Ada the Country is a 2020

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

musical written by

Titilope Sonuga Titilope Sonuga, also known as Titi Sonuga, is a Nigerian poet, civil engineer, and actress who spends her time between Lagos and Edmonton, Canada. Early years Titilope Sonuga, who was born in Lagos, Nigeria, relocated to Edmonton, Canada, when ...

and produced by Marian Ogaziechi under the theatrical studio of Doyenne Circle Productions. The play stars

Nollywood Nollywood is a sobriquet that originally referred to the Nigerian film industry. The origin of the term dates back to the early 2000s, traced to an article in ''The New York Times''. Due to the history of evolving meanings and contexts, there ...

actresses

Patience Ozokwor Patience Ozokwor, (born 14 September 1958) is a Nigerian veteran musician, fashion designer, gospel singer, and actress. She won the Best Supporting Actress 2012 & 2013 award at the 10th Africa Movie Academy Awards. She is known for taking th ...

Joke Silva Joke Silva , MFR is a Nigerian actress, director, and businesswoman. In 1998 she had a major role, starring opposite Colin Firth and Nia Long in the British-Canadian film ''The Secret Laughter of Women''. In 2006, she won "Best Actress in a Le ...

and Bikiya Graham Douglas.

Development

Although in the works for about ten years, the show was written in 2019.

Synopsis

Ada, a young woman, is involved in a fire accident which destroys her property and kills her 9 month old daughter, Chiamaka. At the time, her husband Femi was away from home, only returning when the fire has ravaged their home. In the aftermath of the incident Ada becomes depressed. She leaves her husband to return to her parents' home, where family members accuse her of being insensitive and inhumane for leaving Femi. She speaks to the other women in her family, including her divorced sister, a single mother, and a working class woman struggling with sexism at work. Through sharing their experience of living as women in Nigeria, Ada is able to find some healing and reconcile with her husband.

Productions

The show debuted in January 2020. The show was performed at MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos from April 15 to 18, 2022. The show was directed by Kemi Lala-Akindoju. In October 2022 Doyenne Circle brought the show to

Abuja Abuja () is the capital and eighth most populous city of Nigeria. Situated at the centre of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), it is a planned city built mainly in the 1980s based on a master plan by International Plann ...

, where it was performed at the Musa Yaradua Centre on 21 and 22 October. This staging was directed by Kenneth Uphopho.

Cast

References

2020 musicals {{Nigeria-stub Arts in Nigeria Original musicals Nigerian musicals