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Onuoha’s Yoruba Romance champions to let love thrive: Amidst the ethnic bigotry that Nigeria has become
"When dealing with humanity as a family, there's no question of integration or intermarriage. It's just one human being marrying another human being or one human being living around and with another human being."
—Malcolm X.
Yoruba romance, directed by AUSTINE Onuoha, is a comedic rendition of Tyrone Terrance's romantic play showcasing the realities of ethnic bigotry with respect to love and inter-ethnic marriages in Nigeria.
Presented in the Terra Culture Yard, starring Julius Obende, Uchechika Elumelu, and Stanley Okeke, the play is a comedic satire of the realities of inter-ethnic marriages, land disputes and, well…a haters-to-lovers dynamic with a twist of Romeo and Juliet's story.
Nneka, a 36 years old spinster, is occasionally 22 when suitors come to ask for her hand in marriage. A fierce competitor and champion of her family's dignity—be it debates about their family's malnourished horse, which is still the best in their village. Or the debates on land passed down for generations in their family lineage.
An attribute to note about this character is that she no Dey carry last!
Ladoja, a bachelor from one of the wealthy but problematic families in the village—and also a prospective suitor longing for Nneka. The Romeo to Nneka's Juliet, an attribute to note about this character is that he is never upfront about what he wants. A savage with words and a parrot at heart, and no one's closeted secret is safe in his hands—he'll mock you with it.
Papa Chibuzor, Nneka's single father and renowned hunter—well, according to Ladoja, he only hunts during festivals for attention and praise. In his bid to set his unmarried daughter with a suitor after rejecting several others due to their ages, religious beliefs and ethnic backgrounds. He finally settled on Ladoja. Something to note about this character is that he cherishes his daughter's wants and loves her unconditionally.
The play commences with a dispute between Nneka and Ladoja on land matters that existed even before they were born. Then, from one argument to another, they both throw jabs at each other with some of their most shameful family secrets.
Disturbed by the noise, Papa Chibuzor rushes out to subdue the two troublemakers; but things don't go to plan. The arguments continue until Ladoja pretends to faint and leaves the Chibuzor family house.
Soon enough, Nneka begins to question why Ladoja came to their house in the first place—her father then tells her that Ladoja was only at their home to ask for her hand in marriage. She starts to cry and blames her father for how her life turned out, as she's old and unmarried because he has been picky with her suitors.
Upon Ladoja's return, Nneka's demeanour switches—her face is all caked with makeup, and she soon starts fantasizing about their happy marriage. But soon again, the comedic duo is back at it again with arguments instead of playing love birds like Romeo and Juliet.
Using ethos, the play toys with our emotions and makes us feel Nneka's plight; she's lonely and sad because her ethnic marriage practices reject intermarriages. And the only option she has to settle for is a person that irks her. While Ladoja isn't a bad person, he and his crush Nneka don't seem too much like the perfect pair. With Comedy, the play is able to showcase the ills of ethnic bigotry in Nigeria, how it divides our society, and how backward cultural practices have made love such a hassle. People's fear of being judged has made it hard to let love live and thrive irrespective of cultural or ethnic obstacles.
With theme and sub-themes on family, love, and ethnic commonality, the play showcases the realities of ethnic marriages and the challenges and effects of policing love with culture.
Like the last few of Austine Onouha's plays, it was performed in an unconventional setting. The director skillfully situates Papa Chibuzor's home at the center stage, where the audience is part of the cast and contributes to the storyline. This created a play-within-play scenario, where members of the audience play a double role of being part of the audience and slightly the cast. This is done as the actors move around the audience and engage them in open-ended dialogue and rhetorical questions.
The choice of venue and space further bring a new form of minimalism to the theatre. It cuts costs of props, lighting and the like, aside from allowing the audience to breathe into the play.
