Satire in Ola Rotimi’s Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again
Introduction
Ohawale Gladstone Emmanuel Rotimi, best known as Ola Rotimi was born in Sapele former BendelState of Nigeria on 13thApril, 1983, to an Ijaw mother and Yoruba father, so cultural diversity was a curing theme in his work. He was a play right, stage director, producer, actor, critic, scholar and a teacher.
In his early age, he was exposedto a traditional Nigeria heritage of arts. He was educated at Methodist Boys High School in Lagos from 1952 to 1957. He went to Boston University for a bachelor’s degree in theater arts where he studies play writing and retired to Nigeria in 1966. Whole in America, he got married to a French Canadian lady, named Itazela renowed artist, actress, singer and pianist.
In Nigeria, Ola Rotimi took a job at the university of lfe, where he was a research follow from 1966-1967 at the institute of African studies. He later became the head of creative arts and director at the University of Port-Harcourt. The dramatic works of Ola Rotimi are known throughout Africa and have made him one of the most significant play writers on that continent. While he was at Yale university on a Rock feller fellowship, his socio-political comedy Our Husband Has Gone Mad Againwas chosen as Yale’s student play of the year in 1960.
Rotimi examines Nigeria history and ethnic traditions in his works. Some of his published works are: Introduction to Nigeria Literature, The Gods Are Not to Blame 1971, Kurunmi 1971, Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again 1977, Ovaurumwen Nugbaisi 1974, A Tragedy of The Ruled 1983. Rotimi was in Nigeria unstill he passed away in 2000.
ANALYSIS OF OLA ROTIMI’S OUR HUSBAND HAS GONE MADAGAIN.
Literary, the work of satire is to ridicule some of the ill-vices like oppression, corruption, victimization, social, economic and political issues that are inherent in contemporary societies. This is why Ola Rotimi in Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again uses it as a hilarious comic play which tells a story of the hero, Lejoka-Brown, a soldier and a man of many wives.
This comic satire as portrayed by Rotimi starts when Liza, the one and only wife who taught she alone owns Lejoka-Brown, and she decided to come home to her husband’s house after completing her medical studies in the United States. On the other hand, Rotimi’s aim of writing is therefore to attack the aforementioned ills in the society. He has committed himself as a writer who is to restore order in the society which is so much engulfed in a marriage of socio-political, cultural and economic problems.
In other words, the aim of satire in this work as portrays by the author is not just to criticize, but also to reform. The following are some of the elements of satire with the following characters. Lejoka-Brown you are right mates, fatness has began to monkey with body.
According to the author, the conversations between the two characters are in satirical tone. To him satire in a mockery aimed at making an individuals or society less as a result of the subject folly, amusement and without due respect of the subject. Examples mama Rashida when you finish, clean up the middle room.
Satire in Ola Rotimi’s Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again
According to the author, the conversation of Mama Rashida and Polycarp, the house boy shows some satirical tones between them and how they belong to different class, the conversion between the two show that satire is a powerful form which has the ability to point out the deficiencies’ in certain human behaviours and social issues which result from them insuch a way that they become hilarious which is therefore entertaining and reaches a wide audience.
Satire is genre of literature used by writers to explore and criticizes foolishness, madness, humour, Irong and exaggeration in literary works. He further posits that, satire is an art from which ridicules and at the same time criticizes the society too. For instance, Liza: who and who did you mean by every one Lejoka-Brown: you mean?
Liza: don’t you known what I mean Lejoka-Brown oh, I mean – – emm – – people emm – -dependent – -you known people of the house – – emm – -extended family – -you known citizens Liza: what kind of citizen Lejoka-Brown Hunh? (35-36)
When another Speaker cuts in before a speaker finishes his turn is called overlaps, Lejoka-Brown here to show that she is angry and need a reasonable explanation of how he married two other wives. Lejoka-Brown does not know what to say so he stammers emm – – people – -independents – – Liza is superior in this conversation there shifting of roles because Lejoka-Brown has committed on offence by breaking their contract.
She takes over the conversation because she is angry. The above conversation portrays a dear element of satirical tone among the two speakers. Liza: someone right to have told you, my dear girl that it is not proper for a housemaid to go peaping into the bedroom of her master at right or any other – –
Sikira: housemaid (To mama Rashida) did you hear that grasshopper I told you, she would come and kick everyone around.
Liza: what did you said? Sikira – oohoo, come on you said you are a doctor? I will show you who I am mama: Rashida: patience, you patience I say sikira: let go mama Rashida: that fowl wants her proud feather plucked (24). Sikira overlaps the conversation and she did not allow anyone to finish their utterances before cutting in. The turn of their conversation is these of satire with reference to Ngugi’s definition of satire. Liza knew Sikira was talking to her because she made reference to what she said, which is calling Sikira maid.
Satire in Ola Rotimi’s Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again
In her next turn, she calls her a doctor and also when mama Rashida was trying to stop her, she still refers to Lizaby calling her “that fowl.” Liza considers herself to be calloused and more educated than the others, she also thinks she is the only wife who makes her feel superior and puts her in the best position to assume Sikira is a maid. Sikira defends her position as a wife.
She fights back so she does not feel oppressed. Encyclopedia America Vol. 24 considers satire as a “specific literary genre and a literary manner in which the follies and foibles and crime of persons, mankind or an institution are help up to ridicules with the intension of correcting them. In general, some one use this type of criticism to demonstrate hisoutrage or offence or the actions or words of some one else.
For example, Liza: your left problem will be to create demand and the best way to do this is mama Rashida, demand is what now? People who sell Liza: No – – that supply. Sikira: demand means people who go to market mama Rashida ah yes – – Liza: you must lower your price some more and more people can buy eggs. Mama Rashida I lower my price demand (47).
Here, the three willes of Lejoka-Brown are in peace with one another in the house. From the definition of encyclopedia America Vol. 24, these characters are in good terms, and they are correcting themselves over their past actions. Another element of satire are as follows.Lejoka-Brown – I lost a by election to a –small crab – – a baby (wrinkles paper out of the envelops and starts unfolding it)mmh. This time it is war (real cable, the contents are disconcerting) unsurniyaallah
Okonkwo: Bad news
Lejoka-Brown: Gamalin- 20!
Okonkwo! Your politics
Lejoka-Brown: my life
Okonkwo: your aha – a – at?
Lejoka- Brown! She’s arriving at five 0’ clock
Okonkwo! Arriving
Lejoka-Brown: from America
Okonkwo! America? Another wife? (7-8)
Lejoka-Brown talks here about politics to Okonkwo before he got the cable gram. Immediately, he read it, he shouts “unsurniya Allah” meaning “help me o Allah”
This conversation shows that satire is mean to follies, vices abuses ridicules and short coming.This is why Abrahams definition on satire implies that it is not only out to ridicule, but also to correct or move the subject away from his or her folly ills
CHARACTERIZATION OF SATIRE IN OLA ROTIMI’S OUR HUSBAND HAS GONE MAD AGAIN
- Rahman Taslin Lejoka: The protagonist, a retired army officer, is a good picture of political disillusionment. He is the comic here of the play invested with greed, strictness, rigidity. He represents those politicians of then who can still be found new in the Nigeria political terrain. He is very indiscrete, arrogant and has no regard for women. He joins politics and later marry Sikira just for gain material and personal property.
- Liza: is a qualified medical doctor from United States, married to Lejoka-Brown in Congo, after her studies from the United State she returns and discovers that she cannot tolerate polygamy, she begins to foment trouble.
- Mama Rashida: She is the first and senior wise of Lejoka-Brown who is inherited from his late elder brother.
- Musa Osagie: He is a member of the national party, who supported Lejoka-Brown to win the Election.
- Polycarp: is a domestic help in the household of Lejoka-Brown, he is an illiterate, but very faithful to his master.
- Sikira: she is a young amiable daughter of madam Ajamku, the leader of the market women union and the second wife to Lejoke-Brown.
- Alhaji Mustafa: He is an elder neighbour of Lejoka-Brown although not much is head from him, he is no doubt a good neighbour.
Satire in Ola Rotimi’s Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again
The Theme of Corruption In Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again.
Ola Rotimi satirizes corrupt political leaders in the person of Lejoka Brown, who sees politics as the only means of survival: the in- thing now in Nigeria, to be famous you need politics, to enjoy life it is politics, to have a big share of the national cake you need politics. Rotimi satirizes the immorality of Nigerian political leaders in the person of Lejoka Brown, people of dubious and unscrupulous characters who cannot organize their families well but want to rule others.
In the play ‘Holding Talks’ Rotimi satirizes how man’s energies are spent on discussion, talks and dialogue even in a situation requiring action; In this play nothing really gets done, things get really close to being done but nothing gets really done because there is always some justifiable rationalization for that which really needs to be done not to be done.
Lejoka-Brown; I lost a by election to a –small crab – – a baby (wrinkles paper out of envelops and starts unfolding it) mom. This time it is war (real cable, the contents are disconcerting) unsurniyaallah. (12
The theme of Politics
The major theme in this play is politics. Arguably, politics is one of the prominent themes in Nigerian literature, then and presently. Ola Rotimi uses the work to satirize politics as practised in Nigeria. For instance, the politics of Sikira, an illiterate woman and the market women who assist her and the pomposity of Major Rahman Lejoka-Brown are very typical of Nigeria. All that governed politics at this period and even now is selfishness.
Ola Rotimi is satirizing in this play. He foresees ex military officers coming back to power as civilians. He presents a satire on military politics, or what I may call meritocracy, and the insincerity of the military. He subtly cautions that the type of democracy these military officers will introduce will be close to dictatorship. Lejoka-Brown is the symbol of this dictatorship. This play, which was a caricature of the political landscape of Nigeria in 1979, is a reality in Nigerian politics in recent times.
Lejoka-Brown; I lost a by election to a –small crab – – a baby (wrinkles paper out of the envelops and starts unfolding it)mmh. This time it is war (real cable, the contents are disconcerting) unsurniyaallah. (P.12)
Okonkwo: Bad news
Lejoka-Brown: Gamalin- 20!
Okonkwo! Your politics
Lejoka-Brown:my life
Okonkwo: your aha – a – at?
Lejoka- Brown! She’s arriving at five 0’ clock
Okonkwo! Arriving
Lejoka-Brown: from America
Okonkwo! America? Another wife? (7-8)
The theme of Gender Inequality
There is also a theme of gender inequality in Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again. Lejoka-Brown thinks women have no intelligence until he meets his foreign wife. In between the humour in the play, there is a subtle gender conflict. As a Western woman who believes that women are not in any way subservient to men, Liza mobilizes her fellow wives to organize their own faction to stop the madness of their husband.
What Ola Rotimi seems to be saying is that politics is not only the preserve of the men? Using the mouth of Sikira, he makes this point clear: “MEN AND WOMEN ARE CREATED EQUAL!” (6) (Act 2 Scenes VI). As a medical doctor and an experienced educated lady, Liza can compete favourably with any man. There is no doubt that sometimes women are used as puppets in order to fulfill men’s ambitions. This is exactly what Liza does not want to see or hear. The play can also said to be revolutionary in the sense that a national issue is looked at from the women’s angle.
Style in Ola Rotimi’s Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again
Language
Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again is written in a simple and accessible language. Every reader will enjoy his/her kind of language, full of images that are very relevant to our society. The manner characters use language in this play reflects their societal status. For example, the way Polycarp speaks is very typical of an unschooled servant and Madam Ajanaku’s language is typical of a market woman. It is this realistic use of language that makes the work very interesting, authentic and realistic.
