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“I am greater than ... the living god among men.”
She begins to think that she is more important than anyone else in the village. She proudly declares that she is more important than the powerful Bale of the village, Baroka, because of her fame.
Sidi’s Vanity: While Sidi’s confidence is admirable, it also turns into vanity. She becomes overly focused on her beauty and her new status after seeing her photographs. This vanity blinds her to the dangers around her, especially Baroka’s cunning. For example, when Baroka sends Sadiku to propose marriage on his behalf, Sidi mocks him. Sidi calls him an old man. Sidi says:
“I am young and brimming; he [Baroka] is spent.
I am the twinkle of a jewel.”
She believes that her beauty gives her complete control over Baroka. However, her pride leads to her downfall when Baroka tricks and rapes her.
Sidi’s Innocence and Naivety: Sidi is also innocent and inexperienced. She does not understand Baroka’s trickery. Baroka spreads the false rumor of losing his sexual ability. Baroka laments having lost his ‘manhood’:
“I am withered and unsapped.”
When Sadiku convinces Sidi, she decides to visit Baroka to mock his manhood. This shows her naivety because she does not realize how clever and manipulative Baroka can be. Her lack of experience makes her vulnerable to Baroka’s tricks. Baroka rapes her.
Sidi’s Relationship with Others: Sidi’s interactions with the other characters in the play reveal different sides of her personality. Sidi enjoys teasing Lakunle, a modern schoolteacher, for his awkwardness and his attempts to appear modern. She refuses to marry him because he will not pay her bride-price. She believes marrying without her bride-price would make her a laughing object in the village. She tells Lakunle:
“Will you make me
A laughing-stock?”
After being tricked by Baroka, Sidi ultimately chooses Baroka for marriage.
Sidi as a Symbol: In the play, Sidi represents more than just a character—she symbolizes the beauty and innocence of traditional African culture. Her photographs in the magazine also show how modernization can lead to objectification. Sidi becomes an object of desire. Just as a jewel can be owned, Sidi becomes a prize that both Baroka and Lakunle compete for. Baroka wants her as a new wife to add to his harem. Lakunle wants to marry her without paying bride-price to prove his Western education.
Sidi chooses Baroka over Lakunle, simply because he is more powerful. Here, Soyinka critiques shallow modernization, represented by Lakunle. He suggests that modernization, if not used properly, cannot bring positive change to African society.
To wrap up, Sidi is confident, proud, and beautiful, but also innocent and naive. Through Sidi, Soyinka shows how beauty and pride can both empower and harm someone in a world full of manipulation and competition.
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