Feminist accused the male dominated society of the subjugation of the rights of women. The history of the human race is marred with the oppression of the female gender. The injustice perpetrated by women can be attributed to the ideologies taught in mainstream religions that women are responsible for the fall of the human race and the current evil that has salvaged the society for centuries. Nevertheless, communities and ethnicities that do not subscribe to the mainstream religions undermine women in the society. Towards the late twentieth century, feminist’s movement arose as a result of the skyrocketing of the number of female students taking legal studies in the university. With the adoption of the universal Declaration of human rights by the United Nations has reduced the gender disparities and decreased the levels of oppression towards women in the society. However, the women are faced with challenges of access to the economic opportunities in the society. Lynn Nottage dramatically depicts the plight of women and the struggles the female gender has to overcome in the Democratic republic of Congo.
Nottage traveled to the war-torn country and collected personal narrations of the plight of women. She listened thousands of personal narrations of women that were subjected to both sexual and physical violence. In the play, the civil unrest in the country is equated to the war waged for the women bodies. In the play, Salima is a victim of sexual abuse, physical violence and arbitrary imprisonment. The play is set in Mama Nadi’s bar where rebel leaders and government officials find a haven away from the ongoing civil war. They come to dance with women and fulfil their sexual desires. In this setting, women are considered as objects. These objects are there to advance the interests of the male gender in the society. The women working in the bar choose to survive in spite of the atrocities that they had to endure while working in the bar. The bar workers symbolize the limited opportunities that are available for women in the society. Even after garnering a means of personal development they are still faced with sexual atrocities.
Rape is an instrument of war. The Democratic Republic of Congo a central, African, and country have been ravaged by brutal conflict and civil unrest. Women bear the greatest burden of the consequences of violence in this region. They are intimidated and subjected to violence as a means of social control. Rape in DRC is the used as a means of ethnic cleansing and tribal intimidation. Women are subjected to unimaginable horrors of sexual violence and psychological abuse. The injustice against women in this social setting forms the basis for the play by Lynn Nottage.
Mama Nadi in the play takes women who have been brutalized by war and provides them with shelter and clothing. She uses her sexuality to meet chatter her way through the dangerous waters of warfare. She is a symbol that women can succeed in this society. She is against the subjugation of women by soldiers. She takes women who have been raped by soldiers and helps them to make a living.
Patricia A Cain argues that sexual violence subordinate women in the society. Sexual abuse violates the dignity of the female gender and hence provides a loophole though which patriarchy can advance its interests against the rights of women. This is clearly played out in the case of Sophie. Sophie is on the first of the women who have been ravaged by war. At an early age of eighteen, Sophie has been genitally mutilated by the soldiers. She suffers from a physical and psychological trauma as a result of the abuse. In addition, she is considered as an outcast in the society. Sophie is an educated lady, and she is preparing for her university exams. The fact that an educated woman can become subject to rape shows that the society does not accord respect to women regardless of their education status. An educated woman is considered a moral anathema.
Sophie has already been considered as an outcast by the community. She second among the lists of the ruined ladies in the play is Salima. Salima was abducted and forced to become a concubine to one of the rebel leaders in the war. Militia men have been keeping her and have consequently subjected her sexual violence. The suffering that Salima has to go through is unimaginable. It supports the views of radical feminist that male dominance only seeks to advance its interest, and the male dominated society does not consider women in the society. After the brutal incidence, her husband refused to take her back, and she is exiled to a different village. Fortune, Salima’s Husband is, however, regretful that he refused to take Salima back and claims that he is still in love with Salima. Fortune is unhappy as a soldier and is concerned of the effects of the war.
In Act one we see Christian offering sell women to Mama Nadi. They both negotiate about the price and eventually she purchases both Sophia and Salima. Mama instructs one of her girls Josephine to survey them to find out whether they are ready for business. Mama orders the girls to be fed and clothed before they commence working for her. Mama realizes that Sophia was an excellent student in school. She discovers that she was exiled from the village, and her studies discontinued after she was sexually abused. Mama realizes that she has an interest in singing and reading books. During the stay at Mama’s bar Sophie is forced into immorality in order to escape poverty and safeguard her future. Sophie saves money that she later reveals to Salima. The revelation happens when she discovers that Salima is pregnant.
The bar is frequented by rebel leaders and government officials. They all converge in this bar in order to escape the hostile environment war. They use the women in the bar for entertainment and sexual purposes. In the beginning Sophie sings while the other women such as the Josephine give the rebels a lap dance. The moral erosion in this bar goes further to the point of contention between the mineral dealers and Mama over the method of payment. Mineral dealers argue that croton that is the mineral that is used in the production of mobile phones is very expensive and, therefore, should be used as a method of payment for the sexual services provided by the barmaids. The contention generates into war after the mineral dealer fails to provide payment for the services offered by the barmaid. Mama intervenes to solve the conflict and takes the croton. She offers the mineral dealer Salima, who is old and worn out instead of Sophia. Because of her pregnancy, Salima is forced to leave the premises of Mama Nadi’s Bar.
After her exit, Sophia and Josephine engage into a confrontation over beauty. The conflict between the two of them affects the business in the Bar. At one point, Mama Nadi threatens to throw Sophia into the street. She begs Mama Nadi to forgive her and promises to correct her mistakes. Although Sophia’s ultimate goal is to leave Mama Nadi’s Bar, she is forced to stay in order to accumulate enough money to pursue her education at the university.
The conflict in the battle field also degenerates into the bar. Fortune meets with commander and Laurent in the bar. As they discuss the ongoing conflict, Fortune informs the commander that Jerome Kisembe was noted in Mama Nadi’s bar. They accused Mama Nadi of hiding Jerome Kisembe. Mama Nadi denies these claims vehemently at the same time Jerome leaves the bar. As the two rebel groups conflict in the bar, Laurent and Fortune exit in pursuit of Jerome. The soldiers raid Mama Nadi’s bar. They break into a safety box and steal all the money Mama Nadi had saved. As the fighting in the bar ensues, Salima enters the bar with a pool of blood dripping from her dress. She dies as Mama Nadi and Sophia attend to her.
The conflict in the story has injurious effects to the women in the plot. Sophia dies as a result of the brutality perpetrated by the police. In this male dominated society women bear the greatest brunt of violence. Sexual subordination undermines the position of women in the society. Sexual abuse against women is used as an instrument of war in the play.
Works Cited
Hannam, J. Feminism. New York: Routledge, 2013.
Tyson, Lois. Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guide. New York: Routledge, 2012.
