Plays 1

by Kwame Kwei-Armah

Brother Kiyi By watching the game.

  Norma Rah, last move. (She moves.) Scamp. Deal wid dat!

  Brother Kiyi Ummm.

  Norma Haaaa. You see!

  She starts to sing a church song.

  Victory is mine, victory is mine, victory today is mine. (She switches back to serious speech.) I have to go.

  Brother Kiyi Eh! Sign the paper.

  Norma Sign it for me na! You know me handwriting not too good.

  Brother Kiyi You too damn lie. Is challenge you want to challenge me when you come back. Sign the ting!

  Norma Alright. (She writes it down.) Brother Kiyi has the next move.

  Brother Kiyi Date!

  Norma 15th October.

  Brother Kiyi Iiiiech!

  She signs. Just before she gets to the door, she takes a tenner out of her purse and gives it to Brother Kiyi.

  Brother Kiyi Na man it’s alright. I’m alright. Seriously.

  Norma Shut you mouth and take the ting.

  Brother Kiyi You could do me a favour though?

  Norma What?

  Brother Kiyi takes a letter out of the chest of drawers.

  Brother Kiyi Just got this letter and I don’t fully understand it. Could you ask you daughter to look over it for me?

  Norma Thought Beverly does your legal tings?

  Brother Kiyi She’s got a lot of work on at the moment. I don’t want to burden her.

  Norma You mean you owe her too much? No big ting. I go give Paulette when she come over this evening. I love you yuh na, brother, but (points to the books) you too stubborn for your own good.

  Brother Kiyi Where are we without hope?! Say hello to Bernie. And tell him stop eat de master cast-offs!

  Norma I’ll tell him that when you cut you nasty locks!

  Brother Kiyi looks through another book. Suddenly he springs up and begins to search for a space to place the books. After much deliberation he decides to take down a row of modern black love stories.

  He takes down the books and, carefully brushing down the bookshelf, places the new ones in their place, in a prominent place in the shop. He stops reading.

  Enter Alice, thirty-four, mixed race. Brother Kiyi pulls the book back up as if reading again, but he is not. He is slightly taken by her attractiveness.

  Alice Hi.

  He does not reply. She moves a little closer, tries again.

  Alice Hello?

  He looks up from the book and smiles a little smile.

  Brother Kiyi Tende Mwari.

  Alice What does that mean?

  Brother Kiyi Well, in the ancient language of Kwaswahili, it is the greeting that one villager would give to the other.

  Alice Right, that bit I get, but what does it mean?

  Brother Kiyi As you know, translations are always notoriously inaccurate . . .

  Alice . . . but?

  Brother Kiyi Roughly translated it means, ‘Hello’ . . .

  Alice And I say in return? . . .

  Brother Kiyi It’s very difficult, I wouldn’t worry yourself about it!

  Alice Right.

  He returns to the book. She returns to looking at the bookshelves.

  It’s Black History month, isn’t it?

  Brother Kiyi Indeed it is.

  Alice Must be a good time for business eh? Bet everyone like me comes in looking for something that will broaden their understanding of, well, black history. What do you recommend?

  Brother Kiyi Well, young lady . . .

  Alice I don’t know about the young, according to my mother at thirty I should have been married at least once, and had my one-point-six children years ago.

  Brother Kiyi Your mother’s from where?

  Alice Oh, um, she’s English, from up north.

  Brother Kiyi Oh.

  Alice Why do you ask?

  Brother Kiyi It’s a very Caribbean thing to say, that’s all. My mother had me when she was twenty-seven and I’m the last of six.

  Alice Wow, what age did you start?

  Brother Kiyi Me? I don’t have any children. To the profound disappoint of my mother.

  Alice I’m sorry.

  Brother Kiyi Nothing to be sorry about. I chose to over-share.

  But he returns to his book and she to the shelves. He turns the Marcus Garvey tape back on. Marcus is in full-throttle mode. It is passionate oration, and we hear the wild audience response. Alice tries to break the silence.

  Alice Who is that speaking?

  Brother Kiyi (turning it down a tad) The Honourable Marcus Garvey.

  Alice Wow, I’ll have one of those please.

  Brother Kiyi The cassette is my own personal property, but if you go to the other aisle on the fifth shelf you’ll see many of his books.

  She does.

  Alice Are his books any good?

  Brother Kiyi Well, er, I seem to think so!

  Alice Great! Then I’ll buy ’em!

  Brother Kiyi There are a few! You might want to buy one to start off with.

  Alice Actually I don’t so much as read but have one of those photographic memories. I kind of scan it and it goes in.

  She picks up two books and goes to the counter.

  I’ll have these two. Thank you.

  Brother Kiyi Good.

  He methodically puts the books in a brown bag, writes the sales in a little black book and hands the bag to her.

  Brother Kiyi That will be £31.90 please.

  She hands him her card.

  Sorry, we don’t have the facility to process cards. Cash or cheques only. But cash is always best.

  Alice Good thing I bought my cheque book out with me.

  She writes it out while he watches. She hands him the cheque and the card.

  Brother Kiyi looks at the signature for a while.

  Brother Kiyi Do you have any other form of identification on you?

  Alice Why?

  Brother Kiyi The signature on the cheque is, well, it’s a little different.

  Alice Let me see. Well, it doesn’t look that different to me. Maybe it’s a little untidy but I always write fast when I’m nervous.

  Brother Kiyi What do you have to be nervous about?

  Alice I didn’t actually mean nervous, I meant excited.

  Brother Kiyi stares at her blankly.

  Alice New books!

  Brother Kiyi I see.

  Alice Here’s my driver’s licence. Picture’s a bit old but, hey, same chick.

  He looks at it for a while, then holds the books out so that she can take them from his hand. She doesn’t.

  Brother Kiyi Sorry about that, but one has to be careful.

  Alice One?

  Brother Kiyi Yes.

  Alice Thank you. By the way, I don’t know about Kwaswalili but in real Swahili one responds to ‘Hello’ with ‘Habari Yako’.

  Brother Kiyi Is that so? How do you know that?

  Alice I had an East African boyfriend. Once.

  Brother Kiyi Thank you for telling me that.

  Alice It’s OK. I wanted to over-share.

  He waits for her to open the door.

  Brother Kiyi Safi. That is also real Swahili.

  She turns around, slightly embarrassed, and then leaves.

  Brother Kiyi turns Marcus back up and starts to read his slave narrative again.

  Fade out.

  Scene Two

  Fix Up bookstore. The following day.

  Brother Kiyi is sitting reading the slave narratives. Enter Norma.

  Brother Kiyi Hey girl.

  Norma Don’t ‘hey girl’ me, you stubborn old fool!

  Brother Kiyi What I do you now?

  Norma The letter you asked me daughter Paulette to look at.

  Brother Kiyi Yeah?

  Norma What don’t you understand about if you don’t pay your rent within twenty-one days Mustafar is going to send in the bailiffs?

  Brother Kiyi I understand it all. What I want to find out is what I can do about it.

  Norma You phone Beverl
y, get her to inform them you going to pay!

  Brother Kiyi Ah, Beverly’s great but she don’t have the stamina I require for this battle.

  Norma You mean she has grown tired ah you?

  Brother Kiyi What Paulette say?

  Norma That you need to pay! Like today! You know what the problem is? You think the world is waiting on you, Kiyi! While you’re sitting in here being obstinate, Mustafar is moving forwards. Why weren’t you at the town hall last night?

  Brother Kiyi I was busy.

  Norma My backside you were busy! All the other leaseholders were there!

  Brother Kiyi I don’t go anywhere dem punk rockers will be. If I see them I might just lose me temper and . . . If they’d have stood by me in the first place none of this would have been happening!

  Norma That is history, Kiyi.

  Brother Kiyi No my friend, his story are the fables of his winnings. (Points to slave narrative books.) This is history. Anyway, it wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t know already.

  Norma Oh, so you know that he planning to turn the places above you into luxury flats? What do you think is gonna happen next?

  Brother Kiyi They’ll pretty up the front, give me a new sign.

  Norma Which parent you think gonna loan dem child money to buy flat on top of an extreme Black bookshop? He has to get you out.

  Brother Kiyi Norma, me know all of that. Me even know he plan to replace my bookstore with shop that sells black hair products.

  Norma How do you know that?

  Brother Kiyi Two people came in here yesterday to measure up!

  Norma To measure up?

  Brother Kiyi Yes. But he’s messing with the wrong guy. I’m gonna talk to my MP. I’m gonna start a petition, speak to all the local black celebrities . . .

  Norma I wouldn’t count on them if I were you.

  Brother Kiyi You can’t replace history with hair gel.

  Norma Kiyi, our MP was there. Smiling. Agreeing. Saying thank you. The only good ting about that meeting is that they asked me to talk. Dem requested that a community woman like myself make comment on dem plans.

  Brother Kiyi What you say?

  Norma I said I was outraged.

  Brother Kiyi And?

  Norma If you were bloody well there you’d have known what I said! We can’t mek dem run roughshod over us like that man. Anyway, I went to the doctor this morning and you know what he tell me?

  Brother Kiyi You diabetes getting worse?

  Norma Me diabetes getting worse. This ting go take me to me premature grave.

  Brother Kiyi Hey girl, don’t talk stupidness!

  Norma Listen, when me reach de Fadder gate, I want to be able to look he in the eye and say, ‘Lord, I did do something down there!’ (Beat.) So I went to the bank. There was three grand in it. Here’s two. Pay the man.

  Brother Kiyi Don’t be stupid!

  Norma Take it. I understand where you coming from, man, but you can’t fight this from where you are, Kiyi. You need help. We need to keep the shop open. Now take this, pay the man. Pay me back when you can.

  Brother Kiyi Norma, you know that’s not possible. Listen to me good. If I pay the man his money now, he’s gonna expect it on time every quarter. My business doesn’t run like that!

  Norma And neither does his!

  Brother Kiyi I always square up by end of year! What’s wrong wid dat?

  Norma It’s unreasonable, Kiyi.

  Brother Kiyi And so is the offer of your savings. I can’t take it.

  Norma Kiyi, though I don’t agree with all you stupidness, you love Black. And all of my life I have been taught to fear it, hate it. That ain’t right! Take the money. Please.

  She forces the envelope into Brother Kiyi’s hand.

  Brother Kiyi Don’t think that go stop me whipping you backside at draughts?

  Norma Phone him now. Tell them you coming!

  Brother Kiyi Now?

  Norma Now.

  Brother Kiyi picks up the phone.

  Brother Kiyi (with smile) Just cos you give me little money you think you could boss me around? (Serious switch.) Hello, put me through to Mr Mustafar please . . . Who’s calling? His nemesis . . . No, that’s not all one word . . . Thank you . . . Mustafar, Kiyi here. You think you catch me, innit? Well you lie. I coming with you money . . . How about three? I think I can just about make that. Cool.

  He slams down the phone. Norma smiles.

  Enter Kwesi. Brother Kiyi puts the envelope of money away.

  Brother Kiyi Tende Mwari, Brother Kwesi.

  Kwesi (not reciprocating Brother Kiyi’s joyous tone) Tende Mwari, Sister Norma.

  The slave narratives catch Kwesi’s eye. He stops to look.

  Norma Kwesi!

  She exits to the basement.

  Brother Kiyi So, how’s the revolution today?

  Kwesi Fine, my brother.

  He is about to walk past Brother Kiyi to the room upstairs when Brother Kiyi stops him.

  Brother Kiyi Hey, I just read that Michael Jackson has been a signed-up member of the Nation of Islam for ten years?

  Kwesi How can you have the most prominent manifestation of Black self-hate as a member of a militant Black organisation? Char! Michael should have been shot the moment he bleached his skin.

  Brother Kiyi So what happen? A brother can’t look a little forgiveness?

  Kwesi Can you forgive slavery? Can the European repent for that? Only thing this world understands, Kiyi, power. Till we have that, no matter what’s up there (pointing to head), we’re all just joking it.

  Brother Kiyi Good talk, Kwesi, but make sure your words don’t take you where they shouldn’t. Jail life na nice.

  Kwesi For real.

  He makes to go.

  Brother Kiyi (grabbing the opportunity) Brother Kwesi, I tried to go into the room upstairs yesterday, but the door was locked.

  Kwesi Yeah, that’s right. Sorry, I forgot to tell you. But it’s OK, I’ve got the key.

  Brother Kiyi There’s never been a key for that lock!

  Kwesi Oh, at last week’s meeting we . . . we changed the locks. The new computers and that. I’m sorry, we should have informed you, but with all this march and all it must have slipped my mind.

  Brother Kiyi Right.

  Kwesi I’ll do a copy and get it right to you?

  Brother Kiyi Fine.

  Enter Carl.

  Carl Brother Kiyi, I ain’t got but five minutes so we need to hit it straight away.

  Kwesi Hey, Brother Carl, are you coming on the march?

  Carl I’m not your brother, and which march is that?

  Kwesi The Reparations for Slavery march.

  Carl No, I don’t think so.

  Kwesi You, a recipient of state brutality, can’t find one hour out of your day to march for our people’s right to be repaid! That’s why our race is going nowhere. I’m upstairs, Kiyi.

  He exits.

  Carl Why is he always so angry?

  Brother Kiyi He’s a serious young man.

  Carl Do you reckon his face is vex like that when he’s doing it?

  Carl demonstrates sex doggy-style with a vexed face just as Norma enters from downstairs.

  Carl Huh! Huh! Huh! Take it, baby! Sorry, Aunty Norma. But it ain’t natural, is it?

  Norma You want me to come with you at three?

  Brother Kiyi Na, man. I cool.

  Norma Alright, I gone. Later, dutty boy!

  She exits.

  Enter Alice, who crosses with Norma at the door. She has her headphones on. She smiles and starts to look at a bookshelf. Carl decides to stay.

  Carl What you saying, sister?

  He walks up to Alice.

  Alice Pardon?

  Carl Are you one of those reparation-marching, hard-faced, straight-talking conscious types?

  Alice I don’t think so!

  Carl I knew it. I could see you were different from your hair! I’m Carl.

  Alice Alice.

  Carl Come
on, Brother Kiyi, let’s get down to it. I haven’t got long! (Showing off.) Excuse us. Brother teaches me to read. See, I ain’t one of those ignorant niggers.

  Brother Kiyi (referring to ‘niggers’) Carl!

  Carl Sorry – Nubians, that’s afraid of edgedumacation.

  Alice I see.

  Alice moves to the back of the shop. Puts her headphones back on as politely as possible.

  Brother Kiyi pulls out a book from beneath his counter.

  Brother Kiyi Alright, where were we? Tell you what, try this today. You may struggle a little, but well!

  He goes to the shelf and pulls out a book of Selected Poems. He finds a poem and hands the book to Carl.

  Carl What is it?

  Brother Kiyi Just read.

  Carl ‘If We Must Die.’

  ‘If we must die, let it not be like hogs,

  Hunted and penned in an ingl . . . ’

  Brother Kiyi Inglor . . .

  Carl

  ‘ . . . rious spot,

  While round us bark the mad and hungry dogs – ’

  (Stops reading.) What does that ‘inglorious’ mean?

  Brother Kiyi I’ll explain after. Carry on.

  Carl

  ‘Making their mock at our ac-curs-èd lot.’ (He exhales.)

  Brother Kiyi Well done.

  Carl

  ‘If we must die, O let us nobly die,

  So that our precious – ’

  (Pleased with himself for recognising.) That’s that word from Lord of the Rings innit? (Does impression.) ‘My precious.’ (To Alice.) You know there’s an actor from The Bill who lives right up the road dere, Brian something or other, he knows the guy that played Golom, you know?

  Brother Kiyi I see. Carry on with the poem, Carl.

  Carl Where was I? Oh yeah. (He looks at Alice.)

  ‘O, kinsmen! We must meet the common foe!

  Though far outnumbered, let us show us brave,

  And for their thousand blows deal one death blow!

  What though before us lies the open grave?

  Like men we’ll face the murderous cowardly pack,

  Pressed to the wall, dying but fighting back.’

  Enter Kwesi from upstairs, who has heard the last few lines. He gently giggles aloud at Carl’s reading. He clocks Alice and likes what he sees but does not show it, much.

  Brother Kiyi cuts his eye at Kwesi.

  Alice Who was that?

  Brother Kiyi Claude MacKay.

  Carl’s mobile rings – the theme tune to Batman. Carl looks at the number and recognises it.

  Carl Oh my gosh, Brother Kiyi, I gotta run, Mister Dongal done waiting for me. I liked that poem dough. Explain it to me tomorrow?