Charman The Observer

Main
ISBN: 978-0-571-31921-3
Verlag: Faber & Faber
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 6 - ePub Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 144 Seiten

An international group of observers arrives in a West African country to oversee and rubber stamp its first democratic election. New voters queue in their thousands, but a senior member of the observation team finds herself both horrified by the president's suppressive tactics and, for once, in a position to do something about it. Yet as violence on the streets escalates and the country enters freefall, an increasingly angry young translator forces this well-meaning outsider to confront the impact of her intervention. People walked for six miles to vote. I've been doing this job for twelve years and I'm telling you that for the first time in what feels like a lifetime we cando somethingreal here. The Observer by Matt Charman premiered at the National Theatre, London, in May 2009.

Matt Charman's first play, A Night at the Dogs (Soho Theatre, London), won the prestigious Verity Bargate Award for new writers. Other productions include The Observer, directed by Sir Richard Eyre, and The Five Wives of Maurice Pinder, and Greenland (written with Jack Thorne, Moira Buffini and Penelope Skinner), all three ofwhich premiered at the National Theatre, London, where Charman was previously Pearson Writer in Residence. Regrets received its world premiere at the Manhattan Theatre Club in May 2012, while his next, The Machine, will premiere at the Manchester International Festival in May 2013, before being staged at the Armory in New York. He is a recipient of the Peggy Ramsay Award and the 2008 Catherine Johnson Award for Best Play for The Observer.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Charman, Matt

Leseproben

SIX

ELECTION DAY, NINE P.M. HEAVY RAIN EXPECTED IN THE NORTH AND MOUNTAINOUS REGIONS

Aarya Abum Aarya, abum onye observer ebe. Otu onye na-ime ha. [.]

Daniel This is Aarya, he’s an observer. Part of the team at this polling station.

Fiona Pleased to meet you, Aarya, I’m Fiona. I’m with the International Election Observation –

Aarya Echetaram ya mgbe azuga anyi. []

Daniel He remembers you from his induction.

Aarya Osi 9 p.m. akuola, na ikwesighi ino ebe, n’oga ahu gi. Osi n’oji oru na aka. []

Daniel He knows why you’re here but the head of the polling station won’t see you because it’s after nine p.m.

Fiona It’s just a routine visit –

Aarya Ono na ezi na agwa ndi nmadu na polling station nka na emechi. []

Daniel It doesn’t matter. She’s closing this polling station as we speak. He says there’s still a queue of voters out there.

Fiona Tell him we saw the queue –

Daniel Anyi huru nde che ga na ezi. [.]

Fiona – and that I’ll be making a note of it. It’s after nine p.m. We should go.

Aarya Nau anamana? []

Daniel He’s asking if we’re leaving.

Fiona It’s a routine visit but if she won’t see us, there’s nothing we can do. She’s employed by the Central Electoral Committee here. It’s her polling station. I’ll make a record of it and append it to your report. Thank you, Aarya.

Daniel Oga itinye ya na observation report. Ona ekele gi. [.]

Aarya Amaranam, ogwula? []

Daniel Ei, ogwula. []

Fiona () You’re soaked, try and get dry.

Daniel Idere mmiri. [.]

Aarya Odi mma. []

(.) Mmiri zo ga n’ime nga kwa. Agaram akwukwo na ime ulo, Ayi mutara ebe anyi ga eguzo mmiri agaghi ima anyi. []

Daniel He says, now it’s raining in here too. He went to school in this room. He remembers exactly where to stand to avoid getting dripped on.

Aarya () Please don’t go!

Fiona What is it?

Aarya Achorom igwa ya ihe. Odi mma? []

Daniel He wants to tell you something. Kwube. []

Aarya Mmiri na ezo ma hu na abia na abia. Amaranam 9 p.m. akugo, ma emechie polling station ugbu, nsogbu ga ada. Amam ndia. []

Daniel He says despite the weather people keep coming and coming. He thinks there’ll be trouble if they turn people away. If they close this station. He says he knows these people.

Fiona I can’t keep the polling station open. It’s not up to me. I have no power here.

Daniel Onwehi ike ebee. []

Aarya Onye ma. []

Daniel He doubts that.

Fiona What is it … what’s he seen today? Has there been trouble?

Daniel Kwube. []

Aarya Akwara otu nwoke aka iwe. Umu nwoke abuo luru ogu na 6.53 p.m. Otu nwanyi kpega ekpere mere ujo abiatu nmadu, si 7.30 ruo 7.50 p.m. Okpechaa, ya evoto, lawa. []

Daniel ‘One man was shoved. Two men fought each other at 6.53 p.m. A woman wouldn’t stop praying which made people uneasy. That was from 7.30 p.m. to 7.50 p.m., then she voted and left.’

Fiona () To be honest that sounds perfectly normal. Look, the reports will be gathered up and I’ll read everything you’ve written, my team and I will. Thank you for your work here today Aarya. Dalu. [.] Daniel would you –

Aarya () Imerime ndi bia ivotu ga eji ukwu abia; n’ime obodo ka esi hu, otutu ije ruru six miles, ke hu ga ebido mgbe hu a gbasara oru. [ ]

Daniel These are rural voters, and most of them have come from six miles away. They’ve walked here.

Fiona There was a problem with the boundary lines drawn up by your Electoral Committee. They cut villages in half. Some people had to walk a few feet to vote, these people a few miles.

Aarya Obi adighi ha mma na ekere ha uzo abuo, ufodu ga alaghachi nabalia, lite na isi ututu, ga oru. []

Daniel People have work tomorrow and yet they will walk back tonight. Six miles here and six miles home.

Aarya Onweghi ihe owe ike ime? []

Daniel He asks is there nothing you can do?

Fiona They should have put a person in the queue at nine p.m. A marker. Does he know who that person is?

Daniel Mgbe 9 p.m. kuru, ha gara itinye nmadu na ime line. []

Aarya Mba ha etinye hu. []

Daniel No, that didn’t happen.

Fiona No one was placed in the queue at nine p.m.? No one from inside this polling station?

Daniel No.

Fiona Ask him how many people arrived after nine p.m.

Daniel Nmadu ole banyere na line mgbe 9 p.m. kuchara? []

Aarya Enweghim ike ikwucha. Mga asi, enwerike ke oha uzo abuo. []

Daniel At least half of the queue arrived after nine p.m.

Fiona And now it’s 9.41 …

Daniel Are you asking me?

Fiona Sorry no, I’m thinking aloud. We really have to go, but …

Daniel You’re thinking that the polling station shouldn’t be closed?

Aarya Ha na abia na abia, ha bia gidere si ehihie. []

Daniel He says it’s been a steady stream of people for hours now.

Fiona Okay … (.) Okay. I need to speak to whoever’s in charge of this polling station first.

Daniel She won’t see you.

Fiona Tell her I’m not going until she does. Can you ask Aarya to find her, please?

Daniel Ga gwa onye isi, si ya na anyi agaghi ala, tupu anyi ahu ya. [.]

Daniel That’s bad luck.

Fiona It’ll be worse luck if I catch a cold. You’re the one stuck...