The Trial of Mallam Ilya
About This Event
Storyline: Bottala’s fifth production, The Trial of Mallam Iliya was premiered on 1 January 2014. It is a political drama written in the African non-linear style. The play begins in darkness—amidst a planned revolution. Led by a young man named Malwal, the new revolutionaries raid the house of one of the ruling powers, Mallam Iliya. Although the guidelines for the revolution clearly state that no blood shall be shed, we soon learn that a woman has been murdered—Halima, Iliya’s wife. The revolutionaries abduct Mallam and take him to a secret location, where Malwal and his comrades put him on trial. As Mallam Muhammad Iliya begins his defense, a play within a play begins—multiple layers of narrative unfold. We travel thirty years back to Iliya’s youth. Though his upbringing was mainly religious, his sense of faith and honesty taught him to speak the truth and demand justice. He began to speak out against the tyrannical regime of the time, drawing the scrutiny of the nation’s leader, Kamr
