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Shoot Festival Belgrade Theatre In partnership with China Plate and Warwick
Arts Centre ***** This drama from writer/producer Ianaire Aderemi, and BSL signed throughout from Deborah McLeod, is based on a real history,shortened for this performance, and reads like a fairy story. It is a passionately political story
from Nigeria in 1947 where 10,000 women rejected an abusive colonial,
patriarchal, controlling taxation system and ultimately the government. It all started way back in the late nineteenth
century with an ill-managed amalgamation of southern and northern
provinces of Nigeria and never settled. Men, the ‘big men’ became the
beneficiaries of control on the ground, including the church, but the
women bore the brunt of the injustice with levels of punitive taxation. Yejide (Lola May) as the daughter of the previous
generation’s ringleader, Madam Jojolala (Dorcas A Stevens) took charge,
with Ifelayo (Dorcas A Stevens) and Elelubo (Dami Olukoya) both married
to ‘big men’ and initially reluctant to rock the boat. Elewedu (Antonia
Layiwola) is married to policeman (David King-Yombo) brutally policing
the taxation for which, though his job means money into the house, it is
too high a price for her to pay. The scene in the drawing room with tea and Rich
Tea biscuits with the three main characters was my favourite and seemed
to be the turning point of the play. It all sounds rather dull but far
from it. Directed by Jen Davis there was singing, dancing and merriment
alongside a brutal tale which ends with success for the woman of
Abeokuta. I would love to see the original, longer version because this
was supreme. Jane Howard 29-04-22 |
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