By: Olaseni Olabisi
I critique from the African context of beliefs, that suffering is ontologically encapsulated in different forms but that of Marriage, is another case that should be studied.
I see different aspects of this encounter of suffering in differs dimension and I argue that although suffering is always a part of our ontic marital experiences that all female Gender suffers directly or indirectly, this is as a result of the African community beliefs and traditions. I buttress this point by drawing from the past and current evidences of marriage in African societies which is also display in various artistic work of art.
Kemi Adetiba’s “King of boys” is a fictional discription of a ambitious woman, Eniola Salami and a replication of the female gender in a biased society, where in the name of marriage, the female Gender are subjected to the “Kitchen” and subjugated by “societal laws.”
While kemi Engraved various themes in her artistic work, I will be looking at the Concepts of Eniola Salami’s Marriage to Otunba Salami, how she ruthlessly Killed her husband because of her ferocious desire for success at all cost and for the attainment of her visions and how she bought herself to limelight regardless of the socio- cultural and political ecosystem traditions along her way.
Marriage in Africa is a slavery adventure. An intriguing feature of most African marriage, perhaps widely known to the general public is “endurance” . This is an institution where one of the parties involved mostly female, must endure suffering as Stated by the societal customary traditions.
Eniola Salami, having observed all this obstacles made an insistent decision to dive into a achieving her dreams and fulfilling her aspirations politically. Having taken her stride, Independently, she led the mob, a terrain considered an exclusive spot for men, mentored others, raised her kids to the peak of their career and achieved a wealthy blooming business while Chasing her political dream which she eventually achieved.
Equally, kemi Adetiba described Enilola Salami’s successful mob leadership as an imagery dipicting her strong willed desire for success and explained how her ambiguous ambition led her to take scary decisions.
However, a closer look to various marriages in the society will give a Clue to what this Afri-centric marriage is about. A rhetoric of is it worth dying for, what is our moral responsibility and obligation if the female gender is naturally encapsulated in suffering jutstifies why Eniola Salami took various heroic, political and manly steps in the movie, “king of boys.”
Email: olasenioluwafemi@gmail.com