The characters in Gabriel Okara’s The Voice include Okolo, Chief Izongo, Tuere, Abadi, Messengers, Benitu and Tuduo.

Now, let’s briefly examine the characters, one after the other.

Characters in The Voice

Okolo

Okolo is the protagonist of The Voice. All the actions centre around him. He is educated and like to spend his free time reading or feeding his mind.

He is described as a man with no chest and no shadow. He is different from the other people as he has a clean inside.

He is search of ‘it,’ hence, the whole village thinks he is crazy. His good beliefs are a stumbling block to Chief Izongo, hence he sends him out of town.

Okolo doesn’t succumb to material things like money, property and all. He believes in keeping his insides clean.

He leaves for Solanga because he is also not accepted there. He becomes friends with Tuere who protects him when Izongo searches for him.

He returns to the village and is eventually chased out again. He leaves with Tuere. He can be described as focused and strong-willed as he does not allow what he faces to affect him.

Chief Izongo

Chief Izongo is one of the leaders of Amatu. He is powerful and sees Okolo as a threat to him. he sends him out of the town. He constantly celebrates this achievement. He is highly respected in the town and has the messengers and elders at his beck and call. He is very mean and inconsiderate. This is evident in the way he treats Okolo.

Tuere

Tuere is one of the characters in The Voice. She is a woman who lives at the outskirt of town. She was accused of being a witch because her parents died at around the same time. She grew to live in loneliness.

She protects Okolo when Izongo searched for him. She is kind and caring as she provides food for Okolo in his time of need. She resonates with Okolo’s “insides” and supports his search. She hopes that he returns from Solanga. She was eventually drowned with Okolo.

Messengers

The messengers are the men sent by Chief Izongo to capture Okolo. They are cowards and shy. They are not able to carry out the duty successfully.

Abadi

Abadi is the second in command to Chief Izongo. He is very educated as he has obtained his master and PhD degrees respectively. He advises the chief on certain issues. He is very wise. Despite his education, his “insides” are corrupted by the things of the world.

Benitu and Tuduo

Benitu and Tuduo are Okolo’s friends. They were sent by Chief Izongo to remind him to leave the town.

Further Reading:

• Analysis of Gabriel Okara’s “The Voice”
• Chapter by Chapter Summary of Gabriel Okara’s “The Voice”
• Themes in Gabriel Okara’s “The Voice”

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