by Adam Brace
Stef
Huw One small festival?
Jenny At the moment it’s not even that.
Stef It may be underwhelming this year but we will / build
Jenny We don’t have one-third Congolese support.
Stef We will have.
Jenny How?
Stef By the final steering meeting when we sign off on things
Jenny Which is tomorrow
Stef We will have one-third Congolese.
Jenny At the moment there are none.
Stef Anne-Marie.
Jenny Nope.
Stef If you think Anne-Marie being attacked has put her off, it’s made her twice as determined.
Huw Her father has just died.
Stef Oh
Huw So I think that’s it as far as her involvement goes.
Stef Did she say that?
Jenny Look
Stef Did she say that?
Huw She said that, yes.
I’m sorry. Let’s try again next year. It’s not like Congo’s gonna be fixed by then is it? We need to tell people by tomorrow morning.
He exits.
Jenny For what it’s worth, Human Rights Monitor would still be willing to support it.
Stef If I step down.
Jenny No. I’ve discussed it with others on the committee and we’ll allow you to change the constitution.
Stef Who else?
Jenny Samo. Jeremy from StreetChild.
Stef Jeremy from Streetchild of course
Jenny Jeremy’s playing an active part, he’s just been unable / to make
Stef Aren’t you and Jeremy playing an active part? At the moment?
Jenny That’s a shame, I thought you were better than that.
Stef Just the rumour mill?
Jenny Jeremy has his own mind.
We are prepared to forgo this constitutional necessity of one-third Congolese support. We think it’ll be a better campaign.
Stef That constitution. Is everything.
Jenny You’ll be surprised how little you miss it.
Stef CongoVoice without a Congolese voice
Jenny Just because they’re Congolese doesn’t mean they’re the right people to run a campaign. All they have is their guilt that they got out. And a need to exercise it in public. I’ve worked with lots of diasporas, it’s not specific to Congo. And you fell for it. You’ve ruined a whole festival, to involve people who don’t want to be involved.
Stef We will have enough Congolese. By tomorrow’s meeting.
The constitution stays.
Jenny (goes to leave, stops.) Stephanie. You were in South Kivu about a year ago, weren’t you?
Stef Yes.
Jenny Observing the International Medical Corps?
Stef I was. Why?
Jenny What did you think of the work they were doing?
Stef Exceptional. They saved hundreds of lives.
Jenny I secured the funding for that project.
Stef Oh. I didn’t know that.
Jenny There was a nurse you met. A Canadian. I had to fill out an assessment of whether you were put at undue risk.
Stef
What did you decide?
Jenny I can’t remember. I had a lot of other things to do.
Jenny leaves.
Stef’s office. Later. Tony and Stef. Oudry with them.
Stef Jenny has positioned herself perfectly, for when, if. This all goes
Tony To shit.
Stef Yeah. She has positioned herself perfectly for that.
Tony has found a carton of UmBongo with a little note on it. He hands it to Stef.
(Reads.) ‘You probably shouldn’t have let me.’ Kat’s left.
Didn’t know they still made it.
(Sucks through the straw.) God, it’s good isn’t it?
We totally should have got this whole thing sponsored by them.
Tony I think they’re probably quite limited in terms of / financial
Stef I’m joking, Tony. CongoVoice Festival sponsored by fucking UmBongo tropical juice drink. I’m not completely insane.
How you doing?
Tony Still a bit shaken.
Stef Course you are, anyone would be.
Tony It would’ve been different if my mum had let me do karate.
Stef Sure.
Oudry Don’t look at the man.
Stef What are you doing tonight? Come over to Anne-Marie’s place
Tony Is she scared to come out?
Stef No, her dad’s died.
Tony Oh. Shit.
I s’pose he’d been ill for ages but
Stef She’s dropped out of the festival.
Tony Woawoawoah. Are we going to persuade her not to leave the festival when her dad’s just died?
Oudry One foot in front of the other.
Stef We’re going to pay our respects.
Tony And she’s just been attacked
Stef It’s a wake.
Tony A wake?
Oudry Go and get it done.
Stef Yeah, a wake.
Lots of Congolese people.
Tony Oh no.
Stef We need three people
Tony They’re grieving. It’s not a recruitment mission
Oudry Don’t look at the wound.
Stef Three people of demonstrable Congolese descent, to come to a meeting tomorrow. And put their hand up.
Tony It’s not appropriate.
Stef It’s one of the most beautiful things you’ve ever heard, everyone goes straight round to the house of the deceased and sits with the family. And eats. And drinks and talks. For days. To support.
Tony Do we need to wear black?
Stef I looked it up. No.
EIGHTEEN
THE WAKE
Anne-Marie’s flat. Evening.
A lounge area. A hallway off it with a front door and a landing outside it.
In the lounge. Victor and Suzanne. Nounou finishes setting a table cloth, then leaves. Suzanne is staring at the floor.
Victor I found my father, you know. Years ago, in Congo.
Big big heart attack. His body twisted all around. Like an old tree. But also I felt, for myself, I am happy it was me.
I am happy that it was me that find my father. Maybe you can be happy you found your grandfather.
Anne-Marie has entered with a large patch over her eye. She carries cutlery.
Anne-Marie
Suzanne Mum?
Anne-Marie Yes?
Suzanne Nothing.
Anne-Marie leaves the lounge.
In the hallway Nounou catches Anne-Marie.
Nounou
Anne-Marie
Nounou
Anne-Marie
Nounou
Anne-Marie
Nounou
Anne-Marie
They won’t do anything today.>
Nounou
I’m gonna text now and say don’t come. They wouldn’t argue on the day your Papa dies. Yeah?>
Anne-Marie
Nounou
But it’s your call.
Did Albert leave anything?>
Anne-Marie
Nounou
Anne-Marie
She exits into the kitchen.
In the lounge. A DVD of Congolese music. Victor and Suzanne.
Victor How is your mother with her injuries?
Suzanne Dunno, arx her.
Victor And she has police security?
Suzanne Outside. In a car. There’s two, one for the day, one for the night.
Victor looks out of a window. Anne-Marie and Nounou enter from the kitchen with trays of traditional Congolese food – pondu, cassava etc.
Nounou Suzanne you are looking more beauteous every day. You’re going to be a beautiful African woman.
Victor
Anne-Marie
Victor
Anne-Marie
Victor
Nounou
Anne-Marie
She leaves.
Nounou
Maybe it can help her come to God.
Nounou follows Anne-Marie out. In the hallway:
Anne-Marie
Nounou
Anne-Marie
Nounou
Anne-Marie
Nounou
Anne-Marie
Nounou
Anne-Marie
Nounou
Nounou follows Anne-Marie off into the kitchen.
In the lounge:
Victor You like this? The music Congolais?
Suzanne It’s ’kay.
Victor Only okay. What music do you like?
Suzanne You won’t know it.
Victor Try me. You might be surprised what I know about music.
Suzanne
Victor I won’t know it will I.
In the corridor. Nounou opens the door to leave and sees Kevin, a black British Policeman (Brummie, Scouse?) Nounou closes the door.
Nounou
Anne-Marie emerges from the kitchen.
Anne-Marie
Nounou starts doing Anne-Marie’s hair, Anne-Marie is fighting her off.
Kevin’s knocking. They’re both laughing now.
Nounou
Nounou opens the door to a bemused Kevin.
Hello!
Kevin Is Anne-Ma— (Sees her.) Hey, is your phone working?
Anne-Marie Sorry.
Nounou Hi, I’m Nounou.
Kevin Hi, I’m Kevin.
Nounou
Kevin You weren’t answering your phone.
Anne-Marie Sorry.
Nounou
Nounou fails to suppress a laugh. Anne-Marie just about succeeds.
Kevin Am I doing something funny?
Anne-Marie No, forgive us, it’s a strange day.
Nounou
Anne-Marie
Kevin When we’re handing over outside
Nounou
Anne-Marie
Nounou I’m going to get plates.
Anne-Marie Yes go, idiot woman.
Nounou leaves, amused. Anne-Marie shakes her head.
Sorry, she is a little crazy.
Kevin You need to be available on the phone when Jerry and me hand over outside. You entertaining guests?
Anne-Marie Kevin, today my father has died.
Kevin Oh. God I’m.
Anne-Marie So this is his wake we start now.
Kevin Oh God, I’m so sorry, Anne-Marie. How are you bearing up?
You seem in good spirits, you and that lady
Anne-Marie Adrenalin. Little shock maybe. Come in, you are hungry?
Kevin I’ve got a, a thing in the car.
Anne-Marie A thing?
Kevin A buffet bar.
Anne-Marie You have a buffet in your car?
Kevin No it’s a. Ginsters buffet bar, it’s like, I s’pose, some things you might have in a buffet, except it’s in a bar, that’s made of. Meat.
Anne-Marie Come in and have some / real food.
Kevin Maybe I’ll come in and have some real food.
No listen. I can’t.
Anne-Marie I have invited you.
Kevin I’m sorry for your loss but, I’m at work and you’re still under threat.
Anne-Marie Also there is something to tell you.
Kevin Yeah?
Anne-Marie The suspects. From the attack?
Kevin Yeah?
Anne-Marie They are coming here.
Kevin How do you know! When?
Anne-Marie Well because
Kevin Are you sure?
Anne-Marie Yes I am sure.
Kevin If you’re sure, I’m going to call now for more security
Anne-Marie No no, wait. I have invite them.
Kevin
You invited them.
Anne-Marie Well, not exactly but – it’s my papa’s wake. So they will come.
Kevin Let me get this straight, right, I have one job here, to stop men attacking you. And some of the men we think might have attacked you, are coming round for a party.
Anne-Marie It sounds worse like that.
Kevin Aw bloody hell, Anne-Marie.
Anne-Marie I know it’s not perfect for you
Kevin Not perfect? You realise I have to stop them.
Anne-Marie Please. Kevin, please. It’s my papa’s wake.
They were at his same church. Please leave them.
Kevin
This is madness.
Anne-Marie I beg you. It’s very important we not have a problem at the wake. I promise you they will be fine.
Kevin I have to come in and watch them.
Anne-Marie This is what I said, come in and have food.
Kevin Seriously, this is enough to get me suspended.
Alright, give me one minute.
He exits. Anne-Marie goes back into the lounge with Victor and Suzanne.
Victor Ah, sister. I was just saying, from now on, I could be round to check on Suzanne. And you. Now you’re just two women here.
Suzanne I don’t need checking.
Anne-Marie
Victor Or maybe on a free day, take Suzanne and you to a theme park?
Suzanne looks at him in disbelief.
Not Alton Towers obviously. Seen enough amputees for one lifetime!
Anne-Marie
She leaves the room.
More Congolese guests arrive, console Anne-Marie, take a plate of food.
Kevin returns. He eats and sizes up newcomers.
Stef and Tony are arriving as Nounou returns with plates.
Stef Nounou!
Nounou Oh.
Stef Yeah, we heard about Albert.
Nounou You knew Papa Albert?
Stef And we’re worried about Anne-Marie, after the attack.
Tony Hi.
Nounou I’m sorry for your festival.
Oudry slides into the scene.
Stef It’s not quite buried y
et.
Tony How is Anne-Marie taking it?
Stef We just need a few more Congolese on the steering committee.
Tony Is she very upset?
Nounou What do you call a person does not feel emotion?
Tony Like. A psychopath?
Nounou Who has no pain?
Stef Numb.
Tony Oh numb, yeah
Nounou She is numb, but come and see her.
Nounou opens the door and they go in. Anne-Marie sees Stef and Tony.
Anne-Marie (surprised) Ah.
Tony We heard.
Stef I’m so sorry about your dad.
She hugs Anne-Marie.
Nounou takes the plates through to the kitchen.
Anne-Marie Thank you.
Tony Very sorry.
Anne-Marie He is better where he is now.
Stef How is the eye?
Anne-Marie Another scan next week.
Tony You’re looking great considering.
Anne-Marie You know, truly I am sorry about your festival.
Tony This isn’t about the festival
Stef It’s not about the festival.
Anne-Marie Well, whatever it is, you are welcome.
There’s, uh. There is one thing you should know.
Ah, go, please eat. You will know some people who come probably.
Tony I wanted to say, I’m so sorry I couldn’t do more.
When you were attacked.
Anne-Marie Please, don’t apologise.
Tony It would’ve been different if my mum had let me do karate.
Anne-Marie laughs warmly and leaves to the kitchen.
Stef and Tony enter the lounge. Everyone looks at them.
Victor greets them, serves them food/beer. Nounou is talking in a group.
Nounou Look at this wake, this is normal for us. That is the problem, we are too hospitable. Congo is a hospitable country. As a country we pay for our own hospitality. Everyone comes there and take what they want.
In the hallway. Suzanne approaches Anne-Marie.
Suzanne Mum, can I talk to you?
Anne-Marie Of course. (Holds her arms out.) Come here.
Suzanne Can I go out?
Anne-Marie What?
Suzanne Can I go to Estelle’s house?
Anne-Marie It’s your grandpapa’s wake!
Suzanne No one’s gonna talk to me in English, I might as well not be here