The second scene takes place at the home of the British District Officer, Simon Pilkings, and his wife, Jane. Pilkings and Jane are dancing to a tango coming from a gramophone. They are wearing ancestral death masks confiscated from the Yoruba.
Constable Amusa, a Native Administration policeman, approaches. He is shocked and upset to see the Pilkings desecrating the masks. Even though he is Muslim, and not Yoruban, he fears the power of the Yoruban masks. He refuses to speak to the District Officer in costume, so he writes his report on a pad of paper.
The note informs Pilkings that Elesin Oba plans to commit death tonight, which is a criminal offense in the British rule. Pilkings, who thinks this mean a ritual murder will be committed, is annoyed. He doesn't want.....
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