit, beginning with the villager’s car breaking down. The foreigner is shown to be a drunk, and he leaves his car behind while bringing his camera with him. He hears a woman singing while bathing, scares her, and then tries taking photos of her while she bathes, only to fall in the river and scare her again. He is dragged away by the villagers to meet Bale Baroka. The play continues in this fashion, until Bale Baroka himself enters the scene right on cue. The villagers all bow, while Lakunle is caught trying to sneak away. He and the Bale exchange words, with Lakunle upset that the Bale, like the villagers, does not want to adopt more modern ways of life. Baroka reminds Lakunle that if it were not for the “childish” matters (traditions) that he attends to as leader of the village, a Bale’s life would be meaningless. The Bale then shocks Lakunle by informing him that he will arrest him. The reader realizes that the Bale is now acting in character, and that at this moment in the reenactment he is meant to arrest the foreigner and put him on trial.

The reenactment continues, with the foreigner eventually obtaining the mercy of the Bale. He is given a feast by the village. The foreigner has been drinking routinely since the beginning of the play, and continues drinking now with village’s local spirits. He sees Sidi dancing and receives permission from the Bale to photograph her in various poses. The Traveller then gets sick. He leaves the feast to throw up. Lakunle’s departure here signifies that the reenactment is over. The villagers all applaud him for his enthusiastic performance. Lakunle is upset and wants to leave, but the Bale jests that Lakunle is needed to interact with the foreigner. Everyone leaves with an elated Sidi to find the foreigner, while the Bale remains behind. The Bale takes the magazine with Sidi’s pictures in it out of his robes. He studies the pictures, and mentions that it has been five full months since he has taken a wife.