Description

"Colossal corruption in an African State ... Iweka's August Inmates portrays it all ... engaging, thought-provoking ... an astonishing drama, weaving a tale of fraud, lawlessness and severe reparations." -Nobert Waski Oguegbu, Actor/Playwright "August Inmates, a stinging satire on African politics, begins and ends in an unknown location and for unknown reasons, at least initially, to the captives who are a mixture of different personalities and with different There is an element of suspense as readers/audience get anxious to know about the inmates' plans to break out. Thought of impending shameless death, makes Chief VIP Okoli, a man of timbre and calibre, reveal startling amounts he looted and stashed away in foreign accounts. Their time together in holding, opens up cans of worms harbouring ills such as promotion of tribalism and poverty in addition to the plights of journalists in spite of the existing press freedom." -Prisca Sam-Duru, Vanguard Newspaper The play follows an unconventional plot by the military to expose the nefarious activities of political office-holders. At first, the essence of this plot which involves detaining important office-holders in a "VIP detention room" along with a notorious armed robber, an American arms dealer and a journalist seems lost on the audience. As the detainees turn on one another, agitated by the fact that they are all kept in an enclosed space, and unwittingly reveal crimes they have committed, the motive behind this plot becomes clear. Shocking, suspenseful and filled with humour, August Inmates captures the inadequacies of a democratic government. Chidubem Iweka studied Theatre Arts at the California State University, Hayward, California, USA. He is an accomplished film producer, musician and author.