Ifeoma Fafunwa, a Nigerian theatre director known as Mrs. F travels to the water slums of Makoko in an attempt to bring together women of the community through performance theatre. We are told that Nigeria has been controlled by men for over 45 years and in Makoko, women must submit to men - a belief underpinned by the tenets of Christianity.

Mrs. F must gain permission from the local male elders, many of whom are pastors or ‘kings', to develop a play relating to women addressing the abuse they suffer under a patriarchal order.



As Mrs. F, Fafunwa is intent on engaging the women in conversations about their standing in Nigerian society and issues that they face. Some of these challenges include education, independence, financial constraints, domestic and sexual violence. The central messaging of Mrs. F is that effecting change in enough communities can eventually change the world.

Mrs. F's activism is a call to women to realise their potential and build stronger communities. This cannot be achieved, however, when some Nigerian women, thanks to the dogma of religion and culture, place themselves as gatekeepers of a patriarchal order. The film observes with great sensitivity, Mrs. F's meetings with the women in Makoko as they discuss private issues. Later we see the women's early experiments with performance. They are emboldened to chant "I will not be afraid. I will have courage".

Fafunwa's presence is well received and the play is successful, but change thereafter seems to be only moderate. A platform was built for the public performance with the intention of turning it into a community center for the women's use. When Fafunwa returns a few months later, it is sad to learn that the women have neither gathered once nor claimed this space as their own. One wonders whether the male gatekeepers made an exception for Mrs. F's project. And in the wake of her absence, perhaps women still live in fear of men and avoid speaking out.

Mrs. F provokes through its candid conversations concerning female subjugation. The film vividly captures the slums by magnificent aerial shots and takes you on an informative journey as Mrs. F seeks to disrupt the status quo.

By Taryn Joffe

This story emanates from the Talent Press, an initiative of Talents Durban in collaboration with the Durban FilmMart and Africiné Magazine. The views of this article reflect the opinions of the film critic, Taryn Joffe.