“A drama of heightened tension and
several climaxes… a masterstroke of
innovation and
structure. ”
— Prof.Chris Nwamuo, Emeritus Professor of Theatre Arts Administration
A Continent’s Conscience on Stage
In The Dialogue: The Vulnerable and the
Desperate, Steve okey onwuka crafts a
searing,poetic portrait of Africa’s
soul — bruised yet unbroken. Seton the
streets of Abuja, the playfollows a nam-
eless boy abandoned to a world of cru-
elty, corruption, and fading conscience.
Through every line, the author turns dia-
logue into mirror and melody — forcing
Africa tolook at itself and listen.
At the centre stands The Woman That
Fries Akara, the humble street vendor
who mothersthe orphaned boy with
wisdom born of suffering. Her akara
stall becomes the theatre oftruth where
she indicts the nation’s corrupt elite and
defends the innocence of the
neglected. When she vanishes — only to
return in the boy’s dreams — she trans-
forms intothe enduring spirit of mate-
rnal conscience, guiding him from des-
pair to survival
Baba, the native doctor, chants in rich
incantations that echo Africa’s ancient
poetic idioms.Through him, onwuka
exhibits his mastery of linguistic ima-
gery, exploring the fearfulbeauty of Afr-
ican idiophones and the power hidden
within their rhythm. The boy’suse of
folklore and chant to battle foreboding
gives the story its pulse — the fusion of
superstition,wit, and native intelligence
that defines African resilience.
And just when darkness threatens to
close in, the police emerge as the unexp-
ected beam ofhope — professional,
humane, and decisive in rescuing the
boy from his father and theritualist’s
snare. It is a rare tribute to institutional
morality in a collapsing moral order.
Compact yet profound at 148 pages, this
play stands as amoral x-ray of a cont-
inent intransition — one that should be
recommended in tertiary institutions,
where tomorrow’sAfrican leaders must
learn empathy, justice, and courage.
When the curtain falls, what remains is
not silence, but Africa’s heartbeat — def-
iant, human,and unbroken.