THREE SUITORS ONE HUSBAND
JE UNATAMANI PICHA ZAKO ZIONEKANE KATIKA MUONEKANO MZURI??
JE UNATAKA UONEKANE KATIKA MAZINGIRA TOFAUTI KABISA NA ULIYOPIGIA PICHA??
JE UNATAKA PICHA YAKO IWEKWE PAMOJA NA MTU YOYOTE UMTAKAYE??
TAZAMA HILI TANGAZO CHINI
THREE SUITORS ONE HUSBAND
prepared by Rashidi R. Mpella
DOWNLOAD YOUR PDF DOCUMENT BELOW
READ THE ANALYSIS
Playwright: Guillaume Oyono – Mbia
Setting: Traditional village of
Mvoutessi in Cameroon.
Year: 1960.
At first the book was written in French in 1960 and
first publicly staged in Yaoundé, Cameroon 1961. It was translated into English
by the author and given its first performance in Britain at University of Keele
in February 1967.
CHARACTERISATION
1) ATANGANA
2) ABESSOLO, Atangana`s
father
3) ONDUA, Atangana`s
brother
4) BELLA, Atangana`s
mother
5) MATALINA, Ondua`s
daughter
6) OYONO, Atangana`s
son
7) MAKRITA, Atangana`s
wife
8) JULIETTE, Atangana`s
daughter
9) MBARGA, The
village headman
10) MEZOE, RELATIVE
11) KOUMA, JULIETTE`S
COUSIN
12) OKO, HER
FIENCE
13) NDI, FIRST
SUITOR
14) MBIA, THE
SECOND SUITOR
15) TCHETGEN, THE
THIRD SUITOR
16) SANGA-TITI, THE
WITCH DOCTOR
17) ENGULU, MBIA`S
DRIVER
GENERAL SUMMERY
The author uses Juliette as a main character of the
play. Juliette is a student who has been away from the village studying at
Secondary School in Libamba. While at school, she meets her
fiancé who is supposed to be introduced to her parents and other relatives. She
is expected to arrive home at any time.
JULIETTE ARRIEVES HOME
All the relatives are eager waiting for her. At
home, the relatives choose two suitors and receive the bride price. Her coming
is a great pleasure to the relatives since they want her to get married.
The first suitor is called Ndi. He is a peasant and
has already paid 100,000 francs as dowry.
The second suitor is called Mbia, who is a senior
civil servant. Mbia is going to pay 200,000 francs as a bride price. All
villagers are already supporting Mbia since he is wealthier than a
peasant (Ndi). And will help them in so many things, including solving their
problems when they are arrested for engaging in illegal business. Mbia is
expecting to happen at any time, a good coincidence for Atangana. As
Juliette arrives, she is surprised or rather shocked to hear that they want her
to get married.
Juliette is shocked because of three things. First,
she wants to continue with further studies. Second, she has not been consulted
on matters that concern her and her life like marriage. According to her, she
is supposed to be consulted first instead of the family deciding on her behalf.
That is her right and the family has not that right. Third, she has got a
fiancé of her own choice called Oko.
As she argues against the family and demanding to be
consulted, the family and other relatives are shocked since she is doing what
is contrary to the tradition. In her society, it is men who decide whom a girl
should marry. They have their own set of priorities or criteria to judge as far
as the marriage concerned. As the argument goes on Mbia arrives. Everybody is
excited and Mbia seizes to impress them by behaving like a great man.
With a lot of pomposity, Mbia pays the bride price,
200,000 francs hand it to Mbarga. After paying, he majestically says ha has to
leave since he has to attend a cocktail party ay a Secretary of state`s private
residence this evening… Instead of going to the party, he goes to drink Arki (a
traditional illegally distilled liquor with high alcoholic content) at Mbaga`s
house.
In fact all family members want Juliette to marry
Mbia because he is seen to be wealthy as he introduces himself with a lot of
majesty. But Juliette clings to her firm stand, she love Oko, a student and she
want to marry only him. To archives her goal she secretly takes the bride price
paid by Ndi and Mbia (a total of 300,000 francs) and gives it to Oko, her
fiancé. Oko hesitates, but she convinced him to take the money since it is
going to be paid back to the family. Oko accept the idea after understanding
and becomes happy to see that Juliette is facilitating the marriage
between her and him, because he also loves her so much.
As the money disappear, Atangana gets a lot of
panic, the whole family is also in panic. They first convince Ndi to
pay 200,000 francs so that they can pay it back to Mbia and take
Juliette Ndi Refuses and threatens to take them to police. This
intensifies such panic that, they then go to Mbia (which is now drunk ) to
convince him to pay another 100, 000 francs so that they can re pay Ndi and
allow him to take Juliette. Mbia also becomes furious and, like Ndi, threatens
to call Police.
Finally, Mbaga suggests that a witch doctor be
called so as to find out through magic, who has stolen the money. The witch
doctor is Singa –Titi, but he is a cheat and a thief. Sanga-titi
does not help them find the thief. He starts threatening them with evil sprits
and death so that they can give him a lot of animals as gifts. He tells a lot
of lies at the same time he continue to demand a lot of things from the
villagers. After discovering his lies, the villagers become angry and chase him
away. So the problem of money is not solved yet since the witch doctor is
merely scoundrel.
Blames continue raining on Juliette from the family
member. Later Juliette suppresses them by saying she is ready to marry the
first man who gives 300,000 francs as a bride price since she is sure that it
will be Oko. Then she insists that the man should pay that amount and no more.
she says so because she knows Oko cannot afford buying so many presents that
are usually demanded by the relatives.
Then, Tchetgen, a trader arrives and the villages
convince him to pay 300,000 francs. As they are still bargaining,
Oko arrives and dressed like a great man.
He decides to show the villagers that they must
listen to the view of the girl who is get married. This causes conflict with
Atangana, and even other insists that Juliette must be asked, and finally
Juliette asked which suitor she wants. She categorically chooses Oko. Oko pays
the bride price and every one celebrates the wedding.
In deed where there is
the will there`s a way. Juliette and Oko win
the race to ward their desire marriage through a lot of challenges.
Entanglement e.t.c. Determination, confidence, cooperation between her and Oko
and patience leads to the attainment of highly intended goal.
CHARACTERIZATION
1.
ABESOLO
He represents the oldest generation. He is a father
of Atangana and Ondua. He believes that the world is changing and school
destroys the young. According to him the girls should not be sent to school. He
defends traditions.
He looks at women as inferior people who are not
supposed to consult when it comes to important matters like marriage. He
defends the old taboos, like prohibiting women and young men from eating the
vipers, instead be eaten by male elders.
He wants to stop the marriage between Juliette and
Mbia, since Mbia is closely related. He accept breaking the traditional norms
by accepting Mbia to marry Juliette. He is against school but proud of
Juliette`s success in school and hence wants higher bride price. He is against
the new changes but expects to benefit from them. He is also conservative.
2. BELLA
She is Abesolo`s wife. She is strong
supports traditional ways of life even on the questions of women. She
completely accepts her inferior position in the society and agrees with her
husband in all ways, for example, she supports him when he says “ you must beat
your wives”.
She also complains that some women are breaking the
traditional taboos. She is shocked by the way Juliette behaves before her
father. She reacts toward Juliette “Juliette! A girl should never speak when
her father’s speaking”. She supports the ideas that a girl should marry for the
goods of the family and not for her personal interest.
She wants Juliette to make them rich by marrying
Mbia. According to her, a girl is not permitted to fall in love out
of her will, it is the community`s concern. Despite her strong support on
traditions, Bella is also affected by new values, since she is proud when
Juliette succeeds and she will marry a “real white man”.
She is like Abessolo that she is contradictory
character, since she wants Juliette to follow traditions while she is
appreciating new ways of life. She remains a traditional woman, a shadow of her
husband doing everything to please him. The ideas from her husband is enough,
she doesn’t need to give her own ideas.
3. Ondua
He is the son of Abesollo and Bella. He
is more lazy and much more drunkard. He spends all his life
drinking palm wine or ark. He is always arrested by the Police for
being drunk and disorderly. He is always thinking of drinks before
anything else. Even when Atangana concludes the marriage, Ondua
cries out “Ah Atangana! What about the drinks?”
He is depends entirely on his wife, Monica. She does
all the work on the farm. So he is living parasitic life. He is very strange,
despite depending on her wife, she still despises women. He says “No sensible
man should west his time trying to reason with them”.
Like other man, Ondua opposes secondary school since
it corrupt girls. He is proud of his daughter Martalina for following
traditions.. He is also having contradictions since he wants Matalina to marry
a rich suitor who follows new values.
4. AtanganA
He is the father of Juliette and Oyono. He
is the son of Abesolo and bella. Like other men, he believes that
men are superior to women. According to him, women should do all
the working in the farm. He is ignorant and oppressor, he becomes
angry when his wife comes late from the bush, wants her come early home and
cook for him. He believes that her daughter should make him become rich. So he
wants her to marry a parson who gives the highest bride price.
After the payment of bride price, he demands
fantastic things, such as: A radio with set with gramophone, a bicycle, 4
suits, 5 blankets, a sewing machine, and 10 loin clothes, kitchen ware. Others
are 10 sacks of rice, 4 oxen, 15 sheep, 10 goats, 20 pigs, and thirty cases of
red wine.
He sees Juliette`s education as an investment. He
says “when I sent her to Secondary School, I was just saying to everybody
“someday” I will benefit from that” He is angry when Juliette refuses to marry
Mbia. He regrets for having spent all cocoa money to educate her. He wants to
use the bride price to get his son, Oyono, a wife.
At the beginning Atangana wants to consult his
daughter about her marriage, but is prohibited by Abesollo who thinks that this
is stupid. He has illusions that Juliette will agree to marry such a great man,
but is shocked to see her refusing. He believes Sanga-Titi even when he knows
thet he is telling lies, and continue give him more things with out realizing
tat he is just exploiting them
5. Makrita
She is Atangana`s wife, and is just like Bella since
she believes that women are designed to serve and obey men. She
accept women`s inferior position in the society. She is also a
woman of contradiction. First she takes Ndi to be good suitor since she helped
in the farm. But when she is told that Mbia is now a suitor she
immediately follows what has been decided by men.
She is very hard working, spending all day in the
farm. She is not pleased with the way Juliette speaks when her
father speaks. Attangana blames her that she has destroyed
Juliette.
Like other peoples in the village, she has also been
affected by the new values. To her money proves love and the most important
suitor is the one who is wealthy. She even want to know Oko has a car or not.
To her men are superior and girls have no freedom.
6. MBARGA
He is a village headman. He talks of his
importance, “A great man like me! Is there any one in the village who doesn`t
know that I am a very wise man?” He demands that the villagers
should recognize his greatness hence he has been blessed by the dead fathers of
the village in a dream. He is not afraid of Mbia, hence he is nearly as big as
Mbia.
He is proud and arrogant of his position. He wants
to be introduced to Mbia as the village headman. He later introduces himself.
Mbaga is Polygamist; he has twelve wives and think
of marring another. He also uses his position in corrupt way. He distills
“Arki” in his own house and he is not arrested. He shows a lot of concern
during Juliette`s marriage, hence he expected to benefit from it.
He is very cunning; he flatters Mbia so much so that
Mbia goes on giving him more battles of wine. He gives a crazy idea of taking
Juliette around all offices to find a suitor. He is so ignorant that he cannot
easily recognize Sanga –Titi`s lies hence he gives him two rams so that he can
purify the village. He is also fooled into believing that Oko is a great man,
greater than Mbia.
Like other elders, he supports traditions. He is
against Juliette being given a chance to speak. He convinces members to allow
Mbia to marry Juliette since he is an important man in the government.
7. SANGATITI
He is a false Witch doctor. He is very cunning and
interested in getting rich by cheating the villagers, so he takes advantage of
their ignorance. He uses his mirror, antelope horns, etc. to fool people.
First he listens to what the villagers say and then
says as if he knew it before. His mirror tells him nothing. He hears what
Atangana says about the stolen money and pretends to have discovered it before
and the villagers are impressed.
He creates threats and fear among the villagers. He
is therefore, a corrupt man who uses villager's ignorance to exploit them. When
they realizes him, they chase him.
8. MBIA
He is a second suitor who is a great civil servant.
He pompously introduces himself that he works in a large office and the
secretary of state known him personally. He is accepted to marry Juliette even
if he is closely related to her. He pays the bride price of 200,000francs.
He is polygamist, as he has eight wives and Juliette
is going to be the ninth. He is also liar, he gives the villagers a lot of lies
when the villagers demand a lot of things from him. He says he has to leave
since he has to attend a cocktail party at the secretary of state`s private
residence, but spends the rest of the day drinking Arki at Mbaga`s place.
Mbia is arrogant and lacks respect to the family;
hence he wants to pay and leaves at once. He has a petty dream of becoming a
great man in the state. He is rejected by Juliette. He becomes angry and
threatens the villagers of bringing ten Police commissioners to come and deal
with them. Mbia is corrupt and is part of the ruling class in town who get rich
from villagers.
9. JULIETTE
She is a daughter of Atangana and granddaughter of
Abessolo. She represents the educated young girls who have begun going against
the traditional values. She has been studying at Libamba Secondary School and
has passes the exam, hence everybody is happy and proud of her success.
She has fallen in love with fellow student Oko, who
she wants to marry. The family chooses her the suitors, that is Ndi and Mbia,
and they want to her to marry Mbia because he is great man. To attain her goal
she decides to take the money secretly from her father Atangana and gives it to
Kouma so that Oko can use it as a bride price.
She fight for freedom of women and the chance to
express herself confidently. She identifies her position, that she needs to be
free and sticks to Oko, her choice. She is an intelligent girl, and she is
fighting against oppression of men ageist women.
She wants to teach men that women are also important
in the society, since they can make wise decisions, which might lead to
development. Juliette stands as an icon for necessary changes in the society,
which is women emancipation
10. OKO
He is a schoolboy who wants to marry Juliette. He is
not accepted by Juliette`s family since he is student and hence poor. He
becomes angry when he hears that Mbia is the chosen suitor. He is given money
by Juliette, stolen from Atangana. He is educated and is after changes, and he
is against traditions. He doesn`t want to see women being oppressed, that is
why he wants to fight for Juliette`s freedom to speak. He comes to Atangana`s
home like a great man and pays 300,000 francs. He successes to attain his goal,
by taking the advantage of the ignorance of the society.
DISCUSSION
“Choose only two characters from this book you
have read and show their similarities and differences”.
THEMATIC ANALYSIS
i. Tradition
and Family
Economy
The people depend on agriculture as the economics of
the village. The main crops are plantation, corn and groundnuts. Also they have
their have their own crafts, for example Atangana is making a basket while
Abesolo is sculpturing or carving.
Women are the main producers in the farms, for
example Atangana`s wife has not come back early from the farm. She arrives from
the farm with a basket full of cassava, banana, sugar cane, etc.
Religion.
Most of the villagers still keep many traditional
beliefs. They believe in their gods and spirits for example owls and
chimpanzees represent the evil spirits of the past. They also believe strongly
in the power of their dead ancestors who watch over the society from the spirit
world.
Bride price.
Men are supposed to pay bride price so as to have
wife. Thye girl for whom higher bride price is paid is valued more.
Taboo
Women are not allowed to eat vipers and young men
eat only by special permission. For example, Mbaga complains of the young
people Belinga and Owono because of eating the viper without elder`s
permission.
Traditional Dances
There are dances called “Nyeng” which are performed
by Mezoe, Oyono and Ondua.
Meetings
People seem to have tendency of meeting to discuss
important issues like marriage. The drum Is used for calling people. For
example, when mbia arrives, the drum is beaten to invite people.
Polygamy
Mvoutessi men are polygamous and this makes women
become more inferior. For example, Mbia has eight wives and if he marries
Julliette she will be the ninth wife.
Eating Etiquette
The author shows that traditionally children are
supposed to observe eating manners. When eating the elders are heard scolding
the children who don’t eat properly.
Position of women
Women occupy an inferior position in the society.
Firstly, women do nearly all work. Most men do not
go to the farm except few like Ndi. Women are also expected to come back home
early after shamber work and do the cooking. When they come late, even if they
have been working, they are trouble. For example, Makrita is still in the
shamba but Atangana is complaining.
Secondly, women have no say in the society, even on
matters that concern their life. For example, Julliette is not asked about the
man she wants to marry.
Thirdly, traditionally, girls for whom a high bride
price is paid are respected more because high bride price is the recognition of
obedience and hardworking.
Last but not least, women are beaten in the society
so as to make them obedient to their husband. Abesolo, for example is
complaining because things are changing and sometimes women are asked for an
opinion. He insists “I warn you again, you must beat your wives! yes beat them!
And treat your daughters just the same way”
Family and Community
An individual is supposed to be loyal to the family
and community at large. Individual`s wishes are not such important. Bella for
example, tells Julliette, “since when do girls fall in love without the permission
of their family?”. Therefore, love and marriage are the matters to be decided
by the family in accordance with the norms and values of the
community.
Her bride price is to be used by Oyono, her brother
to pay the bride price for the wife she want to marry.
Change
Although the villagers are still leading a large
traditional life, the coming of the Europeans has introduced many changes into
the society.
Education changes the altitude of the young. They
start go against their traditions. Julliette, for example, goes against the
traditions like the bride price. To her, bride price has no great meaning, that
is why she even steals the bride price and give it to Oko.
She also, dares to speak before men like her father
Atangana which is contrary to the norms of the society
THE BEST ACADEMIC BLOG FROM THE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION (UDOM)
I'm happy to see the story of three suitors for sure the paragraph is nice and simple to understand
ReplyDeletePost a Comment