Synopsis of the floods by Ruganda

  

Date Posted: 10/21/2012 4:25:09 PM

Posted By: vann  Membership Level: Gold  Total Points: 1015

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‘The floods’ is a drama divided into three parts, defined as waves.
The first wave is an introductory part, where we get to know the characters. The play starts with an announcement over the radio that there will be floods soon enough, so the people were being advised to run to the rescue boat to be safe. The headman who is in charge of the island and the rescue operation play a role of an abusive leader. He roughs up people and forbids them from carrying along their properties and he also snatches away some of their goods. Bwogo who is the protagonist uses his position to dupe the inhabitants of the island. In this wave we also meet Kyeyune, a farmer, fisherman and survivor of the violent regime who dismisses the allegation made about the impending floods and warns that the rescue boat is actually posed to sink.

In the second wave, we meet Bwogo, a powerful man who participated in Amin’s violent regime, and Nankya who is also a survivor of this violence committed against them. Kyeyune and Nankya narrate their experience of violence against them by the state. Kyeyune through flashback recounts how while fishing in the lake ended fishing the body of the Major General who was murdered and dumped in the lake.
Nankya also narrates how her mother was roughed up and raped by four military men. The central focus of this wave is the violence of the state against the citizens recounted through the characters’ experience.
There are instances of physical and verbal violence where Bwogo uses his position to intimidate Nankya and Kyeyune.

In the final wave Kyeyune provides an explanation to the cause and reason for the violence meted out against the people. He attributes it to a myth where a sea goddess, Nalubale, was violated

and raped by a greedy man, Nyangodhe. The killings and disappearance of people according to Kyeyune, is because of the goddess’ anger and desire to revenge. The play comes to an end with the demonstration of justice through the arrest of Bwogo by the police.

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