Interrogating leadership gaps in Falayi’s The Slaves In The Palace

For the writer of The Slaves In The Palace, Foluke Sijuwola Falayi, quality and subject are basal qualities of transformational leaders.

To her, immoderate person who lacks these traits volition beryllium oppressive, tyrannical and high-handed.

Iwosa, a kingdom successful the play, has galore slaves acting arsenic kings, but astatine the end, showed who they genuinely are.

Slaves are, however, utilized successful the play, metaphorically, to mean rulers who deficiency beardown enactment qualities.

But the kingmakers excessively are blameworthy of not decently consulting the gods earlier appointing kings.

From Oba Alabi to Oba Adeyinka and finally, Oba Kosanwo, they each show dearth of exceptional enactment skills.

One of the kings, Oba Adeyinka, a dictator, forcefully takes Awero, different man’s wife: A pistillate who is inactive breastfeeding her baby. Even arsenic she pleads, “my kid is young,” the king turns deaf ears.

This annoys the kingmakers, and arsenic customized successful Yoruba land, calabashes and twigs are carried to the king. He describes this arsenic abomination and goes into the forest. But the king does not larn his lessons.

When the 3rd king, Oba Kosanwo, a erstwhile slave, is appointed, evil starts befalling Iwosa again! Things bash not enactment well. A pistillate birthing triplets dies successful the process, different pistillate eats mushroom and dies with her hubby and her son. Palm vino turns into h2o and a lad commits suicide. Nothing similar this has ever happened successful the past of Iwosa.

Not lone that, the king forcefully takes different people’s land. To him: “It does not substance who owns oregon has it. The king has request of it.”

He continues, ”you person done each the indispensable rites for me. Whether I was a lad of the enslaved nary longer matters.”

Again, the king makers revolt, insisting the king indispensable go.

The helpless kingmakers proceed to the location of the oldest and the neglected antheral successful Iwosa arsenic they question solution.

Ogbonjagbaralo is old; with dim eyes. The king makers are daze that helium knows them personally contempt his dim eyes and aged age.

In anger, the sage asks: “Is it that we bash not person contented oregon that we bash not person aged ones among america that you person decided to nonstop the affairs of Iwosa your ain way? Is it that determination is nary 1 to inquire from successful Iwosa? Why person you chosen to bash it your ain way? You are king makers; you bash not ain the kingdoms remember.”

The sage further says, “we person had respective slaves ruling arsenic kings successful Iwosa. Oba Alabi was a enslaved to bully ideas; a enslaved to his thought. Iwosa would person been bigger than this if helium had permitted visitors to reside here. Each clip they came, helium made surviving hard for them. He was a lone king who refused to subordinate with different kings. Oba Adeyinka would person been amended if helium knew what was close but helium did what was evil.

He was a enslaved to women. What shall we accidental astir Kosanwo, a erstwhile slave, who everyone believes volition person compassion connected the radical due to the fact that of the process helium had gone through? To beryllium candid with you, nary 1 tin region Kosanwo connected the throne. You person enthroned him king. That’s the tradition, nary 1 could unfastened Calabash for him. He is not the lad of the ungraded and helium knows that.”

The kingmakers, thereafter, question a mode retired and the omniscient antheral responds, “there is lone 1 way. If you are acceptable to marque sacrifice. If you tin sacrifice your positions arsenic kingmakers,  He volition lone reign for 4 years. Things volition go uncomfortable for him aft which helium volition permission the municipality connected his ain accord.”

A novelist, poet, and playwright, Falayi is simply a postgraduate of English and Literary Studies from the University of Ado Ekiti.

In 2008, her debut publication was published and was wide accepted. She has written rather a fig of books, which person been approved and recommended to beryllium utilized successful schools.
Akeju’s Turnaround, Unbending Steel and Bond are her archetypal acceptable of books. She has authored implicit 20 books.