COMMENTARY TO BETRAYAL IN THE CITY (BY FRANCIS IMBUGA)

 Compiled by:
 Lawrence Sunday Ogwang

Characters in the Play         

v  Characters representing the ruling system

a)      Rulers

Ø  Boss – Head of State of Kafira

Ø  Mulili  -The eyes and the ears of Boss

b)     Agents of the ruling system

Ø  Askari – Prison warder

Ø Nicodemo – Government Official

Ø  Kabito – Government Official

Ø  Tumbo – Government Official

Ø  Guards, Palace staff

v  Characters representing the masses or the common people

a)      The silent helpless people

Ø  Doga – an old man

Ø  Nina – his wife

Ø  Regina – Mosese`s sister, also Wendo’s Girlfriend

b)     The enlightened activists

1. Jusper Wendo – son to Doga and Nina
2. Jere – Soldier, later prisoner
3. Mosese – Ex-lecturer, now prisoner
4. Adika- (Absentee character) son to Doga and Nina, brother to Jasper.

Background and settings of the Play: Betrayal in the City

Betrayal in the city is a play written by Francis Imbuga. Francis Imbuga was born in western Kenya in 1947. His book Betrayal in the city was written and published in 1976. The play is an inclusive, thought-provoking examination of the problems of independence and freedom in post-colonial African states where a sizable number of people feel that their future is blank and bleak. In the words of Mosese, one of the characters, “It was better while we waited. Now we have nothing to look forward to. We have killed our past and are busy killing our future…” (pg. 28).

It must therefore be understood that the text Betrayal in the City is a political play. The play talks about military regimes that were common on the African continent after independence. Many of such regimes were later overthrown by coup de tats. Francis Imbuga’s major concern is political betrayal and he handles this at two different levels: at a personal and government/political levels.

“Betrayal in the City” is really a timely book which meets all the happenings. Believe it or not, the book has more than reality of nearly all the African states, where the ‘boss’ is no longer a fictitious but real personalities, and resources if truth be told flowing exactly as described in the book. Alot of blackmailing, scapegoat, over propaganda, blood shade of the innocent…  

COMMENTARY ON THE BURDENS (By John Ruganda)

 Compiled by:

 Lawrence Sunday Ogwang (0782 516677)

Rev. Sr. Jeremina Mary Achiro (0774 993206) 

 Background of John Ruganda

John Ruganda was born in 1942 in Toro District western Uganda. He attended secondary schools up to O level as St. Leos Fort portal and studied for his A level at Ntare School in Mbarara. In 1964, he entered Makerere University College to study for a Bachelor of Arts degree ultimately specializing in English. His interest in drama became firmly established as an undergraduate when he emerged as a talented actor, a poet, playwright and director.

John Ruganda was one of the earliest members of Makerere students’ free traveling theatre which annual set out on a tour of E. Africa to take drama to the people.

His own play featured prominently in the university’s annual inter-hall drama contest, notably: Black Mamba, and covenant with death.

On graduating from Makerere with a hons Degree in English, Ruganda took up the post of Editor and sales representative in Oxford university press. He continued to take a keen interest in drama and was closely associated with one of amateur. Theatre group in Kampala and particularly at Makerere University.

In 1971, he founded the Makerere group and amateur theater company which subsequently gave highly successful production of plays like “Edufa”, “Dark side of the moon” and later on the “The Burdens”.

In 1973, he was appointed senior creative fellow attached to the literature department of Makerere University. This was largely in recognition of his commendable contribution to the theater in Uganda and E. Africa as a whole. His other writings then consisted of poetry, short stories and articles which had been variously published in makerere of which he had been chief editor, pen point magazine and other literal magazines. Some of his poems later appeared in poems for E. Africa.

PLOT SUMMARY:

Act One (Pg 1-44)

The play is set in a humble home of the family living in a semi-permanent house smeared with cow dung, and full of cobwebs despite the few luxury items in the house.

Do Catholics worship Mary?

By  Lawrence Sunday Ogwang

Catholics do not worship Mary as many people would want others to believe. The word worship is reserved to God alone. Catholics however, honour Mary because of the role she played in bringing about the Salvation of humanity. Even Scriptures goes on to say “All generations will her blessed” (Lk 1: 48). In reciting the rosary and repeatedly express the saying ‘blessed are you among women’, Catholics therefore make this Biblical verse a reality.

Lk 1:28-30 says Mary won God’s favour for being the mother of His son and consequently, the angel greeted her with respect. Elisabeth, a holy woman filled with the Holy Spirit said ‘You are the most blessed among women’ (Lk 1: 40-42). Who are we then not to honour her?

In all sincerity, Mary deserves honour but strangely sufficient, many people who enjoy honour given then just because they preach the word of God say it is senseless to honour Mary, a mere woman; this is quite absurd. Mary is not a mere woman and if not anything, she is the “first preacher”. She brought forth the word of God which many people claim to preach in flesh and blood. This makes her the first Christian, a perfect disciple and a model for all Christians and preachers!

Sancta Maria mater Dei, ora pro nobis!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WHEN VIRGINITY IS QUESTIONED!

A VIRGIN AND MOTHER!  IS THIS A CONTRADICTION?

 By  Lawrence Sunday Ogwang

 Is it potential enough for somebody to be called a virgin and mother?

This is a question that has puzzled many brains from all walks of life and according to human logic; it’s quite an enormous contradiction to call someone a virgin and mother because if the motherhood of someone is true, then the assertion of her virginity is negated.  To ground it more, at birth, the biological hymen which ensures the virginity of a woman is ruptured or broken. Once the hymen is broken, then virginity is also broken. This is the scope of human judgment in relation to virginity and motherhood.

This puzzling question however, finds answer in Mary the Mother of God who is commonly referred to as ‘The Blessed Virgin Mary’ by the Holy Roman Catholic Church. She is the only woman who is both Virgin and Mother. At this point, human judgement is overwhelmed.

Despite this fact, Mary’s virginity has been refuted by many people who still hold fast to their erroneous human reasoning and they comfortably quote Scriptures to give weight to their argument against Mary’s virginity. Well, reading and quoting the Bible does not necessarily mean one understands. Even the Ethiopian Eunuch enlisted the help of Phillip (one of the Apostles) to help him understand some parts that were not easy to comprehend. The Scripture is never wrong, that is true enough but people can quote and interpret it wrongly to meet their interest.

Among the numerous texts quoted by those who deny the virginity of Mary the Mother of God is (Mk 3: 31-33); where we are told that the family of Jesus (His mother and brothers) came looking for him where he was teaching. The names of these so called brothers of Jesus are ‘James, Joses, Judas and Simon’ (Mk 6:3). The name of the sister as recorded in the Bible is Salome (Mk 16:1). All these quotations and the names given presuppose that Mary had other children after the birth of Jesus.

What is comprehensible here is that all these names of the so called brothers and sister of Jesus are not the biological children of Mary the Mother of God, but as it is also common these days, people had comparable names in the Bible as well as the name Mary.

In the Gospel of Mk 15:40-41, we are presented with two women called Mary and among which is the other Mary who is the Mother of the so called brothers and sister of Jesus and this is the ‘Mary’ who has been confused with Mary the Mother of God. According to the Scriptures however, the so called brothers and sister of Jesus (James, Joses, Judas) are his cousins who followed him when he was in Galilee and saw to his needs (Cfr Mk 15: 40-14).

Above all, Mary never had any sexual relation before or after the birth of Jesus

(Mt 1:25). When the Bible talks of the brothers and sister of Jesus it does not mean they were the biological children of Mary. Here in Africa, we know clearly that even cousins are referred to as brothers or sisters. In addition to that, nowhere in the Bible do we find them referred to as the

OLD IS GOLD (THE HIDDEN TREASURES IN ELDERS)

By Fr.  Ogwang Lawrence 

 
In African traditional society, elders are treasured for whom and what they are. They are respected and honored by their communities for their spirituality, wisdom, high intelligence, knowledge, life experiences, and teachings. They have a deep understanding of people and communities. They are recognized for their gifts, for their love and knowledge of the land and the language, and for their knowledge of traditions.

Elders are the carriers and emblems of communally generated and mediated knowledge. In the western paradigm, such relations and processes of knowledge transmission are considered "informal". Yet, these same processes are at the heart and soul of what is 'formal" to Indigenous knowledge. Elders are first and foremost teachers and role models. They are vital in the teaching process, from infanthood to adulthood.

The Elders have the answers to the questions of:

Who are we?

What are we doing on the planet?

What do we need to do and who do we need to be to give our life meaning and purpose?

(Notice how it is we not ‘I’ who is asking the questions but ‘we’)

Without The Elders therefore, life is meaningless and has no purpose. Because of these, people revere and honor elders across the globe.