OMG, The Musical and its Import on Nigerian Feminism: A Hit or Miss?
On the 27th of december I was invited to watch OMG the musical, a play I knew little to nothing about except for the banners I had seen on several WhatsApp statuses. Of course, being naturally inclined towards the arts, the invitation was honored with gusto. I found myself at MUSON centre around 3:15pm for a play that was scheduled to begin by 4:00pm. Trust the Nigerian factor: the play began thirty minutes late, though I did not mind as I interacted with the other guests, wiggling with excitement on my seat.
And then OMG the musical began.
The storyline of the play follows the life of a young lady, Gafuma (played by the brilliant and talented (what a voice!) Jennifer Maduka) who works as the second-in-command of the OMG (one movement group), a paramilitary organisation that functions like the DSS/police/army. Gafuma has recurring dreams in which spirits of her forefathers speak to her in parables on questions that border on identity and self discovery, but she never understands what they mean. After a particular episode, a troubled gafuma divulges her dream to her boyfriend Elo, wondering whether it has any significance to her personal desire of becoming the Commander-general of the OMG.
Elo is revealed to be a one-dimensional meatball with a romantic streak whose anti feminist ideas run in contrast with Gafuma’s dreams, as revealed in a soulful performance where he echoes that “a woman cannot be the head, it has never been done before.”
Along with her lover’s disapproval, Gafuma would also have to come to terms with the world outside being against her dream when her boss chooses an incompetent, misogynistic and abusive colleague as the new commander general, despite her being best suited for the role. Her complaints only fall on deaf ears, as she is rebuked by the defunct general for being greedy when she should be content with second place, as a woman. He makes a case by reminding her that the OMG really stands for “only men govern” and that there has never been a female leader of the organization, nor will there ever be.
Gafuma settles into submission reluctantly, but as the play progresses she discovers the existence of a cold room which she is not allowed entrance into — a cheeky allusion to the #SEXFORGRADES bbc documentary curated by Kiki Mordi that went viral earlier this year, which exposed the highhandedness of university lecturers who use their positions of power to sexually assault and blackmail students.
Gafuma’s desperation drives her to revisit the past through an invention created by a female subordinate. The reason behind this action was quite unclear to me. Although she had explained that a glimpse at the inception of the OMG would reveal whether or not a female had ever led the organization, it was not stated how such knowledge was going to help in changing the present. Either way, the play needed a good transition into its most impactful scenes (in my opinion) so if this ‘Back to the Future’ gig served best, then I would hush the critical thinking part of my brain, as you should too.
Her journey into the past leads to the unveiling of several mysteries. The reason behind the dreams, the parables of the spirits, the history of the OMG which turns out to be surprisingly feminist as it is revealed that it was created by female nigerian heroes: Margaret Ekpo, Funmilayo Ransome Kuti and Gambo Sawaba. Gafuma meets and bonds with these strong, vibrant women amidst humorous personality clashes, especially between Margaret Ekpo and Gambo Sawaba, stunning song performances, and that one moment that made the entire room shake with laughter when Gafuma’s ripped jeans were slandered due to generational differences.
Most importantly however, Gafuma discovers herself in the course of this journey and uncovers the code to the cold room, after which she makes a return to the future, promising the women that she would set things right. And she does.
At the end of the day, the play was worth the time and resources spent on it. The actors bubbled with so much creativity, it seeped into the pores of the onlookers. What a sight! And although the dancers were not god level good in my opinion, they did a good job at providing quality entertainment especially during the scenes with the three matriarchs in which the energy and love on the stage at the moment was nearly palpable.
My only actual complaint regarding OMG the musical would be the story line, which I believe had a few loopholes that were counterproductive to the intended purpose of the play.
OMG the musical was presented as a feminist/progressive play. The theme of female empowerment was chalked into every scene, remarkably. Even the true meaning of OMG as an organization (the acronyms of the matriachs) was tied to ideals of female emancipation and breakthrough from male domination, especially career-wise. And for a country with problematic takes on the issue of women’s roles and rights in the society, I was quite delighted to see this theme explored without reserve on a Nigerian theater play.
So imagine my disappointment when we saw Gafuma at the end of the play, letting go of her dream of becoming the commander general of the OMG with the most unsatisfactory excuse. She said something along the lines of having learnt that the most important things in life were your passions/heart, not the position which you occupied, and it felt like a striptease or incessant youtube video buffering in my head. Because I did not understand where it all came from.
Really. I found it quite unnerving because gafuma goes through this entire journey to ensure that not just women, but she as an individual, gets to have a seat at the table of leadership. It occupies her every waking thought and sleeping sigh. It drives the flow of the play and feeds its every action. But then her entire struggle gets erased with such a cheap excuse? How disheartening. I mean, it would have been a different story if on her journey to the past she had discovered a passion for sewing after a trip to Margaret Ekpo’s workshop. But gafuma never divulges any alternative dreams or passions she has chosen to pursue.
Rather, we are forced to watch her waltz off romantically into the sunset with her boyfriend, Elo, who we already established from the beginning of the play was against her dreams and had even gone ahead to make plans for her travelling abroad, without her consent. The turnout of events was quite shocking, and deceitful.
So if like me, you actively care about women’s rights and portrayal in the entertainment industry, the ending of the play would annoy you, believe me. If you are still bent on watching it however, as I believe you should be, then watch it for its vibrant colours, and amazing dance routines; for the exuberance of nostalgia and beauty; for the comedic outtakes that blended in seamlessly with the play; for the passion, and the slight missteps that always make live plays such a fulfilling experience; for Jennifer Maduka and Yinka Davies, and for the advancement of theatre in Nigeria.
But that silly ending? Throw it into the bin, my dears. Burn it. Fumigate it. Act like it never happened.
Suffer not that witch to live.
Follow OMG the musical on the following social media outlets and support them. As of today, the 31st of december, there are four shows left, to finish tomorrow. Don’t miss out on the beauty!
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instagram : @omgthemusical
twitter : @omgthemusical
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till next time,
tres.🌸
