BENUE STATE UNIVERSITY, MAKURDI

FACULTY OF ARTS

DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE ARTS

NAME: AGBAJI GRACE

MATRIC. NUMBER: BSU/AR/THA/17/43396

COURSE CODE: THA 319

COURSE TITLE: THEATRE AND GENDER

Question

1. The economic, social, cultural, and political attributes associated with been a

man or woman are key to national development. Refute or reaffirm this

statement with reference to any contemporary gender play.

2. critically explore some of the cause of gender base violence and their

implications to the family development.

Introduction

A commitment to gender equality in economic outcomes, as in other areas of

social development and human rights, has emphasized women's empowerment.

There is evidence that expanding woman's opportunities - particularly in the

areas of health, education, earnings, civic rights, and political participation -

decreases gender inequality and accelerates development. However, despite

important advances towards equality, gender differences in many

socioeconomic outcomes still persist. In light of this, policy makers and social

scientists have shifted attention to the role of men in reducing gender

disparities.

In both the developing and the developed world, men wield enormous power

over many aspects of women's lives. In the public sphere, as heads of states and

government ministers, as leaders of religious institutions, as judges, and village

heads, men design and implement policies that may or may not favor women's

priorities and needs. In the private sphere, as husbands and fathers, men can

directly impact the economic and social progress of women. Thus, ignoring men

in the design and implementation of gender-oriented policies may not only limit

the effectiveness of these initiatives but also exacerbate existing disparities

Basic Clarification of Key Terms

THEATRE: Etymology, the word theatre is derived from the Greek word

Theatron meaning a seeing place or viewing centre where people go to view

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performance. This entails that theatre is referred to as performance. This could

be a building, an auditorium, market place anywhere. Peter Brook opines that

the empty space is called a stage while an actor walks across the empty space

and is been watch by the audience. Dandaura Emmanuel and Ama Gowon Doki,

theatre is "three s" that is spectacle (actor) space (stage) and spectators

(audience).

GENDER: this refers to as the range of characteristics pertaining to and

differentiating Masculinity and Feminity. Depending on the context, these

characteristics may include biological sex based social structure this includes

gender roles or gender identity.

Reaffirming The Statement that the Economic, Social, Cultural, And

Political Attributes Associated with Being a Man And Woman Are Key To

National Development.

The Economic, Social, Cultural, and political attributes associated with being a

Man or Woman is what is termed as Gender (Man and woman). And this is of

very fundamental and important phenomenal that Stand Paramount and is key to

national development.

Gender that entails being Man and Woman must be taking into consideration at

all individual level and treated with Equality for both Man and Woman if not it

breeds or give birth to what rises and it termed as Gender Inequality. Which will

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greatly affect the National Development not to achieve it setting goals and the

people we suffer greatly.

PLAYWRIGHT WORK ROSE MARY ASEN THE WOMAN IN BLACK

TO SHOW HOW GENDER INEQUALITY AFFECT WOMEN

GREATLY

A playwright is being regarded as a powerful and most important artist also

called the dramatist. He writes plays such as Tragedy, Comedies or adopts

themes from fictional, Historical usually involving actions conflicts, purpose,

climax, Reversal recognition to adopts series of events from imaginary or real

life. According to Dapo Adelugba the dramatist should be seen as a practical

journalist or what is better Known watch dog of the society. And his major aim

is to reconstructing the society through different approaches like ills of the

society through plays, mime, Dance drama, Improvisation, comedies, popular

theatre and community theatre.

In the play the central thematic issues that the play centres on, is the clash

between Traditional African Value System and Modernity. Rose Mary Asen

seeks for change about The Traditional African Practices, Value system with

that of Modernity in solving the problem of the women and the pains to which

they go through in life. The Traditional African Value system makes the women

to suffer greatly while the Modernity seeks to readdressed or to correct it.

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According to Rose Mary Asen. [THE WOMAN IN BLACK], she presents

different faces of women ranging from shattered dreams to oppression, misery,

pain and grief. She presents the plight of widows especially the pains they go

through in life. In the play, it is the tradition of the people that when a woman

husband dies, she is the first suspect.

MAMA IYABO: Do you know that in our land if a man dies before his wife,

she must be the cause of his death (6). As a matter of fact, if a woman does not

accept responsibility of her husband's death, she is subjected to some rituals to

prove her innocence. She is taken to the shrine to drink some of the water that

was use in bathing her husband with, as well as to undertake other rituals.

Mama Iyabo refuses to undergo the ritual on her husband death and is

ostracized in the family.

MAMA IYABO: That is useless to me. the whole family declared me to be

unfit to associate with because I refuse to undergo the Traditional rites to prove

that I was not the cause of my husband death. God forbid that I daughter of

Oluwoh should drink nausea, eating concoction and be dragged from one shrine

to another. I came from far to marry my husband and yet l was suspected of

having a hand in his death (5-6) on the general note the in the play are subjected

to hardship either because their husbands are dead or rejected them like in the

case of ENEH Who resorts to petty trading two weeks after child birth. Her

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husband OCHEM on the discovery that the baby is a girl after he was expecting

a second baby boy leaves and never cares how she is fairing.

ENEH: I don’t Know. My eyes are no longer meant to see him. He came to find

out if I had given him the long awaited second male child but discovering

otherwise he left immediately like one who had seen an abomination (9)

The issue of male children who will continue the lineage takes pre-eminence in

most traditional African societies. Even how the chicken is doing makes

particular reference to the boy.

ENENCHE: where is the child and the rest?

ENEH: which of the children are you referring to?

ENENCHE: The boy of course. The rest are strangers. We are only taking care

of them for the real owners their future husband (18). It gets to a point where

OCHEM brings girls friends to the house and affords to ask ENEH: to park her

belongings and go to her father's house. this continues until is beaten up and

thrown to the street on the account of his girlfriend who Denise ever knowing

him before her new Lover. He is taken to his house where ENEH nurses his

wounds. Soon after, he is discovering he is HIV Positive. Full of regrets, he

treats ENEH tenderly and kindly but does not last long as he dies of the disease

after giving up on life. As it is customary, ENEH is accused of been responsible

for her husband death and to prove her innocence, she must undergo the

traditional rites.

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AIKO: Addressing ENEH It has been decided that you have to prove your

innocence of the cause of your husband death. But you can spare yourself the

ordeal of going through the ritual if you decide to confess to us (49) ENEH:

Tells them that since their hearts are already made up on nailing her she has

nothing to say. As such the fetish priest is invited to carry out the ritual.

AIKO PRIEST: the first stage is that she has to drink some of the water that was

used to wash the husband’s body. Was some of it reserved?

ENENCHE: yes, let me go and bring it (goes brings the water in the container

and hands it over to the priest)

AlkO PRIEST: Let's move to the shrine addressing ENEH come and kneel

before me. You will drink this water and repeat the following words after me.

ENEH: Averts her face to show that the water has a bad odour, I cannot drink

this water.

AlKO PRIEST You have to otherwise that will be acceptance of guilt.

ENEH: Drinks little and spits several times

AlKO PRIEST: Repeat these words. If I caused the death of the one whose

water I drink may I go the same way that he did. If not, may I see many years.

He passes an egg seven times round her head and breaks it. They all move out

of the stage (50)

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Soon after OCHEN’S death, his brothers visit his house in the city to take

possession of all his property for owned sharing among themselves in the

village. Finally, ENEH Is left to suffer and look after the children alone and she

deserves no sympathy though no crime is established against her.

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2. Critically explore some of the causes of gender base violence and their

implications to family development

Gender is the social and cultural construct which distinguishes differences in the

attributes of men and women, boys and girls and accordingly refers to the roles

and responsibilities of men and women.

Violence according to the Wikipedia is the intentional use of physical force or

power against oneself, another person, or against a community which usually

results in injury, death, psychological harm, mal-development or deprivation.

Gender based violence is an umbrella term for any harmful act that is

perpetrated against a person’s will and that is based on socially ascribed

(gender) differences between females and males. The nature and extent of

specific gender based violence very across cultures, countries and religions.

Examples of such violent act may include sexual violence, domestic violence,

trafficking, forced/early marriage, female genital mutilation and widow

inheritance.

Women, men, and children have equal rights and dignity, equal treatment

and opportunity for realising their full potentials and also for contributing to

land benefiting economic, social, cultural and political development. Gender

equality implies taking women-men and children into consideration,

recognising the diversity of different groups and that all humans are free to

develop their personal abilities and make choices without limitations set by
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stereotypes and prejudice about gender roles. In a situation where there is no

equity gender based violence takes the lead which affects development in a

country down to the family which is the smaller unity of the society. We shall

focus our work on women whom are most times victims of gender based

violence.

Causes of gender based violence/its implications to family development

1. Cultural norms: Gender stereotypes is often used to justify violence

against women. Cultural norms often dictate that men are aggressive,

controlling and dominant, while women are docile, subservient and rely on men.

These norms can foster abuse early marriage, female genital mutilation and the

likes when act of these happens it brings or slows down the speed of

development on men for daily survival since they are forced to stay at home and

do only domestic activities. This dominance by men is referred to as patriarchy.

2. Legal factors: Being a victim of gender based violence is perceived in

many societies as shameful and weak, with many women still being considered

guilty of attracting violence. This partly accounts for enduring low levels of

reporting and investigation until recently the law in some countries still

differentiated between the public and private spaces, which left women

vulnerable to domestic violence.

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A woman who is facing violence at home thinks all day on how to get out of the

situation. The thought of planning for a better family if at all comes last in her

mind. Her thoughts are always occupied with fear and pains.

3. Economic factors: The lack of economic resources generally makes

women vulnerable to violence. It creates patterns of violence and poverty that

becomes self-perpetuating, making it extremely difficult for victims to extricate

themselves when unemployment and poverty affects men, it causes them to

assert their masculinity through violent means.

A woman who suffers violence in such a home will not have all the time to sit

and reason about nice business ideals can help take the family out of financial

cries. She can only use her mouth to gossip all day round which will lead to a

greater down fall in the family.

WORKS CITED

Asen Rose Mary. The Women in Black. Makurdi: Aboki Publishers, 2005

Aondohemba, Marcellinus Asen. “Selected themes in theatre studies, Makurdi,

Ibadan, Abuja: Aboki Publishers, 2013

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