Ogu Ndem: Aggressive Silence

This dissertation directly engages issues of autonomy and agency in relation to African women, given that the stereotypical picture of these women in development literature and popular imagination worldwide is that they lack these attributes. The misrepresentation of African women globally as consummately weak and oppressed beings has persisted over time necessitating now a definition of new approaches to addressing their story. Ogu Ndem: Aggressive Silence focuses on the Aba women's uprising of 1929; a momentous event that occurred in colonial Nigeria and that presents a perfect historical example through which to explore the political voices of African women. The Aba Women's War illustrates the strength and autonomy that African women have continually exhibited as a part of their history. Unfortunately this truth has not been adequately addressed in published, oral, audio-visual, and especially in performance literature and arts. Drama and the theater offer a viscerally charged means to address topical societal issues. Drama is a representation of theoretical thought and philosophy and the theater, in a deep philosophical way, allows us to re-analyze and re-conceptualize reality. Additionally, the theater provides a space within which we theorize reality. By its nature, theater serves as a way to educate and influence people, through providing snapshots of life. It is with this conceptualization of theater as theory that this dissertation aligns. While political theater as an art form continues to burgeon on the African continent, feminist theater in Africa remains under-developed? Women representation in the theatrical field as playwrights, executive producers, financiers, directors, producers and managers/administrators still remains very low. Consequently, theater that addresses issues of women's rights is lacking. This dissertation responds to that lacuna. It is a full-length play based on the preserved transcripts of the Aba Commission of Inquiry into the women's revolt of 1929 in Calabar and Owerri Provinces in Nigeria. An adaptation of the play was produced for stage as a part of the dissertation process.