The two major female characters in the play make personal and significant choices when confronted with some inherent gender-based inequalities in their culture, especially relating to the institution of marriage. Sidi, the protagonist, chooses to remain a symbol of traditional ideals – she opts to remain within her cultural setting, while Sidiku refuses to compromise her personal tenets, thereby taking agency over her life through an attempt to alter the course of events by deceiving her peers. In this play, female characters are able to speak and act independently and have enough sense of personal identity as they struggle to overcome the various injustices in their society. However, while they have a literal voice in the play, in the reality of their society, they are pushed to the outskirts, having little influence over their peers and their own futures. Therefore, demonstrated in the play is the idealization of the African woman who privileges the male identity.
-Carolyn Griffith 14’
Carolyn Griffith '14 and Mark Brannan '14 provide a Prezi on The Lion and the Jewel. The Prezi covers contributing characters, offers a synopsis of the plot along with major themes, and gives brief insight into the history of traditional African theater.
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