Time was not ripe for ‘The Monologues’

Mary Karooro Okurut

THIS article is here purely by default. I had written about those who concede that President Yoweri Museveni has performed well and would continue likewise if term limits were lifted, but that it would be dangerous for the country if we got a president as tyrannical as Idi Amin, who would then wreak havoc with impunity. My argument is that if you have a bad leader, he would not respect term limits anyway.

I had also written something about why we should continue using the drug DDT in this country.

But I shelved both stories when the controversy over the play The Vagina Monologues came up.

After going through the lines of this play, for me what summarises the whole picture is what I heard Health Minister Maj. Gen. Jim Muhwezi say when he called in during one of the FM radio talkshows on the subject. He asked one of the promoters of the play, “Can you repeat that title in vernacular?” The lady was tongue-tied and couldn’t even fumble a reply.

Jim’s question brought up the gist of the whole problem with this play, at this point in time in Uganda and indeed, most African countries.

Many people have observed that the problem with this play is not just the content. Much of the controversy actually stems from the title.

I have always spoken about the need for caution when coming up with headlines for stories in the newspapers, because they often dictate or determine what the reader will think of the article. Many people read articles by headlines and their understanding is conditioned by what the headline or title they see — not the finer details which they seldom read anyway.

I once wrote an article, which I titled “Women politicians are misunderstood”. When the article was published, the title had been changed to read “Women close your thighs tight”.

Friends and family called me and said they had not read the story, but they had a big problem with the title. “This is not like you Maria,” they complained.
My last novel The Official Wife, which tackles polygamy in a Christian setting and where the main character Liz is really demented, is one of those tell-it-like-it-is books.

But whatever is controversial is hidden deep between the covers — you’d have to look hard to find it. The reason is that I was mindful of the society I was writing this book for. Some words are simply taboo and even though we know private parts are no longer that private these days — what with all the rape and defilement — still, there are things our society won’t handle.

As a matter of fact, I heard some people joke on FM radio stations that they wanted to write another play and call it The Penis Monologues. They said all this in vernacular and it sounded terrible.

Some friends from northern Uganda called me in protest. “Haven’t we been insulted long enough?” they asked, in reference to the prolonged conflict there. “And now to think that money from this dirty play will be sent to the north!” So far one non-governmental organisation in northern Uganda has vowed not to touch the money from that play.

The story is told of a man who, in a church compound on a Sunday was talking loudly and mentioned the word ‘vagina’ (in vernacular). The crowd descended on him with arms raised, poised to strike him. “How can you mouth a word like that in front of the church?” they asked. The man was unfazed.

“I have only mentioned the word; how about those women who have carried their private parts right into the church — why don’t you crack down on them?” he retorted. They beat him up anyway. The issue is that the poor man got his context wrong.

In the case at hand, our society is not yet ready for this V-Monologues kind of thing. The title is far ahead of our times.

Chances are that if they had come up with a different title, there would have been little or no controversy generated. Clearly the packaging has been shabby; in utter disregard of the societal context in which it is being launched.

This would have met no resistance in the western world, or even among elitist women in Uganda. But in the eyes of the average Ugandan, it is scandal par excellence.

If the author of this play is so keen on having it shown in a country like this, she ought to repackage it to fit the African context. There surely cannot be only one way of packaging something.

The writer is the Woman MP for Bushenyi District

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