Ibobo

Ibobo stands among the stalwart lumbermen on the drifting raft, armed with keen insights into the watery realms and their precarious plight. It is he who astutely deduces that mischievous sea cows have gnawed through their tethering, setting them afloat upon the endless tide. Though his rapport with fellow rafters is notably curt, Ibobo's sharp gaze misses little. He is quick to criticize the squabbling of Kengide and Olotu, and he remains unimpressed by Ogro's melancholic melodies. The notion of Ogro wedding the esteemed chief's loveliest daughter seems an unattainable dream to him. Yet, as Olotu finds himself adrift on a fragmented piece of the raft at the scene's dramatic conclusion, Ibobo's voice rises in urgency, offering guidance across the watery expanse.

With Olotu and Ogro vanished from the raft, Ibobo emerges as Kengide's principal verbal sparring partner. Frustration festers as he blames Kengide for Olotu's departure, while missing the river wisdom Ogro contributed. Despite their frequent clashes, moments of camaraderie surface between Kengide and Ibobo. As the play draws to its somber close, Kengide suggests a nocturnal pause on the shore, only to receive a weary refusal from Ibobo, who longs for the warmth of a bed and the comfort of companionship. When the misty shroud of fog descends, Kengide holds Ibobo back from a desperate swim to Burutu, choosing instead to face their fate together.

Kengide

As the leader of this beleaguered band of rafters, Kengide hails from river folk, his veins coursing with an innate understanding of tides and currents. He is the strategist among them, crafting escape plans that the others, albeit reluctantly, must trust. His relations with his crewmates are often strained, with Olotu his initial adversary, later replaced by Ibobo's sharp tongue. Kengide is never shy about voicing his perspectives, often disregarding the beliefs of others. Yet, when the raft first began its drift into uncertainty, it is to Kengide they turned, seeking his wisdom. In their moments of crisis, his leadership is both a beacon and a burden. He staunchly refuses to allow rescue attempts when Ogro and Olotu are torn from their company. Despite his expansive knowledge, or perhaps because of it, Kengide's outlook remains shrouded in pessimism. As the fog encircles them, and they teeter on the brink of oblivion, Kengide denies Ibobo the chance to dive towards salvation, choosing instead to meet their end together, rather than face solitude.

Ogro

Hailing from the waterbound Okrika people, Ogro carries the essence of his aquatic homeland. Though often the target of Kengide's critiques, Ogro steps in as a mediator between the discordant Olotu and Kengide. His companions perceive a shadow of negativity in him, yet Ogro possesses an inherent grasp of nautical matters. He frets over their predicament, tirelessly seeking solutions. It is Ogro who first acknowledges their drift, unraveling the mystery of their predicament. By the storm's violent crescendo in scene two, it is he who ingeniously devises the mats into a sail, a hopeful escape from their plight. When Olotu is separated, Ogro's instinct is to leap into the waters to save him, thwarted only by Kengide's command. Dreams of marriage linger in his mind, a promise from the old chief of his most beautiful daughter. But reality proves otherwise. In scene three's finale, Ogro becomes the second to abandon the raft. Spotting a distant ship, he swims towards it, seeking rescue. Alas, his journey ends tragically as hostile crew members hurl coal and iron, stunning him, and he is drawn into the propellers' deadly embrace.

Ogrope

See Ogro

Olotu

Olotu embodies a rare optimism among the raft's denizens....