by Adam Brace
Stef Not for me it’s not.
Oudry could begin to sing a note or theme.
Anne-Marie To you I’m just a Congolese for your campaign. But what else am I to you?
Stef I think you’re becoming a friend.
Anne-Marie Your friend from a bad place.
Stef That’s all you let me see.
Anne-Marie I am lucky. I am safe here. If I don’t work for back home, I can never look my community in the face.
Good luck with these men. (Softly.) I think you are foolish for going.
Call me, when you are finished, eh. I need your flyers to give at the protest.
Anne-Marie exits. Oudry could halt his song and beam at Stef.
FOURTEEN
DEVILS AND LANTERNS
Maurice’s internet cafe. Maurice, William, Nounou.
Maurice
Nounou
Maurice
Nounou
Maurice
Nounou
Maurice
William
Nounou
William
Maurice
Nounou
Nounou pays and leaves.
William
Maurice
William
Maurice
William
Maurice
William
Maurice
William
Maurice
Parliament. Powerful people pay us a visit.>
William
Maurice
William
Victor enters.
Maurice
Victor
Maurice
Victor
Maurice
Victor
Maurice
Victor
Maurice
Victor
Maurice
Victor
Maurice
Victor
Maurice
Victor
Maurice
Victor
Maurice
Victor
Maurice
Tell me. Are you busy now, brother?>
Victor
Maurice
Victor
Maurice
Victor
William
Victor
William
Maurice
William
Maurice
William
Maurice
Victor nods and hands Maurice cash. Maurice begins processing it.
Victor
He exits.
Maurice
William
Maurice
Luis enters with a big bag.
Luis
Maurice
Luis
Maurice
Luis
Maurice
Luis
Maurice
Luis
Maurice
Luis
Maurice
Luis
Maurice
Victor enters.
Luis
Maurice
Luis
Victor
Luis
William
Luis
William
Luis
Maurice
William
Maurice
Victor
Maurice
Victor
Maurice
Victor
Luis
Victor
Maurice
He opens the large bag. In it are camouflage combat trousers and boots.
Luis
Victor
Maurice
Victor
Victor starts taking his trousers off. William tugs at Maurice’s boxer shorts.
William
Maurice
Luis
Victor
Maurice
Luis
Victor
Maurice
Victor
William
Maurice
Luis
Victor
Maurice
Luis
Victor
Maurice
Luis
Victor
Maurice
William
Luis
William
Luis
The framed picture is placed on the floor. A camera on a tripod (or a selfie-stick wedged in something) trained on it.
The four men form a line.
William
One by one the men walk slowly over the picture, lingering to stamp on the face.
Once each man is out of shot, he runs behind the camera and puts on a new pair of combat trousers and rejoins the line. After a few turns, the timing is slightly out and Luis has not changed in time. Victor is left stamping up and down on the picture waiting for him.
Victor
Luis
William
Luis
Victor
Luis
Go again. Okay, action.>
William
The repeat the procession with better timing. A loud polyphonic ring tone.
Luis
William
Maurice
William <(chuckling) That’s not our fault.>
Luis
William
Luis
Basics. Absolute basics.>
Victor
William
Victor
Maurice
Luis
Victor
Luis
Victor
Luis
Victor
Luis
Victor grabs Luis. There is a protracted scuffle where Victor and Luis can’t fight effectively because their trousers are round their ankles.
Stef enters.
Stef Oh, sorry.
The men attempt to pull their trousers up. Oudry enters.
Luis You should call us first.
Stef I just did.
Luis You’re early.
Stef I apologise, I was told we didn’t have much time.
Hello, Victor, I didn’t uh. I didn’t know you were involved with, this.
Victor Well, the diaspora, everybody knows everybody. You know.
Stef And it’s you four?
Maurice It is today.
Victor Not me really.
Luis We are the media representatives of Les Combattants de Londres. They have over sixty members and are affiliated to groups in Belgium, France and Germany. We understand you have something to say that we can pass on to them.
Stef Yes. I’m here to say that CongoVoice festival is not their enemy. Our committee is one-third Congolese – as Victor may have
Victor Stephanie, no.
Stef No?
Luis
Victor I think the problems are bigger
Stef Of course and as a committee member
Victor You’ve made a mistake, I’m not a committee member.
Stef Sorry, yes, I made a mistake you’re not a committee member.
Victor Really, now I must go.
William
Victor Stephanie.
He leaves.
Luis
William
Stef Gentlemen, you feel strongly about your homeland.
William Natural for Congolais.
Maurice The Congolese diaspora give more money to home than any African diaspora. Western Union figures prove this.
Stef And I don’t blame you for being angry. In that spirit I even understand you throwing red Eosin at me. It’s not acceptable, but I’m sorry if you felt disrespected.
Maurice (genuinely confused) Eosin? When?
Luis We do not recognise this act you speak of.
Stef I haven’t reported it yet. I’m not sure that I will. I think we need to find a way to co-exist.
Maurice
Luis Co-exist, Miz Cartwright, do you know the old story of the white devil with the lantern?
Stef Can you remind me?
Luis In colonial times, the white man would come to a village at night to round up men, to force them to work. Cutting trees for palm oil, rubber, all these things. Belgian officials would come and take them for this. In the night always, they say, come follow this light. But then the lantern has evil inside. Men never came home. They die from working for the white devil. It’s a story for all Congolese.
Stef I see.
Luis That was Europeans trying to co-exist. But now the white man with the lantern, he is outsourcing. You know outsourcing? Now the white man doesn’t come to the village. An African comes. But the white man makes the money from the work.
Before the white man had his lantern, his new technology.
And still the white man has his new technology.
And we pay for this, in blood.
Stef It’s a very evocative case.
Luis It’s a very true case.
Stef But I don’t think it’s that simple.
Luis Nothing can be simple to the European mind. Everything is taken away. One man Lumumba raise the alarm in 1960, he is killed. Everything is taken, always. And the European mind says oh yah yah yah, it is not simple, wave a hand in the air, nothing is simple. And with the other hand keep taking. Keep take take take.
Stef I sympathise with what you’re saying probably more than
Luis But you take from us now with your festival – only you don’t know it.
Stef You are taking too. From your culture, you’re stopping Congolese music being heard in this country.
Luis My eyes are full of tears.
William Also they are on Spotify.
Stef Y’know what. I heard you might have more influence in the Combattants than this. But if you’re just the IT crowd, I’m obviously wasting my time.
Stef turns coolly and begins to walk out.
Maurice No no, Miz Cartwright, you are not wasting your time.
Stef Why don’t I give you gents a second to agree how much influence you actually have? Is this the loo?
William nods. Stef leaves to the toilet. Maurice is about to address Luis when he remembers something.
Maurice No! Miz Cartwright, please. Not in there!
Stef walks out choking from the smell.
Sorry sorry!
Luis Listen to me, Miz Cartwright. Of course we have influence.
Maurice But not in illegal matters.
Stef So use your influence. Stop the death threats to this band.
Maurice Miz Cartwright, this is always the danger with a political band.
Stef But they’re not political.
Maurice They do political concerts for the President.
Stef One public concert, not political, the President just happened to be there.
Luis He was there. That is political.
Stef We don’t support him. We make no political statements.
Luis You are backed by your Parliament. You are a political statement.
Stef Actually our Parliament insists the campaign is not political at all.
Luis Your Parliament! When Kabila stole the election for the second time, did your Parliament do anything? They help him. They helped because they like him in dere. Your parliament like Kabila. Your Parliament like the money from the technology. People in your Cabinet are on the board of companies who profit from our minerals. Panama Papers tell us that British Virgin Islands pass all the money from our gold. The business interests are too much. Your Parliament now wants to say, oh no, stop. A man is going to read a poem. People will dance. You understand fucking nothing. You invite bands to play, friends of the President. And the Combattants are very angry about this.