Role of some Characters in Blood of a Stranger

Examine the role/character of any two of the following: Maligu, Soko, Santigi, Kindo, Whitehead, Ware.

MALIGU

Maligu is one of the key figures in the play. He is a major character and his role touches every other character iii the play, directly or indirectly. He is the king’s special adviser and one of his esteemed Chiefs. But Maligu is a corrupt man. The story of the coming of the white stranger emanates from him. He alone knows the content of the purported Whiteman’s letter for his greed and love for money; he deceives Soko to tell lies to the people claiming that he is acting on the instruction of the gods.

Maligu is desperate and his inordinate ambition sets him on a collision course. He shares some secrets with Soko, the Priest but dislikes Kindo. Maligu is the only one who is told of the diamond business and he is secretly receiving money from the white man. He conspires with Soko and takes Wara, Kindo’s woman to Whitehead. He plans to sacrifice Wara during the festival. When Soko is killed by Parker, Maligu takes up the responsibility to offer sacrifice but Kindo objects, telling the king that Maligu had Parker’s body on the stone not a virgin. Maligu and Whitehead advise the king to banish Kindo.

SOKO

Soko is the head priest of the village and in that respect, he is the mouthpiece of the people. Soko is a pathological liar. First, he lies about where he sleeps. Custom demands that lie sleeps ii the cave but he lives in cozy hut in the forest. he makes the people believe that he sleeps in the cave. Again, he is gullible. He easily yields to Maligu’s falsehood and agrees to lie against his gods for the promise of money. Soko thus conspires with Maligu and deceives the king in particular and the people generally.

Soko, like Maligu is apprehensive of Kindo and both men plan and take Wara, Kindo’s worn n, to Whitehead for his pleasure. He also plans to sacrifice the girl, though this does not come to pass. As it begins to dawn on him that the white man is false, he tells Maliqu that he is going to withdraw, saying that whitehead is evil. To avoid being exposed, Parker, Whitehead’s right-hand man, kills Soko. Thus, Soko becomes the un-named sacrifice for the peace of Mando. His death also car.ses the killing of Parker, the right-hand man of Whitehead.

SANTIGI

King Santigi Mino is the kin9ofMando village. He is the father of Kindo, the chief warrior of the village. He is fickle-minded and so, he is easily deceived. He takes the false advice of his adviser, Maligu and supports the coming of the white stranger Into Mando. He ignores his son’s warning against Uris visit, He believes that his people will be enriched when the stranger establishes his tobacco farm. King Santigi joins his people to take gin, drugs and tobacco from Whitehead and they get drunk in the process and act wild. When he demands the fulfillment of his promise, Whitehead simply advises that he should tell his people to work hard. Santigi is deceived again to bansh his son, the warrior of the village, Kindo, for Killing Parker, who killed Soko, the Priest.

KINDO

He is the village warrior and the son of the king of Mando. He has other attendants, namely, Simba and Boko. He opposes the coming of the Whiteman to Mando. Kindo is ruthless and fearless. He orders his attendants, Simba and Boko to carry Whitehead to the palace while Parker is dragged along. He forces Whitehead to kiss the ground as a sign of homage. He is in love with Wara and plans to marry her but she must be pregnant for him before that. Whitehead plans to get rid of Kindo for opposing his business venture. Kindo kills Parker, thus adding to the tragedy in the village. He is therefore banished for spilling “the blood of a stinger” during the peace week.

WHITEHEAD

Mr. Whitehead is the expected white man who is to conic to Mando. He conspires with the village crook,

Maliqu, to deceive the people that he is to establish a tobacco farm which will employ people and make them rich. Soko lies for whitehead that his gods want the village to accept him though he had his motive which is different from the establishment of the tobacco farm. His main reason for coming to mando is to exploit “diamond”. To achieve his aim, he gives the people gin, hard drugs and tobacco which turn the people into drunken and wild conditions, making them yield easily to his demands. Whitehead instructs maligu and soko to bring wara whom he wants to sleep with; although he does not succeed as wara escapes. He plans to destroy kindo for attempting to stand in his way. He connives with maligu to advise the king to banish son, kindo, for killing parker. However, kindo him first.

WARA

she is the only known female character in the play. Wara is a beautiful      dancer, admired by many; she is kinde’s lover and wants to marry him. However, she waits for the custom which requires that she gets pregnant first for kindo so as to be eligible to marry him; wara is faithful to kindo and respects his feelings but asks for restraint on the part of kindo in his desire, soko compels wara to level to avoid being used for the peace sacrifice. His real intention is to prevent war from now telling kindo of how she is taken away in a sack to the white man to be raped, before she escaped, from the foregoing, it seems wara knows only one man in her santigi of mando village.

 

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