The students of BOMCA (a.k.a. “the Masters”) perform dramas to express the Self-Emptying (Phil 2:6-11) mission of HEAL and the charism and apostolate of the Messengers of Justice Sisters (MOJ’s). I witnessed such a performance at my send off ceremony on July 13, the last day of my 5th visit to Nigeria.
The Masters, dressed in various costumes, gathered in the Exam Hall, the venue for the drama. The plot unfolds when the daughter of a village chief unwittingly finds his royal staff, a symbol of his power and authority in the village. Amazed at her discovery, she takes it from her father’s room and goes to show it off to her friends.
When the chief realizes his staff is missing, he becomes alarmed and calls the whole village into his compound. His daughter and her friends, fearful of being caught with the staff, run into the house unseen and hide it. The chief tells the villagers that whoever finds his staff will be promoted to be his deputy. Before his daughter can retrieve the staff, a poor house servant boy finds it and gives it to the head house servant.
The head servant takes the poor servant boy and the staff to the chief. She lies and blames the boy for stealing the staff while crediting herself for finding it. The chief believes the head servant over the servant boy, who is in no position to speak for himself. So, he rules in her favor and decides to banish the boy from the village.
When all hope seems lost for justice to occur, three of the Masters enter the scene singing a hymn and dressed in religious habits as MOJ Sisters! They introduce themselves to the chief and begin conducting an investigation into the case of the missing staff by interrogating all parties involved.
Eventually, the MOJ’s discover the truth, vindicating the servant boy. The chief rewards the boy, making him his deputy as promised. He punishes the head servant by demoting her to the boy’s previous lowly position. Justice is restored in the village, bringing and end to the drama. I was deeply moved by the performance!
I stood up and spoke to the Masters, thanking them for their powerful portrayal of the charism and apostolate of the MOJ’s. This drama truly fit the expression that “art imitates life.” Without HEAL, many poor rural village children would have no hope of obtaining justice or any other basic services they need for human development.
And without YOU, HEAL would not be there for the Masters.