In my post for today, I would like to shed light on the pressing issue: sexual violence. For the sake of my inspiration I will be focusing on the impacts on women.
I read the play entitled Ruined, which for those who have not read this particular play it is about a business woman named Mama Nadi in a land being affected by the civil war. This play has many messages incorporated throughout, however the one that stuck out to me most was the sexual harassment and abuse that the girls featured endure.
The most heartbreaking detail in the portrayal of the sexual violence these girls experienced was that they were not made up. The playwright Lynn Nottage and the director Kate Whoriskey traveled to Uganda to interview refugee women from the Congo.
Although the depiction of the sexual abuse is morbid and difficult to hear, it is a beautiful thing to normalize women coming forward and sharing their stories. It is crucial to spread awareness on the issue so that more girls can feel safe.
The title within itself has its own meaning as well. In the play, one of the main characters Sophie unfortunately experienced traumatizing situations with men. In fact, the woman that Sophie was inspired by was raped with a bayonet (essentially a knife) and has permanent sexual organ damage. In the play, Sophie is characterized as ruined.
Ruined defines a woman if they have experienced a multitude of rape instances. There is a shift in the play when at the end Mama Nadi tells Christian that she too identifies as ruined.
I think this is play accurately depicts the trauma that these women went through and does an impressive job of raising awareness for sexual violence. I’d rather not finish my post negatively, so I will end by saying spread awareness, and definitely consider reading Ruined if you get a chance!
Constructions of Gender in Literature 