ANALYSIS OF OLA ROTIMI'S OUR HUSBAND HAS GONE MAD AGAIN

ANALYSIS OF OUR HUSBAND HAS GONE MAD AGAIN

Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again is a text written by Ola Rotimi The subject matter in this play revolves around the politics after independence. The post-independence period was corrupt with looting of the treasury. After independence, writers became disillusioned (dissatisfied) and this brought about post independent disillusionment. As an aftermath of independence, many writers wrote to ridicule the political abuse of that period in Nigeria. It was this very corrupt political era when politicians were preoccupied with embezzling national funds that gave birth to Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again.

 As a satire, Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again laughs at the political excesses of Nigerian politicians. This two-act play also mocks polygamy with its attendant consequences. Major Rahman Taslim Lejoka-Brown is a retired army officer who leaves his successful cocoa business to join partisan politics. He does not do this because he loves to serve the people but because of what he is going to gain: money and fame. While serving in the Congo, Lejoka-Brown had been married to his eldest brother’s wife, Mama Rashida by his father without his consent. This happened two days before his marriage to Liza, an American Catholic nurse. As Liza goes to the USA to study Medicine, Lejoka-Brown leaves for Nigeria to join partisan politics.
In order to win more votes, especially from the women, Lejoka-Brown has to marry Sikira, the daughter of the President of the market women union. After the election, Liza returns to discover that she is not the only woman in the life of Lejoka-Brown. As would be expected from a typical Western Catholic woman who cannot tolerate polygamy, she begins to foment trouble. This later leads to comical cultural conflicts.

These conflicts later take a different dramatic turn as Liza begins to give Sikira provoking ideas about what she calls ‘women’s lib’ or women liberation. The rather too many conflicts of the play finally come to a resolution as Sikira finally joins politics after much persuasion by Liza and Mama Rashida leaves Lagos to seek better conditions in the villages. This resolution comes as a result of Liza’s tact in handling those women. Lejoka-Brown, on the other hand, is booted out of the National Liberation Party because of high-handedness and he regrets leaving his lucrative cocoa business to join politics

.

The Theme of Corruption In ‘Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again’

Ola Rotimi satirizes corrupt political leaders in the person of Lejoka Brown, who sees politics as the only means of survival: the in- thing now in Nigeria, to be famous you need politics, to enjoy life it is politics, to have a big share of the national cake you need politics. Rotimi satirizes the immorality of Nigerian political leaders in the person of Lejoka Brown, people of dubious and unscrupulous characters who cannot organize their families well but want to rule others. In the play ‘Holding Talks’ Rotimi satirizes how man’s energies are spent on discussion, talks, and dialogue even in a situation requiring action; In this play nothing really gets done, things get really close to being done but nothing gets really done because there is always some justifiable rationalization for that which really needs to be done not to be done.

Lejoka-Brown; I lost a by-election to a –small crab - - a baby (wrinkles paper out of the envelops and starts unfolding it. )this time it is war (real cable, the contents are disconcerting) unsurniyaallah. (12 

 WOMEN IN POLITICS

The major theme in this play is politics. Arguably, politics is one of the prominent themes in Nigerian literature, then and presently. Ola Rotimi uses the work to show women in politics as practiced in Nigeria. For instance, the politics of Sikira, an illiterate woman and the market women who assist her and the pomposity of Major Rahman Lejoka-Brown are very typical of Nigeria. All that governed politics at this period and even now is selfishness.

Politics of selfishness is the bane of progress not only in Nigerian society but also in the entire African continent. Regrettably, politics has become our backdrops and a Waterloo. The theme of politics is invested in the character of Lejoka-Brown, a retired military officer who possesses every negative attribute of selfish military politicians—very arrogant and I-know-it-all attitude. He does not join politics because he loves to serve the people but because of what he is going to gain ¾ money and fame. This is very true of Nigerian society where politics is governed by self-interest.

Ola Rotimi is satirized in this play. He foresees ex-military officers coming back to power as civilians. He presents a satire on military politics, or what I may call meritocracy and the insincerity of the military. He subtly cautions that the type of democracy these military officers will introduce will be close to dictatorship. Lejoka-Brown is the symbol of this dictatorship. This play, which was a caricature of the political landscape of Nigeria in 1979, is a reality in Nigerian politics in recent times.

Lejoka-Brown; I lost a by-election to a –small crab - - a baby (wrinkles paper out of the envelops and starts unfolding it)mmh. This time it is war (real cable, the contents are disconcerting) unsurniyaallah. (12)

Okonkwo: Bad news

Lejoka-Brown: Gamalin- 20!

Okonkwo! Your politics

Lejoka-Brown: my life

Okonkwo: your aha – a – at?

Lejoka- Brown! She’s arriving at five 0’ clock

Okonkwo! Arriving

Lejoka-Brown: from America

Okonkwo! America? Another wife? (7-8)

SUPERSTITION

The belief in the magical power of the snake which Lejoka-Brown keeps under his bed expresses the theme of superstition in Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again. Many critics have argued that any work which does not explore the issue of superstition may not be regarded as a true African or Nigerian work. This is because the issue of superstition and taboo are very rampant in Africa despite the advent of science and technology. It has become a popular rumour that African politicians are fond of using some supernatural means to gain and maintain power. This is exactly the reason why Lejoka-Brown keeps the snake. However, Lejoka-Brown’s political crash before he reaches the pinnacle of his political dream puts a question mark on the assertion in the potency of some supernatural powers in winning an election or achieving success generally.

GENDER INEQUALITY

There is also a theme of gender inequality in Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again. Lejoka-Brown thinks women have no intelligence until he meets his foreign wife. In between the humour in the play, there is a subtle gender conflict. As a Western woman who believes that women are not in any way subservient to men, Liza mobilizes her fellow wives to organize their own faction to stop the madness of their husband. What Ola Rotimi seems to be saying is that politics is not only the preserve of the men. Using the mouth of Sikira, he makes this point clear: “MEN AND WOMEN ARE CREATED EQUAL!” (6) (Act 2 Scene VI). As a medical doctor and an experienced educated lady, Liza can compete favorably with any man. There is no doubt that sometimes women are used as puppets in order to fulfill men’s ambitions. This is exactly what Liza does not want to see or hear. The play can also be said to be revolutionary in the sense that a national issue is looked at from the women’s angle

STYLE IN OLA ROTIMI’S OUR HUSBAND HAS GONE MAD AGAIN

LANGUAGE

Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again is written in a simple and accessible language. Every reader will enjoy his/her kind of language, full of images that are very relevant to our society. The manner characters use language in this play reflects their societal status. For example, the way Polycarp speaks is very typical of an unschooled servant and Madam Ajanaku’s language is typical of a market woman. It is this realistic use of language that makes the work very interesting, authentic and realistic.

CHARACTERIZATION OF SATIRE IN OLA ROTIMI’S OUR HUSBAND HAS GONE MAD AGAIN

1.      RahmanTaslinLejoka: The protagonist, a retired army officer, is a good picture of political disillusionment. He is the comic here of the play invested with greed, strictness, rigidity. He represents those politicians of then who can still be found new in the Nigeria political terrain. He is very indiscrete, arrogant and has no regard for women. He joins politics and latermarrySikira just to gain material and personal property.

2.      Liza: is a qualified medical doctor from the United States, married to Lejoka-Brown in Congo, after her studies from the United State she returns and discovers that she cannot tolerate polygamy, she begins to foment trouble.

3.      Mama Rashida: She is the first and senior wise of Lejoka-Brown who is inherited from his late elder brother.

4.      Musa Osagie: He is a member of the national party, who supported Lejoka-Brown to win the Election.

5.      Polycarp: is a domestic help in the household of Lejoka-Brown, he is an illiterate, but very faithful to his master.

6.      Sikira: she is a young amiable daughter of madam Ajamku, the leader of the market women union and the second wife to Le joke-Brown.

7.      Alhaji Mustafa: He is an elder neighbour of Lejoka-Brown although not much is head from him, he is no doubt a good neighbour.