David and his dream – Dramatisation for radio (English version)

David and his dream – Dramatisation for radio (English version)

Karis Samoutou, 9 years old, came up with the story line and wrote this original script with her sister Cherissa and her brother Ezra. The family recorded this during lock down and will distribute this to radio stations in a bid to disseminate important information about the novel Coronavirus. Listen, download and share the English version for free here.
Listen to the French version here.

Synopsis
David was excited that there was no school and wanted to go play football outside with his friends John and Matthew. His mother said no because of the COVID-19 lockdown. His little sister Julia wanted to play with him at home but David said no. Angrily, David stormed to the bedroom. He got so tired from his temper tantrum that he fell asleep. In his dream, he met Mr Coronavirus. Mr Coronavirus said he was going to take over the world with his friends: Cough, Fever and Breathlessness. David became very scared and started screaming until he met a gang of animals: a wise elephant, a goat, a rooster, a monkey and an African grey parrot who repeats everything that has been said. His new friends helped him understand how to protect himself, his family and his town against Mr Coronavirus. Together they fought against Mr Coronavirus. As David shouted his cry of victory, he woke up to call his friends to share this important information. He was happy to stay at home to stay safe and healthy as he went to play with Julia.

Written and produced by
Karis, Ezra and Cherissa Samoutou

Characters voiced by
Narrator / Julia / Rooster – Karis Samoutou
Music / Monkey / Goat – Cherissa Samoutou
David – Ezra Samoutou
Coronavirus / Parrot – Henri Samoutou
Mum / Mrs Elephant – Joyce Samoutou

Production company
New Sight Eye Care
Ouesso, Republic du Congo

Running time
~18 minutes

Release Date
2020

Copyright: You are welcome to use this freely for non-commercial uses. If you do, please let us know to encourage us to produce more resources like this. You can find us on social media @newsightcongo or you can email us at info@newsightcongo.com.

Script

Download and share here

(Music)

Julia: David and his dream

David: Mr President – thank you thank you thank you so much! Thank you for closing all the schools! I’m on holiday!!! Mummy, can I go outside to play football with my friends John and Matthew? Please?

Mum: No! You can’t play outside because of the coronavirus! We are in lockdown, remember?

David: Socks and clowns? We have to wear socks and be clowns?

Mum: Not socks and clowns! Lock down. That means that everybody should be staying at home. Nobody should leave the house unless it is absolutely necessary!

David: But it is absolutely necessary that I play football with my friends!

Mum: No, David. The coronavirus can kill. We must all stay at home. Why don’t you go play with your little sister?

Julia: Yeah David! Please come and play with me!

David: No! I don’t want to play with you. I want to go out and play football with my friends!

Julia: Mummy, Mummy, David doesn’t want to play with me! (cries)

David: AHHH! There’s nothing to do at home except listen to Julia cry all day!

Narrator: David stormed off to his room and slammed the door in anger. [Thumping footsteps and door slamming]

David: It’s so annoying! Everywhere, everyone is always talking about coronavirus this, coronavirus that. Everything is about this Mr Coronavirus – on the TV, on the radio, in the quarters … Because of this Mr Coronavirus, we must do this, we must not do that. I haven’t even seen him! I don’t understand why we have to take him so seriously. Let me out! Let me out! I want to play with … my … friends … (yawn)

Coronavirus: Mwahahaha! Mwahahahaha!

David: H-h-hey! You there! Come here! Who – who are you?

Coronavirus: Mwahahahaha! Hello Da-vid!

David: Who … who … Who are you? How do you know my name?!

Coronavirus: I AM THE WORLD FAMOUS, THE POWERFUL MISTERRRRR CORONAVIRUSSSSSS! I know your name because I am going to visit you in your body!

David: But how are you going to do that?

Coronavirus: When I get inside people, I make them ill. When they cough or sneeze, I am in those droplets they sneeze out, and then I come and get you in one of two ways! I either go straight for your eyes, your mouth or your nose OR I sit quietly on surfaces like the tables, doorknobs, light switches, your mobile phones, and I wait for you to touch these surfaces so that I can latch onto your hands. And when you touch your face with those same hands, I’ll get inside you and make you sick! Mwahahahaha!

David: And … what are you going to do when you enter my body?

Coronavirus: Well, for about 2 to 14 days, you and your friends won’t even know that I am around, but then after a while, I will make you feel ill! Hahahahaha! I can do all sorts of things – mostly I like making people have a dry cough (cough cough) and have a fever. Sometimes I make them have headaches, or feel tired and have pain everywhere. For every 10 people that I infect, I can make 2 to 3 of them fall dangerously ill. The person won’t be able to breathe, and he may even die! As you are young and healthy, you will probably just feel sick for a while and get better, but I can use you to get others very ill – hee hee hee hee – hmmm – I hear you don’t like your little sister very much … hmmm …. Maybe I can get her really ill and maybe I can even get her to die …

David: NO !!! You- you- you-… you can’t do that! Coronavirus only attacks white people. We are Africans and we are strong. We can resist the Coronavirus!

Coronavirus: Ha, Africans may be strong, but I don’t care if you are black or white, if you are rich or poor!

David: NO!!!! We are not scared of you! We will go to the hospital. We will take medicine. I am scared of injections but- but- but- we will get vaccinated! And don’t you tell people that I am scared of jabs!

Coronavirus: Ha! but right now there is no proven medicine and the vaccines are not ready yet! It will be months before they can be tested and ready. So I am going to get inside your body, make you ill, and together with my 3 friends, Dry cough, Fever and Breathlessness, I am going to take over the world!

David: NOOOOOOOOOOO!

Narrator: Suddenly. a group of animals arrived. [Footsteps]

Monkey: (gibber, gibber) No, no, no! You can’t conquer the world! If you conquer the world, then I won’t get to eat my bananas anymore! I need my bananas!

Parrot: (squawk, squawk) Bananas! Bananas!

Elephant: (trumpet, trumpet) Don’t be afraid, David! We will teach you how to protect yourself, your family and your friends against the Coronavirus!

Parrot: Protect yourself! Protect your family!

Coronavirus: I am going to conquer the world!

Goat: (bleat, bleat) Ne-ver. Ne-ver.

Rooster: (crow, crow) [Squirting sounds of diluted bleach] (crow, crow)

David: What, what are you doing, Mr Rooster?

Rooster: (crow, crow) It’s diluted bleach! One-part bleach to ninety-nine-part water kills the Coronavirus…

Coronavirus: AHHHHH! You may get rid of me for now but I WILL BE BACK … I will return and get you and your friends!!! [Sound effect to signify death]

Narrator: Coronavirus disappeared with his friends, Dry cough, Fever and Breathlessness. David turned to the little band of animals that appeared.

David: WOW! What happened? How did you kill the Coronavirus?

Parrot: Kill the Coronavirus! Kill the Coronavirus!

David: You got rid of the Coronavirus with diluted bleach!

Parrot: Diluted bleach! diluted bleach!

David: That was amazing!

Parrot: Amazing! Amazing!

David: Hey Parrot! Stop copying me!

Parrot: Stop copying me!

David: Stop copying me!

Parrot: Stop copying me!

David: Hey!

Parrot: Hey!

David: HEY!

Parrot: HEY!

Elephant: (trumpet, trumpet) Settle down, settle down. We have far more important things to do right now. We must stop the Coronavirus from spreading. We must stop him from making so many people sick and even killing people on the way!

Monkey: (gibber, gibber) Absolutely! We must stop the virus from destroying the world because I really need to eat bananas!

David: Hello, Mrs Elephant and Mr Rooster. Hello Mr Parrot, Mrs Monkey and Mr Goat! Let’s fight the Coronavirus together!

All: Let’s fight the Coronavirus together!

David: But how? How are we going to do that? Do you have any idea how we can fight Mr Coronavirus and his three friends?

Rooster: Cock-a-doodle-do! I know, I know! – I heard the Congo bololo will help us?

Goat: Ne-ver. Ne-ver.

Rooster: Ooh ah, ooh ah! How about lemon and garlic? The taxi man told me it would help.

Goat: Ne-ver. Ne-ver.

David: So what should we do? Mrs Elephant? Can you tell us what we can do to protect us from the Coronavirus?

Elephant: Oh yes. There are many ways that we can protect ourselves:

1. Wash your hands with running water and soap for about 30 seconds. [Sound of washing hands]

Parrot: Wash your hands with water and soap! Wash your hands with water and soap!

Elephant:
2. Don’t shake hands with people for now! Just wave and say hello.

Parrot: Wave and say hello! Bonjour! Mbote! hello!

Elephant:
3. Stay away from others so that they cannot contaminate you. Remember that people may be infected with the Coronavirus and not even know it. That is why the government has declared a lockdown and closed all the schools, places of worship and large gatherings. That is also why we should stay away from busy places like crowded buses and markets, and also why we should stay about 2 metres from each other. That distance is about the height of a door. We should stay at home as much as possible.

Parrot: Keep your distance. Keep your distance! Stay at home! Stay at home!

Elephant:
4. Try not to touch your face because the Coronavirus can get onto your hands and then when you touch your face, you help him enter your body!

Parrot: Don’t touch your face! Don’t touch your face!

Elephant:
5: You should cough and sneeze into your elbow, or use a tissue which you should throw away immediately.

Parrot: Cough and sneeze into your elbow – (cough- cough- sneeze- sneeze- )

David: So if I do all that, then I won’t get ill, right?

Elephant: Well if you apply discipline, then your chances of getting infected by Coronavirus will be much lower.

David: So what should we do if we do get ill?

Rooster: Cock-a-doodle-do!

Goat: Ne-ver. Ne-ver.

Elephant: If you do get ill, you are likely going to have a dry cough and fever.

Parrot: Dry cough and fever.

Elephant: You should call to inform the local health authorities. You should not go to the hospital but stay at home until you feel better and for a minimum of 7 days. Take some paracetamol and rest! Your family may also have been infected by the virus without knowing, so they should stay at home for 14 days.

Parrot: Call the local health authorities! Don’t go to the hospital! Stay at home for 7 days. Take paracetamol. The family should stay at home for 14 days! And get well soon! Get well soon!

Elephant: But if you start having problems breathing and you cannot cope, you should call the local health authorities BEFORE you go to the hospital!

Parrot: If you have trouble breathing, call before you go to the hospital!

Goat: Tha-nk- tha-nk – thank you Mrs Elephant! I now know how to protect myself and my family against the Coronavirus.

Rooster: Cock-a-doodle-do! cock-a-doodle-do: Me too, me too!

Monkey: Oooh ooh ah ah! Me too! I am so happy!! Let’s celebrate by eating bananas!

David: Ooh, I’ll come with you! I am hungry.

Narrator: Suddenly, the Coronavirus reappeared – [Evil sounds]

Coronavirus: Mwahahahahaha! I am on David’s hands and he is about to touch his face!! Get ready to be infected, David!

Elephant: (trumpet, trumpet) Not so fast! Not so fast!

Narrator: Suddenly Mrs Elephant charged straight towards the Coronavirus and splashed water all over him! The goat also charged toward the Coronavirus with soap in his horns. [Sounds of water splashing]

Coronavirus: NO! no no!!! Stop washing me! Stop washing me!! Get this soap and water off me!!! Ahh ahhh ahh! I’m going to die! Get off me! AHHhhhhh … I will come back and infect you! I will come back and infect yooooou … [Sound to signal death]

Goat: Ne-ver. Ne-ver.

David: YAY! We did it! We did it! We protected ourselves against the Coronavirus.

Parrot: We did it! We protected ourselves!

Rooster: Cock-a-doodle-do! Cock-a-doodle-do!

(Everybody claps and cheers)

David: Thank you everyone! Now I know why my Mummy won’t let me go out! This is so important. I must tell all my friends how we can fight the Coronavirus together! Thank you, everyone. Biyo!

Everybody: Biyo!

Narrator: David woke up from his dream and called John and Matthew on the phone (ring, ring). He told them that he dreamt about the Coronavirus. He told them that to fight it, they must wash their hands, keep their distance, stay at home, try not to touch their faces, and cough and sneeze into the elbows. The boys missed playing together, but agreed that they needed to stay at home so that they could stay healthy, and when this pandemic is all over, they can get together and play football again. After they hung up on the phone, David took a look at his little sister Julia and remembered how in his dream, he really didn’t want the Coronavirus to get her. He smiled and went to play with Julia in their house.

David: Come on, Julia! Let’s go play!

Julai: YAY! Let’s go!

Julia: This story was written and brought to you by children of the charity New Sight Congo.

– THE END –

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