THEATRE-AFRICA: The ‘Real Story’ of Hut Tax War

By Lansana Fofana Reprint | | Print |

Lansana Fofana

FREETOWN, Apr 22 1997 (IPS) - The legend of Bai Bureh, a traditional African ruler of the 1800’s who stirred up a rebellion against colonial rulers, is well known throughout Sierra Leone; but, the tale always had two sides.

According to history texts – written by Euro-centric historians – the traditional ruler was an “early example of the Africans’ refusal to obey authority.” On the other hand, Afro-centric historians – and Abu Noah, a retired army major who has picked up the pen to become a playwright – see Bai Bureh as one of the earliest fighters of the freedom for Africans to govern themselves.

Noah retells the legend of Bai Bureh in his new play, ‘Bai Bureh Goes to War’, which has become a smash hit in Freetown. The play, performed by the Mount Everest Cultural Company looks intimately at how the traditional leader in 1898 mobilised his people in the northern Sierra Leonean chiefdom of Kasseh to not pay the mandatory hut tax to the colonial authorities.

“The Hut Tax War was the first expression of resistance to some of the obnoxious laws passed by the colonial powers,” says Noah. “I wrote this play so that people would take a fresh look at our distorted history and begin to appreciate the fine aspects of African culture.”

His play, which Noah also directed, re-examines the historical events which led to the Hut Tax War, and depicts how Bai Bureh won over the might of the gun through the powers of the ancestors and sorcery.

“The caste is 80 strong…My aim is to do what others never did before and introduce modern theatre to this country,” Noah says.

In the play, peppered with traditional dancing, singing and drumming, idolatry and magic, a strong sense of collective responsibility, respect for authority and patriotism comes through. Besides the focus on Bai Bureh, the play also focuses on the different roles of women in the struggle against colonial rule. Bai Bureh’s eldest wife, Yabom Wara, is portrayed as a loyal African woman who gives everything to make her husband happy and content.

But Yainkain, a woman still in the prime of youth, gives up her life and family for the survival of the village.

According to the Gods, the people of Kasseh, would defeat the colonialists if a young virgin was sacrificed. Yainkain is killed, but is then transformed into a goddess by the name of Bora-Fet, who helps the people to win their battles against the colonialists.

The play shows how when the authorities attempted to arrest Bai Bureh for refusing to make his people pay the tax, other chiefs in the area and the local militia took up machetes, bows and arrows and locally-made guns to defend their community against what they referred to as “the White Man’s Burden”.

The play also differs from the history books which depict Bai Bureh as a loser, who lands in jail after he surrenders. According to these texts his inferior military prowess, coupled with mistrust among his subjects, led to his downfall. But in Noah’s re- interpretation of the historical event, the unity and cooperation of the local fighters, plus the power of the ancestors and the magic, brings victory to Bai Bureh and his village.

The play is so popular that almost every newspaper in Sierra Leone has carried an article on the play, and it has been a regular topic of programmes aired on radio.

According to some critics, the emphasis on national unity and the spirit of cooperation in the play are significant at this point in time in the country which has slowly emerged from a six- year-old civil war. Last November, the Sierra Leonean government and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels signed a peace agreement in Cote d’Ivoire. The play also reminds the audience of the horrors of war.

This play “is a great expression of hardwork, determination and patriotism. It is an excellent play,” says Dr Dennis Bright, director of the French Cultural Centre here.