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The Raft | Introduction

The Raft: is the third play in a trilogy by John Pepper Clark. With the other plays—Song of a Goat (1961) and The Masquerade—the trilogy was published under the title Three Plays by Oxford University Press in 1964. Clark wrote both The Masquerade and The Raft in the United States while on a fellowship to Princeton University from 1962 to 1963, one of the few positive outcomes of the experience The Raft is often regarded by critics as the least solid of the plays in the trilogy, and they have given it mixed reviews. It is not often performed because of the difficulties in staging the play. The first production was in 1964 at the University of Ibadan (Nigeria) Arts Theatre.

The Raft focuses on four lumbermen who face numerous problems after the raft they are on is set adrift in unusual circumstances. Despite the fact that some of the men have experience in dealing with the river, they do not reach their destination The Raft is set on the Niger River Delta, where Clark grew up and where he set many of his plays. Critics have offered vaned interpretations of the play. Some believe it is an allegory of the political situation in Nigeria at the time, while others argue it is about economic determinism. Still others, including Clark, say The Raft concerns the human condition and the precarious world in which all of humankind lives.

The Raft Summary

One: Tide-Wash
The Raft opens at night on a creek in the Niger Delta. Two lumbermen. Kengide and Olotu, are trying to sleep in a cabin on a raft. Lumber is attached to the raft; the men and their two compatriots are to transport it down the Niger River for pay. Their slumber is interrupted by Ogro, who is pacing outside the cabin and muttering to himself. Kengide and Olotu become angry with him and each other. The fourth man appears, Ibobo. He accuses Ogro of walking in his sleep again. Ogro denies he is asleep. Ibobo reminds him that they lost a boat recently because he was asleep. Ogro changes the subject, because The Raft is adrift. The men check the moorings and all are loose. They wake Kengide and Ololu. All the lumbermen believe they tied the knots tightly and cannot understand how all seven of the moorings came loose at once. They try to figure out what happened, concluding sea cows must have eaten the roots of the reeds The Raft was tied to.

As The Raft drifts, the men attempt to discern where they are going They argue over the merits of turning up the lamp to see their location. Kengide and Olotu continue to bicker with each other, making personal insults. Because of the tide, they believe they are either going out to sea or in the direction of Odi, if The Raft got turned around. Olotu's watch reads just past 5 a.m., but Kengide does not believe it is necessarily accurate. He accuses him of owning an unreliable watch. The men argue more. Olotu insults everyone because he is worried about the fate of The Raft and no one else seems to be, in his opinion. Ogro says he has the most to lose, for when The Raft arrives, he will be married to the chiefs fairest daughter. Olotu panics when Kengide informs them that they are in the Osikoboro whirlpool. Olotu tries to punt them out of the mess with a bamboo pole, but none of the rest help him, believing he will only make it worse.

Two: Wind-Lash
It is now late morning. The men clean up from their meal, still... » Complete The Raft Summary