Matunda ya Jasho

Matunda ya Jasho

Script by Musyoka Ngui

Executive Producer: Robert Onyango

Director: Martin Wangari

Executive Director: Franklin Nyaboga Momanyi

SYNOPSIS

I write this story to celebrate the first graduation ever held in Chuka University. For the purpose of economizing on the limited time (Max. 15 minutes) and microphones (they are quite few) I have used only three characters to condense the story without losing the meaning.

Sit pretty as I roll the curtain and usher in Matunda ya Jasho ( Fruits of Sweat)

CHUKA UNIVERSITY THEATRE AND ARTS CLUB PRESENTS

MATUNDA YA JASHO (FRUITS OF SWEAT)

 ENJOY!

(Runda Hostels. Max has come to visit his fiancée, Ella, a fellow final year comrade. Ella’s roommate, Shirley is a fresher. Ella and Max are clearing from the university in a week. They are excited about their graduation.)

Shirley: Aki c mnafurahi!

Max: Of course. But truth is tunalia na jicho moja kama punda.

Ella: Honey and talking of punda ours has been four full years of donkey work. (To Shirley) Nyi mafresha tulieni kuna watu wameona mengi.

Max: Unatucheki…ukiniona ivo nkona one, two, three, four years of experience. Nimehustle. Nimeuza njugu, nkafunza, nkamodel, nkaimba na  bado.

Shirley: Ukaiba?

Max: Zi. Nkaimba.

Shirley: Ooooooh!

Ella: Na kuna kiemployer kinagoja mtu akimada campo kiseme hana experience. Kwani kuhustle si experience?

Shirley: Guys don’t just look at the cold and dry side of Mt. Kenya. Don’t dwell on the drought famine and hunger. I am sure there have been warm and wet moments in your campus life.

Max :( Scribbling) Nikaambiwa niandike about my campus life in the last four years hata siwezi nikajaza paragraph.

Shirley: Gosh! But why?

Max: I can only put a dot and a comma like this. I don’t have anything to write home about.

Ella: (thinking nostalgically) I will miss campus life. Where comrades are free. Oh my! Freedom to do what you want but responsibly. I will live to remember waking up at noon, watching movies till dawn and drinking my “Blue Moon” only to be illuminated by the real moon up in the sky as I stagger to my beloved Runda hostel at night.

Shirley: What about the graduation folks? Don’t you look forward to it? Imagine God has preserved you, given you knowledge, paid your school fees and now you are about to graduate.

Max: Enyewe Sir God hapo nimekuinamishia. (Bows) Kuna wasee wengi tulianza na wao na walipass, wengine wakapewa maretake na madisco but I survived. Kwanza Ella unakumbuka ile rende ya akina Gaza venye ilikuwa imecopypaste teo na lec akajua? Ilikuwa mambo mbrrrchaaaa!

Shirley: You know I am fresh from high school and can’t get the picture of a graduate. Kwanza kuna kazi nje?

Ella: Ngai!, usiseme. C mtu atatarmack  mpaka kiatu iishe? Kazi yenye yemebaki tu ile ya kutafuta kazi. Usicheke msee akisaka job kwa obituaries rather than the vacancies section of the newspaper. Unemployment ni national disaster hasa kwa mayouths.

Max: Mnajua kitu? Me nimejisort. Sitafuti kazi nitatengeneza kazi.

Shirley: (Ironically) Wow! Listen to Bill Gate wa Chuka. Sema Mark Zuckerberg a.k.a Steve Jobs wetu.

Ella: Don’t you ever despise my boyfriend. I know you don’t think it is possible and also you are interested in him. I will fight to keep him and I am not ashamed about that. Keep off Max. (Threatens to slap Shirley)

Shirley: I am not jealous of anyone. Besides I am new here and reliable sources tell me that freshers sell more like hotcakes in every campus. If you are threatened and feel endangered that is not my problem, it is yours. Deal with it. I really don’t care.

(Max separates them and brokers peace.)

Max: Najua hakuna kazi na mbwa kali annabwekea majob hunters wanaograduate. Every Friday the secretary burns envelops from job applicants na kibao ya HAKUNA KAZI is hung at the entry of the office. Now with that in mind I can make a difference.

Ella: Shirley you better listen and stop looking down on people.

Max: Zi, ameskia. (Silence)

Max: Unaona Dandoh?

Shirley: Ati Dandoh? Where is that?

Max: Dandorah! Kwan unatoka mashambani wapi?

Shirley: Na si ungesema Dandorah?

Max: Hey c nshasema kwan haujaskia?

Ella: (To Shirley) Ni wewe unasimulia story ama ni Max? Max anyamaze utueleze kuhusu Dandorah?

Shirley: Ni clarification tu.

Max: Sasa, hiyo Dando yangu kuna garbage sana. Kuna shonde, karatasi, chupa, etc.but you can turn garbage to gold yaani from trash to treasure. Here is how. With my Green Revolution Company Limited, as the MD I can hire street kids, pay them to sort the trash and voila! recycle the waste. The rest as they say will be history.

Shirley: Where will you get the money?

Max: Unauliza swali ama jibu? Kuna microfinance ya power itanipatia low interest loan for that project. I am sorted. Biz nayo ikipick masponsors watakuwa wanipigania ka venye watoi hupigania lollipop. Besides serikali imesema inapatia vijana grants free of charge.

Ella: That is a great idea honey. You will clean the environment, employ street urchins and make money. Wow! I love your brilliance.

Max: Thanks. Hope you will support me.

Ella: Yeah. With my Baba Alinituma (yaani BA) in Entrepreneurship I will put theory to practice. Hiyo plus BCOM yako na maCPA  apo kila cent itakuwa accounted for.

Shirley: (to Ella and Max) Gotea uzito!

Ella and Max :( in unison) Yeah gota!

(Ella goes to the kitchen and serves Max and Shirley juice. She goes back for her glass. They toast. Soon they tear a packet of biscuits and start enjoying themselves.)

Max: (all holding up their glasses for a toast). To Shirley: has been an awesome pal of my gal Ella. For the short time I have known you, dear u etch incredible memories. You are just a fresher but have done a lot to us. To Ella: thanks for the hold, keep and honour.  The vows go unbroken. To all: cheers, good health and good life. (They chime glasses. Kenny Rogers’ song Vow Go Unbroken plays in the background.)

(Max bows, Ella and Shirley curtsy. The audience gives a standing ovation amid applause.)

Curtain

The end