As Fehinty African Theatre Ensemble’s Playwright in Residence, I am so honored to have gotten the opportunity to write A Ditch In Madagali. The play follows the lives of two women trying to survive the attacks of a terrorist group in their northern Nigerian village. It is a harrowing story of grief, resistance, and a mother’s unwavering love and commitment to her daughter’s wellbeing.
As we wrap up our final weekend of the show, I am reminded of the women and girls that are still living in terror around the world. My hope is that you will see this play as a call to action, an opportunity to ask questions, raise awareness, and hold those in power accountable. Below is an excerpt from an interview I gave about the play. I hope you will join us this weekend for the last weekend of A Ditch In Madagali. To purchase tickets please visit www.fehintytheatre.org.
What inspired you to write this play?
A Ditch in Madagali was commissioned by Fehinty African Theatre Ensemble (FATE). It started with a conversation I had with Dr. Adesida, she called me out of the blue to tell me she was listening to the radio and heard one of the most inspiring stories she had ever heard about the depths a mother would go through to protect her daughter. Being that I had written Wrecked as my first feature play with FATE and it spoke to the struggles and determination of Sudan’s Lost Girls and Boys, she felt that I would be able to write this play. After listening to the interview of Zainabeu Hamayaji, I understood immediately why this story had to be told. So often we hear about terror from a global perspective and we remove ourselves from it because of the distance, but we can all relate to a mother’s love for her child. I was inspired by the mothers in my life, especially my mother, and their commitment to caring for their kids. I saw Mama Fatima as a representation of the love so many women give in a world that can be so cruel to these women. I also was inspired to bring life to these women, to see them as more than just victims, and share the journey so many of these women face when their villages are attacked by Boko Haram in Nigeria.
To read the full interview please click here.
Philister Sidigu 