Setting
- Location: The Principal’s Boardroom
- Main Characters: Mayor Mossi, Ms. Narine (Principal), Ms. Nicole (Teacher), and Shalini (Secretary)
Summary
The scene opens in the school principal’s boardroom where Ms. Narine is seated. A soft knock is heard, and Shalini, the secretary, enters to announce that Ms. Nicole has arrived. The principal apologizes for interrupting Ms. Nicole’s schedule and informs her that Mayor Mossi of Tunya will be visiting to discuss The Samaritan App.
Ms. Nicole is shocked by the news. She believes the mayor’s visit concerns his attempt to stop the national launch of the app. Ms. Narine warns her to be cautious and not to challenge authority, reminding her that as a young teacher, she should choose her battles wisely. Nicole, however, stands firm in her belief that The Samaritan App is a noble innovation that promotes accountability.
Moments later, Mayor Mossi arrives. After exchanging greetings, he immediately asks if Ms. Nicole did what he had instructed — to stop the launch. She explains that she wrote to the Ministry of Education expressing her concerns, and the ministry responded officially. Ms. Narine reminds the mayor that the school has no further role in the matter and leaves them to talk privately.
The Mayor’s True Motive
Once alone, Mayor Mossi reveals his real concern: the app exposes corruption within the municipal government. He fears that false information posted on the platform could damage his reputation and career. Ms. Nicole explains that while users are anonymous to the public, the app’s administrators can identify them.
Mossi tries to persuade her to delete negative posts about him, even offering to pay her and the app’s student developers. Nicole is outraged, accusing the mayor of attempting to bribe her instead of fighting corruption.
The mayor then attempts to justify himself, blaming his deputy and other officials for the corruption scandals exposed by The Samaritan App. He lists their alleged crimes, including embezzlement, rigged tenders, and drug trafficking. Despite all this information, Mossi admits he cannot take legal action because, in his view, even the judiciary is corrupt.
Power, Corruption, and Denial
Mayor Mossi laments that council members are planning a vote of no confidence against him because he refused to approve a corrupt budget reallocation. When Ms. Nicole questions him further, he admits that he, too, has taken “a few slices of the loaf” — a metaphor for benefiting from corruption — but insists that he is better than others who take everything.
He criticizes the justice system, claiming judges are equally corrupt, and shifts the blame to the citizens for voting in dishonest leaders. Ms. Nicole reminds him that The Samaritan App gives people a voice and could actually be his opportunity to prove transparency. Mossi, however, becomes furious, accusing her of being used politically to destroy his career.
Finally, enraged and feeling powerless, the mayor throws his business card at Ms. Nicole, ordering her to delete all negative posts about him. He warns her that if she fails, she will face his wrath — boasting that he is “Mossi Oa Tunya, the smoke that thunders.” He storms out, leaving Ms. Nicole shaken and leaning helplessly against the wall.