In the Red and Brown Water

The main characters of the play are Oya, Mama Mojo, Shango and Ogun. Oya is a beautiful track star who receives a scholarship offer from state. Mama Mojo tells her to turn it down as her days are running out and she wants Oya to stay in her last hours and Oya obeys. Mama Mojo also tells Oya that Shango is the wrong man for her so she chases him off for as long as she can. Mama Mojo dies and the two get back together, but just temporarily until Shango leaves for war. While Shango is off at war, Ogun offers her his love and a family, and Oya accepts. After some time in their relationship, Shango comes back on leave surprised Oya is not yet pregnant and he takes it in his own hands to make it so, but it doesn’t appear to have worked. Shango’s leave ends and he goes back to war. Oya feeling disheartened visits The Woman Who Reminds You looking for answers about her fertility, but is unsuccessful, so she tells Ogun to find someone better. The next time Shango is home, the partner of Oya’s neighbor tells Oya she is pregnant with Shango’s baby. As a gift Oya cuts her ear off and gives it to him.

The thing that surprised me the most about the play was Oya passing up the scholarship opportunity. This was her only chance for higher education and because of her poverty, which is evident in that she lives in the projects, her one shot to make a better living. These things were all at stake and they were all lost, because she was never given another chance to have that scholarship.

The actress that most compelled me was Oya, the emotion she brought to the stage in the final scene was moving. And the fact that she was able to do this part such justice even though its so far from her actual life truly amazed me.

I only have one critique of the play and that is to establish the setting more clearly at the beginning of the show, because I was at a loss for a good majority of the show not knowing which continent we were in.

This was not my first time seeing a performance, and the few performances I have seen were performed by professional actors some of whom are famous for roles in movies and other larger scale plays, but the acting in this play was fantastic, and to think that these are our fellow students is incredible.