Theatre
The Burdens
John Ruganda · 1970
Synopsis
Wamala, a schoolteacher who became a minister on the eve of independence, has lost everything. Without work, he drinks and still dreams of returning to favour, while his wife Tinka supports the family by weaving mats and distilling liquor, and blames him for their poverty. In their house of mud and branches, their son Kaija tries to reconcile them and their sick daughter Nyakake is left neglected. Over three acts, the couple's quarrels escalate and Wamala's role-playing turns into confrontation.
Context
The play was first staged at the National Theatre in Kampala in January 1970, whereas one commentary dates it to 1971 and attributes it to the Makerere Theatre Group; it was published by Oxford University Press in 1972. Its commentators read in it the effects of bad politics and greed on the life of a household, as well as poverty, alcohol and the condition of a woman who carries the household alone.
Who it is for
A short play in English, in three acts and four characters, easy to read; it has no known French translation.
Prizes and reception
It has been on the school syllabus in Kenya and Uganda for years, where theatre companies revive it for pupils.
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