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Deconstructing religion, culture, society in ‘Woman In The Mirror’

By Sunday Aikulola
04 June 2023   |   3:15 am
Through the lives of three women, the author of ‘Woman In The Mirror’, Achalugo Chioma Ilozumba, explores generational self-sabotage, a confrontation of religious indoctrination all against the backdrop of shame, divorce, societal expectations and self-renaissance

‘Woman In The Mirror’

Through the lives of three women, the author of ‘Woman In The Mirror’, Achalugo Chioma Ilozumba, explores generational self-sabotage, a confrontation of religious indoctrination all against the backdrop of shame, divorce, societal expectations and self-renaissance.

Speaking at the play’s reading held at Goethe Institut, Lagos, recently, she argued religion, culture and society were pivotal to the existence of individuals, adding one is hardly surprised to find them as recurring common denominators wherever women have certain experiences.

She disclosed, “I tend to recommend an idea from corporate law called ‘lifting the veil’, whenever these three have to be addressed. I say the first question is when we unveil, what and who lies behind religion, society and culture? Humans!”

To her, she found it better rewarding to think of them as spaces with humans, adding this helps throw the questions “back to us, in our religious, cultural and sociological settings, what roles can we play? Can we refuse to partake in institutional abuse of women?”

In some parts of the play, she narrated typical and sadly true depiction of what happens in some police stations when domestic abuse is reported.
Revealing the characters also have nuanced conversations of religious leaders who interpret parts of their religious beliefs to suit the patriarchy, she stated the characters also probe shame, and question the refusal to acknowledge failures in/of a marriage to preserve social standing, whilst overall tasking us to do better in those spaces by introspecting and committing to personal and collective change.

“I think that for the first time, I have written something whose answer to this question presents in multiples across the pages and voices of the characters. In some places, I am questioning, in some I am teaching, in some I bury personal grief, in some I nuance our collective socio-reality, whilst giving wings to hope for the reality we want to see, in some I celebrate resilience. Belief patterns/systems have a tendency to be trans-generational, and I was happy to explore this from the prisms of Mama, Celina and Nnenne, a grandmother, mother and a child, three generations of women, in one room, within a given time period. I would say that the reasons are as multi-layered as the emotions the work evokes, but overall, the play wants us to introspect, it wants us to have the difficult conversations,” she stated.

On her expectations after writing the play, she noted from those who have read, and audience reactions at the  staged reading, people are having the conversations in their spaces, that people are sitting to rethink their visions, actions, that people read this emotion laden conversation between three women and are able to draw strength from some of the characters, wisdom from some, and even yet, are pushed to learn empathy for some, to which they are growing in the grace they now offer to similar characters in their real life spaces.

Expressing optimism, she added, “I hope that even more people get to adopt the work for staging in more theatres and continue to have much needed conversations in their spaces.”

Narrated by Thecla Uzozie, the cast include, Ngozi Theodora Nwobu (Mama), Etta Jomaria (Nnenne), Susan Ibanga (Celina), the Reading was directed by Jude Idada.

A legal practitioner, as well as consummate artist, she said her next play intends to explore nuances around living and working in present day Lagos.
Achalugo explored her storytelling via several mediums of expression – photography, film/TV, and stage.

Her works favour an exploration of precolonial African history, heritage and spirituality, and she infuses elements of these in her works, exploring old and evolving African belief and traditions.

Her debut novel, ‘Mmirinzo; the ones who are rain’ (Winepress Publishing, 2020) was first runner up for the 2021 Spring Prize for Women Authors.
She has also won prizes, in drama from the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), and the Quramo Prize for Fiction. She was one of the six playwrights that participated in the 2021 Playwrights Lab organised by the National Theatre of Wales, in conjunction with the Lagos Theatre Festival and the British Council.

Among distinguished personalities at the staged play include, Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka.

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