Movie Story: Jemeji - Season 1 - Episode 108

6 years ago

Movie Story: Jemeji - Season 1 - Episode 108

Obi is running through the village in the dark.
He is running away from a group of men who are chasing him with sticks.

He falls down and the mob is about to descend on him but Otogan appears and raises his own stick to hit him.
Obi wakes up from his nightmare, sweating.
He clutches his pillow to his chest.
At the corper's lodge, Folake is sitting up on her mattress, trying to make a phone call but it doesn't connect.

She gives up and goes to sleep.
Next morning, Senami is in Kingsley's living room, on the phone with Sesinu talking about Otogan's death.
Sesinu asks her when she's coming back.
Senami asks why she cares and reminds her that she and their father left her without a Kobo to her name.

Sesinu asks if she wants to pick a fight.
Senami says she just called about Chief thinking maybe their father would want to know.
Sesinu says she will tell him.
They hang up.
Kingsley enters the living room wearing just his boxers.
He asks if she's okay.

Senami says she just keeps thinking about Obi and what will happen to him now that Chief is gone.
Kingsley says he doesn't envy him; when his friend's father who was a Chief in another village died, the burial politics was intense, to say the least.
He says the death hit Senami quite hard and he never knew she and Chief were close.

She says they weren't exactly close, they had their differences but strangely, he was one of the few people who got her in Aji.
Kingsley reminds her that she has him.
She says yes but there were a lot of things she was waiting on Chief for, like Akweyon, her grandmother... but she will never know now.
He says sometimes it's best not to find out.
She takes a sip of her coffee and makes a face like it's gone cold.

He takes the cup from her and says he will make another.
Fonton is asleep on a chair in the palace.
He obviously hasn't gone home because he is wearing the same clothes from the day before.
Dr. Jide walks in and wakes him up.
He says it's time to take Chief's body out.
Fonton tells him to repeat what he said.
Dr. Jide repeats it.

Fonton says that's not how it works, they need to wait for Mausi.
Dr. Jide asks if he will let the body continue to decompose in the house.
Obi enters and says the elders are coming.
Fonton says it's good.
The elders troop in.
Fonton says they all know what has happened and it's a sad day for Aji.
Mausi walks in.
She says death bows to no one and even a Chief must go; Chief's story is not over and they have to host a vigil for him.

She orders anyone in the room not from Aji to leave.
Fonton tells Dr. Jide that he has to leave as he is not from Aji.
He leaves.
Mausi tells a guard to collect everyone's mobile phones.
He passes a calabash around and everyone drops their phone in it.
She tells him to go and inform the people of Aji that Otogan is no more.

Obi is about to walk out but Mausi tells him he can't leave as his place is on the throne.
People are talking in huddles in the market.
Peace is in the market.
She docks beside a table when she sees Oviyon approaching.

Iya Francis tells Baba Francis that if Sulah doesn't regain consciousness, his mother will die.
Doris says God forbid.
The town crier comes to the village to inform everyone of Chief's death.
The villagers shout in unison and some women start crying.

Folake and Senami are in the market.
One of Otogan's servants hands out brooms to the old women in the village.
Oviyon gets home and meets his mother outside.
He asks if she has heard.
She asks how Otogan will just die like that.
Oviyon says he was a good man.

His mother agrees that he was good even to the witches.
Oviyon tells her to stop.
She asks if his head hurts.
He asks why.
She says she was thinking he had a fever as she saw him talking to himself.

She begs him to do just one thing for her after the funeral, follow her to see Mausi
He gives a long hiss.
She asks if he's hissing at her.
Folake is at the palace.

She asks to see Obi.
The guards tell her that she can't enter the palace or see him as they've started the vigil for Otogan.

She asks when it will end.
They say only Mausi knows when.
Petunia is sitting in front of her house looking deeply troubled.
Peace comes to see her.
She asks if she didn't hear about Otogan.

Petu says she heads.
Peace says she wanted to talk about the charm.
Petunia says she thought she was more concerned about Otogan.
Half-a-day and his boys arrive.
They ask for food.

Petunia says there is no food as Peace is just coming and hasn't cooked.
Half-a-day asks Peace what's wrong.
Petunia says she's crying for Otogan.
The boys laugh at her.

Half-a-day tells his boys to go and console Peace while he goes in to talk to Mama.
Petunia tells him not today.
Half-a-day holds her hand and says he will come back later.
Peace loses her cool.

She asks him if he has no shame; Chief hasn't been buried and he's here flirting with another man's wife, a man who can be his father.
Half-a-day grabs her by the neck and says if not for her pretty face, he would have beaten her up.
He leaves with his boys.

Three old women tying white wrappers are sweeping with the brooms Otogan's guard handed out.
They sweep in the same direction and on a line.
Doris is in front of the clinic with Seyive.
She starts crying as she watches the women sweep.

Senami and Matron come out and try to console her.
A narrator says the people believe that when a Chief dies, his spirit roams the village looking for the path to the afterlife.
Sweeping is supposed to make his journey easier.

The whole of Aji will shut down now for a period of mourning.
Mausi will stay at the Palace throughout to oversee things.
Children are sent home from school early.
The old women sweep the entire village, including the bush paths.

They sweep in silence.
Senami enters her office with Seyive.
She sees the drugs she gave Akweyon and the wristbands Neza gave her, on her desk.
She asks Matron if anyone was in her office.
Martin says just Dr. Jide.
She asks what Senami is holding.

Senami says it's nothing.
She tells matron to go and check on Sulah.
As matron turns to leave, Senami asks if she said Mausi would be at the palace.
Matron says it's part of the burial rites.
She asks why.

Senami says she was wondering about Obi.
Matron says he will sit in vigil with Mausi and the elders.
Matron leaves and Seyive asks Senami if it means Akweyon doesn't want the drugs or Mausi dropped them.

Senami says she doesn't know but they have to get Akweyon away from that woman and she has an idea.
She calls Kingsley and tells him that she figured out a way to get Akweyon away from Aji.
Half-a-day and his men storm the village square.

The women move back in fear.
He tells them to relax; he knows Otogan is dead but it doesn't mean they should forget the rules governing the village.
He says they are looking for the person who came out during the curfew last night and if they know the person, they should speak up otherwise it would be tough for that person and his entire family.

The boys enter Iya Oviyon's house asking for her son.
She tells them to leave.
They ask if she has seen her son since last night.
She says she has.

They ask if she's sure.
She swears on her husband's grave and Otogan's grave.
Oviyon enters and asks what's going on.
The boys ask where he was last night.
He says he was home taking care of his mother.
His mother confirms it.

They tell him to consider today his lucky day.
Mausi and the elders come out of the palace.
Mausi raises her hand to the heavens and tells the forefathers to come and witness the safe passage of their Chief; may his spirit reveal all he needs for his journey.
She tells Obi to come out and join her.
He goes to her looking very confused.

She tells him in English to take off his shirt.
He takes off the shirt and he's left with a white wrapper around his waist.
Mausi rubs orange coloured chalk around his left eye and white chalk around the right eye.
There are two long lamps in front of the palace.
She signals for him to light them.
He lights them with a match.

She says the fire must not die till they bury Chief otherwise there would be darkness in Aji.