|
An African
Love Story
One-Act Play Brings Controversy
To The Art Of Relationships
Reviews
This is the story of a woman who flips the coin... makes up her own rules and
learns to live by the manner in which some men do or most men wish they could.
As it is in many cultures, men are allowed more than one wife or the honor of
having a mistress based upon his economic or social background. In An African
Love Story, we see how role reversal and cultural identities define and redefine
who we are, and who we want to be... as a woman takes two husbands and redirects
her energy and her life focus to a very surprising conclusion. Often funny,
sometimes painful, but very truthful..."An African Love Story"
by Roxann Latimer opened to mixed reviews at the Ghana Playhouse in Accra Ghana
West Africa. "The actors (Kofi Addie, Juliete Tamakloe and Samuel Denu)
portrayed the characters with depth, humour and realism. They had the crowd
laughing and at many times angry with the truth of the play's storyline." --Ghana Sun Times
The mixed reviews didn't come from the acting or the quality of the
production but from the storyline itself. "Only an American would make
light of this most controversial subject. A woman married to two men, acting
like a man and with no shame is an affront to the morals and manners of many
African cultures."
--Ghana Life
The playwright, Roxann Latimer, is a native of California and lived in Ghana
West Africa, from 1989 to 1991. Married to a Ghanaian (Ebo Dadzie), Roxann says
her story makes us look at the effect of sharing in an open relationship.
"Polygamy has long been the domain of men from many cultures. But were the
reversal viewed, men would realize the effects emotionally and psychologically.
as well as socially and politically. The play was written almost as a satire.
But like the saying goes, what can make you laugh can make you cry."
Roxann recently published her first novel in the
United States, "You
Never Know" with PublishAmerica. She works as a television producer for a
public access television program. Roxann also is President of the Board of
Nation 2 Nation, a United Nations organization.
"As an African American writer, my stories reflect my experiences, my
views and my beliefs...they are a reflection of the world I live in. I have
lived in Africa but spent most of my life in America. I see men having numerous
relationships and not thinking a thing about it...and society accepts and
commends what is laughingly called "playas". But let a woman do the
same thing and of course double standards come into play, and she is labeled a
"ho". The bottom line is that the very reasons men use to marry more
than one woman can apply to women as well..."
We'll be able to see how Americans react to the play when "An African
Love Story" comes to America. Ace TV will produce the one act thirty minute
play for public television.
* * * *
*
Bio- Sketch
Roxann "Kujitua Baraka" Latimer
Dadzie is a writer, artist,
poet and entrepreneur. Publisher and Editor in Chief of
the award winning multicultural magazine, Women In
Motion, Roxann has been writing articles and essays
for community newspapers for over ten years. "A group
of five multi cultural sisterfriends came together in 1997
to form WIM Magazine and today we are in fact working on
the television production, called WIM Talk TV. Just taking
the magazine to this format is a new and fascinating
learning experience."
In fact Roxann and her partner Martine Martin of Ace of Diamond
Productions, (who merged with Women in Motion Media and
Publications Group in 1999, to form Ace Wim Television &
Entertainment) have several productions in development: Rappin
Dynamyte with T & T, Smooth Music Video Show, Gospel Works
Video Show as well as Women in Motion (WIM) Talk TV.
Roxann is a native Californian, born and raised in Santa
Monica, she lived in Los Angeles for some years working as a
social worker before migrating to San Diego, where she lived for
ten years. "During the time I lived in San Diego, I traveled
to West Africa and Europe and started an import export business. I
also taught journalism at San Diego State University for their at
risk youth program." She and her mother also started a non
profit agency that began by housing homeless and battered women
and today provides medical supplies and equipment to needing
nations. "Since Martine came on board as Vice President of
Friends of Russell Latimer, Inc., we’ve begun the Nation 2
Nation project. We became a United Nations NetAid partner
organization and through our television and publishing concerns
have been able to garner some public and small business
assistance."
Roxann’s writing began at an early age. "I can remember
writing and illustrating my own stories when I was five years old.
My mother is an avid reader and passed on the joy of reading to
me. I read fiction, non fiction, history, mysteries, romance…"
Speaking of romance, Roxann will admit to reading romance novels
since the age of twelve. "Romance readers share their books
with friends and family. My favorite authors are Terry McMillan,
Eric Jerome Dickey and E. Lynn Harris…but I cut my teeth on
Jerome Robbins, Jackie Collins, Judith Krantz to Danielle Steele.
Today I read a little bit of every body. I love James Baldwin, I
think he was a master story teller. Toni Morrison moves me like Zora Neale Hurston. And my favorite poets are Nikki Giovanni and
Maya Angelou. I still read romances and love a great many of today’s
contemporary authors." Recently Roxann completed her first
full length manuscript. A love story, "You Never Know"
tells the story of four women friends as they struggle thru love,
life and relationships. A story of healing and redemption and self
discovery, "You Never Know" is fun, fresh and exciting.
Up next Roxann is working her first mystery novel, set in
Louisiana it deals with the taboo subjects of Voodoo and murder
amid a spicy love story and a Christian romance novel centering on
the trials and tribulations of a minister in love with a preachers
daughter. Her recent play An African Love Story is being produced
in Ghana West Africa. * * *
* *
update 1 July 2008
|
