Why you cannot trust ‘people’

A scene from the play. Photo by Edgar R. Batte.

What you need to know:

Patricko Mujuuka and Musa Male are some of the actors that will tickle you hard

When Duncan Tebesigwa is adopted by a kind, rich man, Henry Kasule, he is given a lease of life. He is able to go back to school, go through high school and all the way to university where he pursues a degree in law.
Shortly after graduation, Tebesigwa meets with an old friend, Jessica Sebalamu, with whom he starts a law firm- Sebalamu Tebesigwa Company Advocates. Kasule is happy to see Tebesigwa actualise his dream of becoming a lawyer. Tebesigwa harbours other intentions. He is greedy and all the while, he is eyeing the wealth of his benefactor. What is shocking is that he is willing to go all the way, to even use underhand methods to possess Kasule’s wealth. Greed drives him to kill Kasule.
It is at this point that the play’s plot starts taking shape. The audience is drawn into the scandalous nature of Tebesigwa. The relevance of the title of the play comes to life; Sebalamu Tebesigwa- The Insatiable Master, part of a Luganda adage that is loosely translated to mean that people, or the living, are not worth trusting.

Everything Tebesigwa does and says depicts a man without a guilty conscience. He has lost his soul to material gains. He is deceitful and never honours promises he makes. He is out to use people for his selfish ends. It is not only him that is nasty. One of Tebesigwa’s accomplices is a woman whose interface with a daughter, reveals that she is willing to trade her for money. She cannot be trusted because she is not accountable. She had been trusted with$15,000 but her diction is laughably telling.
The play is written by Mariam Ndagire and directed by John Segawa and Abby Mukiibi. The play is a 2002 production, and one of the notable works by the Afri-Talent, the outfit that is casting in the play. The team uses characterisation and character portrayal of seasoned actors and actresses to relay the thematic concerns depicted from society. The audience is let in on what characters think through asides which are also vital in building themes and stage character traits.

Whereas the overall message is a serious one, Ndagire also offers a good dose of comical relief through interactions and conversations. Patricko Mujuuka and Musa Male are some of the actors that will tickle you hard. The play is one of the productions that have been lined up by the group as it celebrates 20 years on stage, having professionally cut their teeth in 1996, many of them after graduating from university where they had pursued a degree in performing arts; music, dance and drama.

ABOUT THE PLAY

Title: Sebalamu Tebesigwa- The Insatiable Master
The cast: Mariam Ndagire, Michael Sserwanga Mabira, Ruth Kalibala Bwanika, Abby Mukiibi, John Ssegawa, Charles Bwanika Ssensuwa, Patricko Mujuuka, Brenda Nanyonjo, Musa Male, Laura Kahunde, among others.
Playwright: Mariam Ndagire
Directors: John Ssegawa and Abby Mukiibi
ShowTime: Saturday and Sunday at 3pm and 7pm
Entrance fee: Shs20, 000
Venue: Bat Valley Theatre, off Bombo Road