The Bite Magazine - Autmn/Winter 2020 - Issue 28

bitetheatre It feels like home.” Omotola, now a grown woman, finally stands up for herself. However, we, as the audience, can contemplate this scene as culture-clashing; heritage cul- ture against Western ideals. Back in the UK, an affluent Omotola encourages a reluc- tant Aramide to attend a private school. “No one looks like me, or talks like me,” she declares of her new school, making friends with the only other girl ‘of colour’ and hav- ing to endure torment because of her cultural differences. “There’s no shame in trying to fit in” her mum advises her. Meanwhile, Omotola’s relationship to Ranti is worrisome, as per her female ancestors. Upon graduating years later, Aramide draws on her genet- ically-infused skills of her great-grandmother selling cloth. Having a flair for the arts, she decides to study fashion much to the disappointment of her mother but concedes to her mother’s wishes of adding business studies, gaining an internship with a prominent fashion designer after chan- nelling her great-grandmother’s spirit into her final show designs. “Your grandmother would be so proud of you…. The sky is the limit” praises her mother. ‘8 months later’ Aramide decides to live in Nigeria as the UK shows not much promise of gaining a job. Once again we are taken for a ride over to the West coast of Nigeria: Lagos, but this time the play reflects the typi- cal western-educated affluent Nigerian’s boss-lady attitude with a “big-shot venture-capitalist Chief Mrs Giwa” taking an interest in her business idea. Her son, Francis, taking a fancy to Aramide, repeats elements of generations past, impacting her business stake and causing Tolani to drop her as a business partner only ‘3 years’ into their business start-up. ‘A week later’ Aramide returns to Leeds in the UK, and endures a scolding from her mother about going against her warnings regarding Nigeria and men, addi- tional to that are more personal complications thrown into the mix that cause familial tension and highlight cultural clashes of the westernised ‘quietly dealing with crisis’ atti- tude without involving others. “He’s polite; He’s Nigerian” Aramide narrates of her new- found love in Folu. However, just and only ‘4 months later’ Aramide and Omotola argue over her wishes to marry this Folu. ‘It’s 2018’, and she eventually gets married to Folu. Her mother’s prayers at her wedding summarise the con- flicting aspects of being a Nigerian-British, raised a Chris- tian, but with underlying respect to the ancestral family deity of our pasts. “Aramide, you are British; you are Christian; you are Yoru- ba; your ancestors are Yoruba, and they bless your un- ion; The deities bless your union! Your destiny shall not walk out the door. Ashe (It shall be)!” prays Omotola, her mother. ‘A month later’ and yet another argument ensues between mother and daughter “This is your grandmoth- er all over again, putting her life in the hands of a man… people are doing things, and you choose to stay at home” her mother pleads. “I had to succeed because of how much you sacrificed” her daughter retorts “Please respect my de- cision.”