Staging the Amistad. Charlie Haffner

Broken Handcuff in Freetown at the British Council auditorium.Jan. 18, 2002The war is declared over and disarmament complete.

      Sengbe Pieh

      A Ballad

      BY CHARLIE HAFFNER

      Sengbe Pieh

      Yu yeri bot slavery,

      Yu yeri bot Sengbe Pieh,

      Yu yeri bot Amistad, Amistad Kata-Kata,

      Sengbe Pieh nar Sa Lone man,

      E born nar Pujehun,

      E mama nar Mende, e papa nar Mende,

      Way e twenty-six years, 1839,

      Nar Im dem kaych am, den sell am to slavery,

      King Mana Shaka nar im been sell am,

      De Vai king of Pujehun,

      Siaka Stevens im granpapa,

      Dem pull dem nar Sierra Leone,

      In en im compin dem,

      Den ship dem go Cuba, Havana de capital,

      Nay day dem buy dem,

      For ker dem go Principe,

      49 Sierra Leoneans, 3 titi en 1 borbor,

      Dem ire wan ship, nar in name Amistad,

      For ship dem from Havana to Puerto Principe,

      Amistad O, Amistad O

      Nar so de ship name,

      A.M.I.S.T.A.D.—Amistad.

      Sengbe Pieh lead in kompin dem,

      49 Sierra Leoneans, 3 titi en 1 borbor,

      Den attack de Amistad, den ib Kata-Kata,

      Den kill de captain, den kill de cook,

      Den tie-tie den owner,

      Den mass-mass den troat,

      Sengbe order de owner dem,

      For sail back to Africa,

      Back to Sierra Leone,

      De land of the rising sun,

      Back to Sierra Leone,

      Back to Sierra Leone,

      Den order de Amistad,

      Back to Sierra Leone.

      As fate would have it,

      Man proposes, God disposes,

      Den slam nar United States,

      Nar dey dem kaych dem, de Amerikan Navy,

      Dem put dem nar kot, insaye United States,

      Dem charge dem with murder,

      Dem charge dem with piracy,

      Dem call dem cannibals, dem call dem savages,

      As fate would have it,

      Man proposes, God disposes,

      De Amistad win dem case,

      Out of den 49, 3 titi and 1 borbor,

      11 been done rest in peace,

      Papa God been done take den lif,

      So Sengbe Pieh e en e kompin dem,

      38 Sierra Leoneans, 3 titi and 1 borbor,

      Wit 5 missionaries, Amerikin missionaries,

      Slam insaye Govment Waf, 1842.

      Back to Sierra Leone,

      Back to Sierra Leone,

      Back to Sierra Leone,

      De land of the rising sun.

      Wetin Ah want for tell una,

      Fellow Sierra Leoneans, brothers and sisters,

      Our leaders of tomorrow,

      Nar Sengbe Pieh dem bring dis mission,

      Way start wok nar Shengbe 1843,

      Dem for name nar Mende mission,

      Dem change to U.B.C. den change to E.U.B.,

      Now nar de U.M.C.

      Den opin Albert Academy,

      Den opin Harford School,

      Den shayb-shayb scholarships,

      Den don gi we biships,

      Den gi we Prime Minister,

      Den give we president from Albert Academy,

      Yu yeri bot slavery,

      Yu yeri bot Sengbe Pieh,

      Yu yeri bot Amistad, Amistad Kata-Kata.

      Amistad Kata-Kata

      BY CHARLIE HAFFNER

      Cast

       (In order of appearance)

Student	Sessi
Grandma	Kale
Herald	Captain Ferrer
Adherents	Celestino
Priest	Two Sailors
Shrine Attendants	Jasabe
Two Boys	Bona
Chief Priest	Kai
Ghost	1st Captain
Sengbe Pieh	Comptroller
Voices, Villagers	2nd Captain
Girls	Lieutenant Gedney
Kagne	Lieutenant Meade
Reira	John Quincy Adams
Slave Auction Guards	Adams’s Chef
Ruiz	Lewis Tappan
Montez	Reverend Simeon Jocelyn
Antonio	Joshua Leavitt
Montez’s Assistant	Attorney General
Sa	Baldwin
Kimbo	Judge
Gabro	Townspeople, Chorus
Fulleh

      SCENE ONE

      A bush path near the village of Komende, Sierra Leone, West Africa (mid-1980s). Grandma, a woman in her eighties, and a young college Student enter, deep in conversation. Grandma’s laughter soon replaces the memorial dirge that fills the air.

      GRANDMA: (Coughing.) Soon we shall be in Komende—the home of Sengbe Pieh. It was along this same path that Sengbe was captured over 2,000 moons ago. We are quite early, in time for the ceremony . . .