The play, a play on giants, was written by Wole Soyinka to present a savage portrait of a group of dictatorial African leaders cornered in an embassy in New York City, United Nations. The play was purposely written to show the resemblance between recent historical figures/African leaders and ancient or former leaders in Africa who were known for their authoritarian or tyrannical rule and these include: Macias Nguema (deceased) of Equatorial Guinea, Jean Basptiste Bokassa from the Central African Republic, Mobutu Sese Koko from Congo Kinshasa and the Hero of Heroes, Field Marshal El-Haji Dr. Idi Amin from Uganda.
The work began with three of the dictatorial African leaders, Kamini, Kasco and Gunema, who plan to obtain a life-size group sculpture of the ‘crowned heads’ in their likeness. They intend to make their statues part of other statues that would be placed in the UN stairway passage. Their discussion on power and governance was interrupted by the presence of the president of the Central Bank of Bugara who brought the news of the World Bank’s refusal to grant the country of Bugara the required loan based on unsatisfied conditions to which the president of Bugaran, The president for life, Dr. Kamini, responded that the president should go back and accept any conditions put forward by the World Bank, even at the expense of the body and soul of the people of Bugaran.
However, the president’s response to the president regarding the printing of the Bugaran coin by his Central Bank, saying that such printing would make no difference to ‘toilet paper’ caused him to be severely punished by flushing the toilet on his head. at the feet. of the dictators.
The leaders continued their discussions when the Ambassador entered to inform them of his idea of where to place the statue of the leaders. They all agreed with this and continued their power discussion emphasizing the importance of voodoo. This conversation was closely followed by the topic of the speech to be read, who will prepare it, who will edit it, and the importance of reading it for the leaders present to hear before the final or actual reading at the UN.
The sculptor was the next victim at the hands of Kamini, who treated him badly through the hand of Task Force Specials for saying that Kamini’s statue is not worth facing the coin but sitting in Madame Tussaud’s Chambers of Horrors.
The fourth leader entered the scene late in the first part, Nbangi-Guela’s General Barra Tuboum, whom Kamini called Alexander the Great. After a brief discussion of the rebellion and the war, the Honorable Mayor of Hyacombe and his party arrived, preceded by Professor Betey; his arrival changed the point of discussion to the imperialist conspiracy, calling names like Alexander, Napoleon and all sorts. The mayor came with golden keys.
The second part opened with the launch organized by Kamini for other African leaders with the presentation of the Secretary General, who is a senior official, who missed the feared anger of Kamini when he said that the sculpture was supposed to be statuettes, small in size and put on shelves like Beethoven, Shakespeare or Lenin and then distributed in copies. The sculptor was seen wearing head-to-toe bandages, the work of Kamini TF Specials.
The conversation continued as two Russian and American delegates each arrived at short intervals before Betey ran in alarming that a coup had been organized in Bugara. Not long after, TF Specials were asked to plant the weapon, including the Bugara missiles, that would be used to destroy the UN, fueled by news that the Secretary-General had escaped and the belief that delegates had taken part in the blow. This was followed by the aggression of some people who gathered outside the embassy, protesting (singing) that Kamini should leave (surrender).
The play ended with Kamini’s shout: Fire! Fire!! Fire!!!