Parliament of Owls – Oppressive Leadership

In many societies, poor leadership is characterized by a reliance on fear and control rather than justice and accountability. Adipo Sidang’s play Parliament of Owls highlights this truth by presenting Royal Owl and Money Bags as symbols of oppressive leadership. These leaders use murder, unjust laws, intimidation, arrests, propaganda, and punitive taxes to silence rivals and maintain their grip on power.

Assassination and political killings are among the most brutal forms of oppression. The owls do not hesitate to kill grain-eaters and day birds who oppose their rule. The infamous weaver massacre, where thirty-three birds are slaughtered, demonstrates the extreme cruelty of Money Bags and Royal Owl. Even allies like Arum Tidi face elimination once they outlive their usefulness. His death, disguised as a state honour, is proof of how oppressive leaders manipulate death to maintain control while silencing dissent.

Oppression also manifests through unjust laws crafted to benefit the ruling elite. Laws such as the Moonlight Bill, which imposes curfews and restricts moonlight twittering, are designed to suppress the freedom of ordinary birds. These laws are not only oppressive but also exploitative, allowing leaders like Royal Owl and Money Bags to impose taxes and secure wealth for themselves and Royal Trees. By creating laws that place them above accountability, the owls prove that oppressive leaders deliberately undermine justice for personal gain.

Intimidation through arrests further reveals the character of bad governance. Leaders like Royal Owl use Police Owl as a tool of fear, arresting activists such as Tel Tel and Oyundi for resisting unjust systems. Journalists like Veteran P are also frequently detained, showing that the regime has no tolerance for truth or transparency. These arrests are often baseless, aimed only at silencing voices that question authority. In the process, justice is abandoned and fear becomes the norm.

Economic exploitation is another oppressive tactic. Through punitive taxes such as the Moonlight tax, the ruling owls burden common birds while enriching themselves. Though these taxes are presented as welfare contributions for the weak and sick, in reality, they are tools of extortion. Birds like Tel Tel recognize this dishonesty, calling it outright theft masked as governance. The oppressive nature of these taxes lies in their unfairness and their role in widening inequality between rulers and the ruled.

Propaganda is equally significant in sustaining bad leadership. Leaders hire propagandists like Arum Tidi and attempt to recruit Tel Tel to spread misleading information. The intention is to deceive citizens into believing that oppressive laws and taxes are beneficial. Through lies and manipulation, the owls confuse their subjects, discredit reformers, and paint themselves as protectors of the kingdom. Propaganda thus becomes a weapon of psychological control, reinforcing oppression by distorting truth.

Finally, threats and intimidation are used to instill fear and discourage resistance. Red String warns Tel Tel that her refusal to obey orders will cost her life, while Money Bags instructs his allies to eliminate any opposition. Royal Owl openly threatens Osogo for playing his flute, showing that even harmless cultural expressions are perceived as threats by dictatorial rulers. This climate of fear ensures that opposition is stifled before it can grow into organized resistance.

In conclusion, Adipo Sidang’s Parliament of Owls vividly demonstrates that oppressive leadership is maintained through fear, manipulation, and exploitation. By employing assassination, unjust laws, arbitrary arrests, taxes, propaganda, and threats, bad leaders consolidate power at the expense of justice and freedom. The play serves as a warning that such regimes ultimately destroy societies by suffocating truth, silencing dissent, and deepening inequality.