Sisterhood in midst of chaos

 The action of Gurira’s powerful drama is set in the Liberia of 2003, a country divided by civil war, where women and children suffered atrocities from soldiers on both sides of the conflict. Although Zimbabwe was waging a war of independence, there will have been some resemblances in the bush camps and in the violence       visited upon rural populations, with the most vulnerable members of society bearing the brunt of the turmoil.
While Danai Gurira is Amer-ican-born, she grew up and was educated in Zimbabwe. Whether writing, acting or directing, her desire is to highlight the experience of African women, and in Eclipsed she tells the story of women rebels in Liberia. Abducted and raped, young women and girls become ‘officers’ wives’ or sex slaves, performing domestic and wifely duties until they can escape.
The action of this drama takes place in the quarters of the CO of a rebel bush camp and his four ‘wives’. Props are minimal. A zinc tub is used alternately to wash clothes and to conceal the presence of a young girl who stumbled upon the camp when escaping marauding soldiers. There is a chest of drawers in which the four women keep their clothes, and a kitchen table where they prepare their staple diet of cassava. Brightly coloured Zambias spread on the floor provide sleeping arrangements.
The plight of the women, constantly controlled by the shadowy presence of the CO, who never actually appears on stage, is desperate. Fortunately, frequent flashes of wit and humour in Gurira’s clever script provide light relief. Wife Number One, skilfully played by Chipo Chikara, runs the household and assigns domestic duties to the other wives. Trusted by the CO she not only cooks all his meals, but also is informed about all his military units. At the end of the war, when Charles Taylor flees to Nigeria and the war ends, she is astounded to be summarily told to pack her bags and leave. Only then does she drop her designation as Wife Number One and reveal her name to be Helena.
The all female cast, which includes a peace worker who visits the camp to prepare inmates for the end of the war, is uniformly powerful and convincing. Of special interest is Wife Number Two, who escapes from the camp to become a soldier. Although her slinky appearance and interest in nail varnish exude a type of glamour, her AK-47 is her constant companion and we are aware that her mission is to kill anyone from the other side, whether man, woman or child. This character is modelled upon a real life young Liberian woman, Colonel Black Diamond, who was among Liberia’s most formidable rebel fighters. With her glamorous women bodyguards, she fought to topple a corrupt government. Now, in peacetime, she is acquiring an education and looking after her children.
Zane Lucas and Patience Tawengwa, director and co-director of Eclipsed, together with     the resources of Reps Theatre, have brought        a special type of theatre to Zimbabwe audiences. Tawengwa, who directed the award-winning Loupe, which premiered at HIFA 2008, told me that she feels that Eclipsed has a special      message for women who feel ‘victimised by     the patriarchal attitudes of Zimbabwean men.’      As co-director, she researched and helped the players understand the pivotal issues of viole-nce, rape and unwanted pregnancies, a process essential to their convincing performances.
Danai Gurira and Patience Tawengwa recently formed Almasi Collaborative Arts, which will professionalise Zimbabwean dramatic arts and ensure fair remuneration for Zimbabwean artists. With the emphasis on fearless creativity and rigorous standards for developing productions, theatre in Zimbabwe is set for global fame and recognition.
Eclipsed runs at Reps Theatre until May 19.