Lion and The Jewel

I like the fact that this play has an interesting lead female character. Sidi is in all of the scenes of the play. She is "The Jewel" of the title admired for her beauty, yet she is unaware of her power until she is photographed by the unnamed "outsider". She attempts a revolution, to unseat the power of Baroka, but she is tricked by his wily and persuasive ways.

Lakunle is utterly unlikable, for while he says that he believes in equality for women he continually calls his potential wife "his helpmate". He uses a great deal of Christian/Western truisms and uses its terminology, yet he too is in awe of Sidi because of her physical attributes. I think he is more like the "bushmen" that he criticizes than he realizes. For example although he says that he wants nothing to do with the African-inspired dancing/mime performances, when he joins in in the opening scene "Morning" he has a great time. Lakunle believes that he is an intellectual and is busy educating the young, but in fact he is corrupting the youth, teaching them not to believe inthemselves. He is colonizing the people even though he is African.

Baroka is disgusting in a different way. While Lakunle is obsessed with what he believes to be progress, Baroka is only too happy to live in the past where he reigns supreme. So great is his need for the status quo that he bribes the railway engineer to have the new railroad circumvent his village. Baroka likes his male-dominant world. He is feared more than loved. Marriage to him is undesirable. As his wives, you enjoy the dubious pleasures of tickling his feet and plucking his armpits!

Sadiku believes that Baroka's seeming impotence is the dawn of a revolution. "Beware ye masters. We'll scotch you in the end." When we consider the horrible life she has lead, we wish her words to be prophetic, buy they are not. Even if Baroka were impotent, he has already ruined her life. Is she about to begin a whole new existence of freedom at the age of seventy?

In the end Sidi is broken, and she steprs forward into her fate of marrying Baroka--a reprehensible thought. This is a comedy, but for the most part it is not funny, just pathetic. Does Soyinka want us to believe that it is a shame that Sidi must suffer this fate, or is she rightfully punished for her audacity? I have the impression that there is no neat resolution.