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ANANSI AND THE KING’S DRUM

CHARACTERS:

LION KING

MESSENGER

ANANSI

ELEPHANT

ZEBRA

ALLIGATOR

RHINOCEROS

LEOPARD

SQUIRRELS

TIGER

MONKEY

 SCRIPT:

SCENE I

(The Lion King is in his throne talking to his messenger)

LION KING: Go to every village and tell all the animals that I need to talk to them.  There is something very important that I have to tell them.

MESSENGER: Yes, my king.  I will be back in a few weeks.

LION KING: That’s the problem!.  I am getting tired of all this waiting!.

MESSENGER: What do you mean my king?.  This is the first time that you complain.

LION KING: I mean that every time I call for a meeting, you take weeks to reach all the villages, and then all the animals also take weeks to arrive here.

MESSENGER: It has been like this for a long time.

LION KING: Well not anymore!.  We need to find a way to deliver my message faster and to gather more quickly.  What if there’s a war?. Or if we were attacked or invaded by the enemy?.

MESSENGER: You are right, your majesty.

LION KING: Tell my Advisor-In-Chief Anansi that I need to talk to him, maybe he can come up with something that might help solve this problem, and then go to every village and tell all the animals to come to the palace.

(The Messenger  bows and leaves.  A few minutes later he returns along with Anansi. Then the messenger leaves)

LION KING: I am glad you came, Anansi.

ANANSI: Your messenger already told me the problem.

LION KING: I need your advise and a solution.

ANANSI: I’ll think about it.  I’ll come back when all the animals arrive.

LION KING: Very well, Anansi.  I’ll see you then.

(Anansi leaves)

SCENE II

(The King is in his throne.  Anansi and all the animals stand in front of him)

LION KING: Welcome!.  I was telling Anansi that we need to find a way to communicate quickly.  It takes a long time for us to gather here at the palace.  Anansi, what is the solution to this problem?.

ANANSI: We need a big drum, your majesty.

LION KING: What for?.

ANANSI: The noise of the drum could be heard in our kingdom.  Everybody will listen to its sound and they would come quickly.

LION KING: I like your idea!.

ANIMALS: We agree!.

ELEPHANT: Let’s make teams to make the drum.

ZEBRA: I’ll go to the forest to choose the tree.

ALLIGATOR: I can cut the tree with my sharp teeth.

RHINOCEROS: I can hollow the drum with my pointed horn.

LEOPARD: I can carve the drum.

SQUIRRELS: And we can decorate it.

LION KING: Good. Start working right away!.

ANANSI: Lets get to work!.

(Anansi and all the animals leave)

SCENE III

(All the animals and Anansi work in the forest to make the drum, except the monkey who sleeps under a tree)

ZEBRA: Anansi, did you see the monkey?.

ANANSI: Shame on him!.

ALLIGATOR: He’s so lazy!.

(Anansi shows the drum to all the animals)

ANANSI: The King’s drum is ready!.

ANIMALS: It’s perfect!.

TIGER: Who’s going to carry the drum?.  It’s so big and heavy!.

RHINOCEROS: It’s a long way to the royal palace.

SQUIRRELS: We will not carry the drum.

LEOPARD: Me neither.  The elephant should carry the drum.  He’s big and heavy, he can surely carry it!.

ELEPHANT: I don’t think so, it would swing everytime I walk.  I think you should carry it, you’re faster than I.

LEOPARD: The drum is too big for me, and besides, my back hurts!.

TIGER: What about the alligator?.

ALLIGATOR: I am always in the water, and my back is wet.  We wouldn’t want the drum to get wet?.   Right?.

ANANSI: I see that nobody wants to carry the royal drum.  So I suggest that the one to carry the drum should be the laziest one!.

KING: That’s a good idea.

ELEPHANT: Who is the laziest one?.

ALLIGATOR: Yeah, who?.

SQUIRRELS: The laziest one is the one who didn’t work to make the drum.

(All the animals look at the Monkey)

MONKEY: I will not carry that heavy drum!. Oh no, I won’t!.

ANIMALS: Ha, ha, ha, ha, we didn’t say your name, monkey, we were just thinking who was the laziest  and you answered our question.

SQUIRRELS: So the monkey is the laziest!.

ANIMALS: (pointing to the monkey) And you will carry the drum to the royal palace!.

(All the animals place the drum on the monkey’s back)

MONKEY: Oh no!.  If I knew that I had to carry the drum, I would have worked.   Now, I am the one who has to carry this heavy load, but  I deserve it, all because I was lazy!.

THE END

Author:  A West African Folktale

 Adapted by K I D S I N C O

Moral:  We all have to make our part of the job.

Click here to read:  Anansi and The Pot of Wisdom

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