Tigers on the Tenth Day

“One day, the king realized that the gold and silver in his treasury was running low. He became distressed and asked his minister for advice. The minister said without hesitation, “We will impose a new tax.” The king nodded in agreement and instructed his minister to implement his suggestion. Tax collectors began touring cities and villages, accompanied by police officers, forcing people to pay the new tax. Those who refused to pay were humiliated, beaten, and imprisoned. One day, the people’s patience ran out, and their anger exploded. They marched in a huge crowd toward the royal palace, their voices rising loudly and indignantly at the injustice. When the king learned of what had happened, he allowed a delegation representing the demonstrators to meet with him. He listened attentively to the moving pamphlet the delegation members had to say about hunger, prisons, taxes, and the unjust minister. He expressed his astonishment and disapproval at what he heard, and said in a trembling, ashamed voice, “How can I ask my Lord on the Day of Judgment? Can I oppress my subjects without even knowing it? I, who dedicated my life to serving the needy, the poor, the orphans, and the widows?!” He stood up and announced in a stern voice the dismissal of the minister from his position and the confiscation of his palaces and wealth as punishment for his injustice and out of respect for the will of the people. The delegation left the royal palace and informed the disaffected people of what had happened. They shouted joyfully, thanking the king for his support of justice and righteousness. However, the next day, the tax collectors continued their tour of houses and shops.
With this vision, Zakaria Tamer’s text opens up to scenes in which characters dressed in symbolic garb freely express social and economic concerns and the setbacks associated with a political reality that has shattered the constraints that could have strained the conscience of the ruler, reminding him of his limits and warning him against the transgressions that are killing his people.