Agony of Africa

The long years of military rule in the country that ended in the late 90s left backlog of challenges. HIV/AIDS was on the prowl, the ravages of this new disease were very pronounced. Mrs. Angela Martins, a staff nurse and the protagonist, was shocked and worried about the media hype of the result of an Impact Assessment Survey nationwide sponsored by the new civilian government to ascertain towns worst hit by HIV/AIDS pandemic which put Umoku town at a shocking 24% prevalence rate in Act 1. In Act 2, Julius was accused of having hand in Fred’s death just as Obi and his subjects had mistaken the cause of rising deaths in the community to witchcraft.
Shocked by the reported high prevalence rate in Umoku which was under his constituency, Honourable Nicholas Ibeh had to quickly come to the town with a detachment of HIV/AIDS Control Programme (HACP) workers led by the protagonist. Act 3 continued with Umoku community shunning all efforts to convince them access V.C.T. service both at church and school because of the spell of stigma stirred up against the town and ignorance. Few of the townspeople though were wary of the epidemic like Ogochi who was resisting all manner of pressure in Act 4.
However, a delegation of top HACP officials led by the State Coordinator visited Umoku and assured Obi and his people of government’s resolve to tackle the pandemic headlong. Act 5 concluded with Fred’s widow’s falling-out with in-laws. Act 6 started with a customary ceremony which Eche’s friend considered very obnoxious and among the chief cause of the town’s vulnerability to the epidemic. To prove to all that her seven-year childless marriage with Fred was never her fault as was customary, Obioma restarted affair with her ex-lover, Hyacinth. The act ended with a stakeholders’ meeting between some HACP officials and leaders of various interest groups in the community. Vulnerable customs and practices were adduced as the main cause of the rapid spread of the virus. In Act 7, Ngozi was resisting entreaties to cow her bow to their practice because of fear of AIDS scourge. Then the intermission.
The second part began with headstrong Alice adamant in her waywardness after six-month banishment from town over manslaughter. Act 1 continued with the protagonist coincidentally posted to Umoku. The truth of what killed Fred began to unfold when Obioma died with her newborn baby in Act 2.
Madam Hacp as she was called faced an uphill task of convincing the people to jettison their vulnerable traditions as seen in the case of Ngozi and Evelyn in Act 3. The vulnerable effect of surrogacy became tenable with Rose’ case in Act 4.
Madam had to recourse to Obi-in-council to decide Evelyn’s matter with her family over single parenthood in Act 5. The surrogacy issue in Act 6 between Alias and his wife was so explosive even for Madam Hacp to wade in.
Having noticed laxity among Obi-in-council, Madam went to customary court to resolve Ngozi’s case in Act 7. Hyacinth died in Act 8 having reconciled with his wife who was saved by P.M.T.C.T. intervention with her baby. The message of behavioural change from Madam and her advocates polarized the entire community as relatives were set against themselves. While some agreed to abandon their traditions incongruous in HIV/AIDS era, the old guards insisted that all heritage that defined Umoku must remain against all odds.
Madam rated the level of cooperation of townspeople as improving in Act 9 during an advocacy visit to the priest on her way home for Christmas break.
Jude Onyema Mba’s 'Agony of Africa' is an imaginary two-part stage play full of a package deal of awareness and sensitization about HIV/AIDS. It is an epic tale in the realm of literature of how a locality initially contends with the pandemic of which the whole world is eagerly desirous to know and perhaps learn from.