THEMES IN FATOUMATTA BAYO’S SORROWS OF A STEPMOTHER

THEMES IN FATOUMATTA BAYO’S SORROWS OF A STEPMOTHER

Theme refers to the main or central idea that are embedded in a literary work. There are more than one theme in most of the literary works depending on the author’s choice. Importantly, themes are more overt than others. In other words, some themes are clearly portrayed with much evidence in the text to support their existence.

However, themes realized or spotted from literary works are usually done by the readers or viewers who in their rationalization feel a particular idea is central.

In Sorrows of a Stepmother, there are series of themes that are very overt. These includes but not limited to theme of early marriage, love, molestation, regret, and forgiveness.

 

THEME OF EARLY MARRIAGE

The focus of Sorrows of a Stepmother is on Vivian and her first marriage. Vivian at 17 years has been morally induced by her mother to marry Buuba who is married to two and blessed with four children. This marriage due to Vivian’s age has attracted a lot of discomfort on Vivian and extensionally and reflectively on the Drammeh family. Ironically, Vivian who already achieved wifehood surrenders to her co-wives as if she is their daughter. This is due to the age gap between Vivian and her co-wives.

Vivian’s friend, Lili also married at a young age (19 years) to Ibrahima. Unlike Vivian, Lili married to Ibrahima out of his own volition. She believes it is the right thing to do thereby encouraging Vivian to follow the same trend (marrying at a younger age). The marriage experience of Lili is parrel to that of Vivian. The former is lucky to live harmoniously among her new family while the latter seemingly met the worst in her marriage.

THEME OF LOVE

Love in Bayo’s Sorrows of a Stepmother is outstanding and multifold. The three forms of love that stands out are affectionate love, familial love, and romantic love.

As a loyalty driven love, affectionate love is plainly portrayed in various relationships in the play. There exists a firm affection between Vivian and Lili. This led to Lili owning a new house from Vivian and her husband. The duo has been friends before and during their marriages albeit their marriage hindering their friendship to some extent. Affectionate love exists between Usaay and Umi (wives of Buuba). But this is induced by their common hatred against Vivian. The presence of Vivian serves as a catalyst for their unity, a unity they utilize to constantly turn the world to a hell for Vivian.

Romantic love is visible in all the marriages highlighted in the play. But it is more visible in the marriage between Vivian and Os. From the time of Os' proposal to Vivian to the end of the play is highly characterized by romance. There is an open romantic statement in every conversation between Vivian and Os. In fact, the last words from Vivian and Os at the tail part of the text is “I love you”. There is also a bit of romantic love between old Buuba and the young Vivian before the tragic end of their marriage. This is evident in the aftermath of their fight caused by Usaay and Umi.

Familial love is also central in the text. This can be seen in all the families in the play but promoted by different reasons. The familial love among Buuba Drammeh’s family was vividly promoted by their shared hatred against the innocent Vivian. Ibrahima Ceesay’s family too initially had the same set-up, but later convinced by the “chat” (youngest in the family), the bold and adamant Fatima to tolerate the presence of Lili in the family. Unlike Buuba’s family, this effort by Fatima triggered more peace in Ibrahima’s family.

 

THEME OF MOLESTATION

Molested in the play is only Vivian, and the molesters are all the family members of Buuba Drammeh including Buba himself. However, it is relevant to highlight that Buba’s single molestation against Vivian materialized because he was tricked by Usaay and Umi with the pretence that Vivian is outside home for her stubbornness.

The rest of the molestation that Vivian endured was met on her by the sextet (Usaay and Umi and their respective children). She endured so many forms of molestation except that of sexual. It can be insinuated that the title of the text “Sorrows of a Stepmother” is carved from this theme. This is because Vivian as a stepmother had a sorrowful matrimonial experience in his first marriage (with Buuba). In fact, the whole play revolves around this theme. Without the molestation Vivian will not meet Os and the Buuba’s family may not also experience the curse.

 

THEME OF REGRET

Regrets are the offspring of some valuable lessons. Many lessons were learned by various characters in the play, causing regret for some of them. Most of the regrets come from the mistreatment of Vivian especially by the cursed family of Buuba.

Buuba as the first to regret his action against Vivian was timely. This is so because he was lucky enough to realize the truth, apologized to Vivian and then avoided further maltreatment of her.

Adama, Vivian’s mother and Lili, her friend all regret for encouraging Vivian to a marriage where he endured abundance of suffering. They proposed the best for Vivian, but Vivian unluckily met the worst. Their actual dream was for Vivian to be happily married and make her mother and the community proud, but that hope was assassinated by Usaay and Umi with the help of their children.

The worst regret is the regret of the naughty sextet (Usaay, Umi and their children). Out of their volition they inflicted a lot of suffering on Vivian before and after the death of their husband. They reached to the extreme of sending Vivian away from the home in a gruesome manner. Their regret is not merely due to a reflection on their actions, but a perceived curse due to their actions. While Usaay and Umi had their regret at the last seconds before their death, their children suffered for so long before completely understanding their curse and subsequently to their seeking of forgiveness from Vivian.

 

THEME OF FORGIVENESS

I brought this theme last because it is always the last thing to do in any reconciliation process: accepting mistakes, apologizing to the victims and forgiveness. It also happens always at the tail end of plays or other literary works like it happened in the Sorrows of a Stepmother.

Fatoumatta as a creative author, did not only unveil wickedness, but also reveal positivity. All actions that were regretted were forgiven by the endurer (Vivian). Vivian, a patient, committed, hardworking, romantic and a humble character do not hesitate to forgive all those who made mistake against her regardless of the extreme nature of their cruelties.

The main character, Vivian forgives her husband for being tricked to beat her. She also forgives her mother and her close friend for pushing her to marriage at a tender age to an old man resulting to her sufferings.

The children of Usaay and Umi also enjoyed the forgiveness of Vivian leading to the nullification of their curse. She even has the heart to allow them to eat in her house at that juncture of reconciliation.

Lili also forgives her co-wives who were initially hostile to her. This was possible due to Fatima’s efforts in ensuring that Lili is accepted in the family. Lili would have faced the same scenario as that of Vivian.

Vivian’s story had an influence on Binta who according to herself often fight her own stepmother. She promised not to fight her stepmother again because of the fear that she may be cursed like her friend who together with her siblings are believed to meet their worst because of maltreating Vivian.

 

NOTE: The themes discussed above are the perspective of myself as a reader. It does not in any way contains the direct assertion of the author.

 

TOLERANCE-CUM-PANACEAN

TOLERANCE-CUM-PANACEAN

Like so many contested terms, it is obvious and much safer to understand that tolerance has no universally accepted definition. Diversely contextualized, defined, described, illustrated, and subsequently understood by scholars and non-scholars alike, the concept and processes of tolerance is chronologically ternary: accepting, respecting, and appreciating differences. These differences may be political, religious, racial, tribal, sportal and so forth, and they can either be on a temporal or permanent basis as well as naturally or socially constructed. The core is the truism that differences exist between us (humans), even among twins.

One of the beauties of tolerance is its recipelike nature for peaceful co-existence. We cannot live in the same society or space without acknowledging our diverse differences that give births to opinions, perspectives, and behaviours. It is vital for one to display their difference, but it is more vital and safe to allow a display of other people’s differences _ this must induce one’s ego to retreat. This is justifiable by Kofi Annan’s position that “tolerance, inter-cultural dialogue and respect for diversity are more essential than ever in a world where peoples are becoming more and more closely interconnected”.

Tolerance is neither Eurocentric nor it is Afrocentric, and it not peculiar to any society. It is a universal panacean. It is also significant to understand that the idea of being tolerant is humanely rather than perceiving it to be carved by certain group of people who may deliberately contextualize the idea of tolerance purposely to justify and serve their own interests.

One of the interesting things about tolerance is the fact that all major groups including religious groups, racial groups, political groups, and sportal groups in the globe preach for it. Despite this reality, we still witness chaos, wars, and all forms of conflict. This oxymoronic reality poses a rhetorical question: “why?”. Bewilderingly, various groups consider their perceived opponents as intolerant, but none accept their own intolerance. If confession will be the determiner of intolerance, then there will be no intolerant person or group in existence.

Perceiving that those in academia are immune to intolerance is a grave misconception. Intolerant people are visible in all facets of life. As a mental disease, it does not discriminate. However, patience is an effective antidote against it. We have seen number of people in academia being intolerant to their colleagues, students, lecturers, or any of those they work with in any form. This is evident in how students sometimes treat the questions of their peers. They sometimes ridicule and insult others for asking question that they think is useless. This is because they assume that others should know and understand the same way that they do, forgetting that the brains they use are different. Here comes one of the features of an intolerant person. Their intolerance does not stop at their peers or those within the academic fraternity. It extensionally reaches to those that are outside academia who are even more different from them. This commensurate with Robert Chambers assertion that “What is perceived depends on the perceiver. Outsiders have their own interests, preferences and preconceptions, their own rationalizations, their own defences for excluding or explaining the discordant and the distressing.” He uses outsiders as an umbrella term to include but not limited to the academicians. Like my own argument, the core argument of his is a highlight of how some so-called educated people ignore the differences with the pretence of being smarter than others. This is why Hellen Keller is right in his position that “the highest result of education is tolerance.”

Ultimately, for the world to be a perfect hub for all, all ought to accept, respect, and appreciate the differences of all.

A MOMENT TO BE JUST

 

A MOMENT TO BE JUST

Do not allow your desire for position turn you to a denigrator and a deceiver. Denigration and deception are rarely permanent for lies are unsustainable, critical and burdensome on its host. We have seen temporal lies and propaganda that stood for decades or centuries but only to be mind-blowingly unveiled as fictitious.

Notwithstanding, a lie may be temporal but the consequences may be permanent. Therefore, let us be truthful to those whose mandate we seek, for there will be absolutely no development in the absence of truth and genuineness. Covert and unrefuted lies often put people to slumber thereby silently cutting the pace of their development.

Be truthful to your masters or potential masters (those whose mandate you continually seek). Do not mislead or divide them to gain an easy ride in ruling or “serving” them. Using “divide and rule” as an instrument in achieving an objective is gravely detrimental to the user due to its bouncebackable natural quality.

Essential to development is a competition that is primarily anchored on realistic ideas. Leaders and aspiring leaders especially in the political arena should be bold enough to compete based on their ideas, ideas that are development oriented. In competing, opting for dialogue and debate are key. Being a monologist deliberately is a sign of weakness cum devoid of ideas.

 

Faback Gibba (Jenggibba).