The forthcoming screen adaptation of The Woman of Calabar by renowned playwright and novelist, Elechi Amadi recalls to mind the erroneous beliefs and misconceptions about certain races and peoples in the post-colonial Nigeria.
The 13-episode TV serial which is set in Ibadan, Port Harcourt and Calabar tells the intriguing story of a young Nigerian surveyor, Eme who falls in love with Ada, a ravishing beautiful girl of Efik extraction, in Calabar, in the present day Cross-Rivers State.
Eme’s mum, the over-protective; Debo Akrika would have none of her only son get married to a Calabar woman. Mrs. Akrika’s anxieties were not unconnected with the age –long perceptions, which ascribed witchcraft, and fetish inclinations to the average Calabar maiden. Worse still, the sad memory of Debo’s brother who suffered a cruel fate, allegedly in the hands of a Calabar lady lingers. The above are the undercurrents that set the stage for an imminent confrontation between Mrs. Akrika and Innocent Adia.
However, two botched attempts to separate the two love birds (Emem and Adia) set the stage for the final showdown between the Calabar woman and her estranged future mother-in-law.
Filled with romance, suspense and display of wits, the drama explores the theme of love, ethnic hatred even as it re-addresses the imperative for love and unity in a multi-racial-ethnic society like Nigeria.
Produced by Victoria Emamouzo Ajayi and directed by jide Alli, the TV serial parades popular and budding artistes lke Ngozi Nwosu, Tina Mba, Toyin Osinaike and Omobogogo Ombo, Egechi Elechi Amadi and Ify Omalicha among others.
Kamouzo Productions, a Lagos-based company is launching itself into Nigeria’s entertainment scene with the work which will be shown on leading TV stations across the country within the first quarter of next year.
