The Arts in New York City

Over the summer, my mom and I decided to go visit family in England and stopped in France along the way. On the night we landed, after visiting Versailles we grabbed an early dinner at the hotel restaurant and elected to spend the rest of our first night in Paris watching television in our barely air-conditioned hotel room. Because every other channel was in French, my mom and I turned to BBC for our nighttime entertainment. After watching for about 30 minutes my mom was out cold, but I was still wide awake.

Around midnight, the stories changed from European politics and weather reports to a profile piece on a Congolese woman named June living in England who wanted to get back in touch with her roots. After living in the United Kingdom for over a decade, she decided to go back to the Congo and bring BBC camera crews with her. After being reunited with her mother and spending time with her family for a few weeks she decided to investigate her heritage and identity as a Congolese woman by touring the country and learning about the political turmoil that existed there.

She visited a number of woman’s shelters that housed victims of the ongoing war in the Congo. These women had been “ruined.” Like Sophie and Salima in Lynn Nottage’s Pulitzer Prize winning play “Ruined,” Congolese Soldiers had raped the women in these shelters in the name of Justice. By destroying the reputations and irreparably damaging the sexual organs of women of the opposite decent group, the men were in essence destroying the livelihood of their opponent’s community.

Unable to go home to their husbands after having been violently raped by groups of men, these women had no choice but to seek shelter among other women who had been ruined. June was moved to tears when she heard some of the stories of the women in the shelters and so was I. Not unlike Salima’s account of her rape, witnessing the death of a beloved child and/or husband also scarred most of woman who had been attacked. One woman described witnessing the rape of her six-month-old daughter and another described her husband’s murder.  After having seen her husband hacked to pieces by her attackers machetes, she was forced to eat her husband’s genitals.

I was rendered speechless by these stories and found myself remembering them clearly while reading Ruined. In Ruined, Lynn Nottage fulfills the artist’s roles of both the preserver of culture and educator. By writing a play as extreme and shocking as Ruined, Nottage forced the general public to think about the horrific war crimes occurring in the Congo. She not only educated her audience, but also provided an emotional connection by presenting her audience with photographs of the women on which the play was based, making them more than just characters but real, living breathing people.

The seriousness of sexual crimes against women cannot be emphasized enough. While the crimes in the Congo are particularly heinous, sexual crimes have impacted woman all over the world. What I find most upsetting is that the victims of sexual crimes, including the women in the Congo, are viewed by members of their culture as criminals themselves and are accused of “tempting” the men who “ruin” them. This, to me, is appalling. Instead of receiving sympathy and aid, these women are ostracized and rejected by their communities. They become outcasts, “untouchables.”

The psychological damage inflicted on rape victims can never really be completely repaired and the memories of the violent act inflicted upon them are carried with the victims of rape through life. It makes me sick to think that some men can inflict such terrible pain on women without feeling shame or remorse for what they have done. We don’t realize how lucky we are, how good our lives are until we realize all of the terrible things that could happen to us. When I hear about human rights violations such as rape and genocide, it reminds me how insignificant my little problems are.

“Now little Lisa’s only nine years old
She’s tryin’ to figure out why the world is so cold…

…Part of her is missin’ and nobody’ll listen…

Lisa’s stuck up in a world on her own
Forced to think that Hell is a place called home
Nothin’ else to do but get some clothes and pack
She says she’s ’bout to run away and never come back”

These lyrics from “Runaway Love” by Ludacris remind me of the women’s stories in Ruined by Lynn Nottage. The only difference here is that the women in ruined couldn’t run away. Some like Josephine wanted to escape but were never given the opportunity to, while others like Mama Nadi had chances to escape but chose not to leave their home behind. She didn’t want to leave her home even if it was hell. Instead she turned her life around and provided a safe shelter for herself and other women. Granted this shelter was a brothel, the women here were much safer than being out on their own and they had somewhat of a say over their own bodies.

This play really opened my eyes to a world I really didn’t know much about. It would have been really painful to read if Lynn hadn’t added a bit of her own comedy and style into it. Although it is such a sad story, Lynn made a smart decision of making this entertaining. By doing so she made it easier for people to read and watch the play. Unlike War by Lars Noren that begins and ends on sad note, Ruined has a somewhat happy ending. Happy in a sense that they will make it through even though their life could be a lot better.

I can’t imagine what it would be like to be in these women’s’ situation. It’s horrible and it brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it. After reading this play I wanted to learn more so I looked up some videos on YouTube and came across this.

It talks about how these soldiers justified the rape. I thought it was simply ridiculous and hypocritical. When asked what they would do if this happened to their mothers or sisters they immediately said they would kill that person but at the same time they are doing this to someone’s mother, sister, or wife. When one of the soldiers says he does it because it gives them magical powers to fight I just wanted to yell at him. Like really? Raping someone is going to give you the power to fight a war? But it just goes to show how these soldiers were manipulated into doing this by their captains. Ignorance also plays a big role in this too. These soldiers are usually taken from a young age and are fed all these lies, brainwashing them to believe that what they are doing is just and it is for Congo.

Another thing that bothered me was the fact that after these women were raped against their will, their husbands and families rejected them as if they had done something wrong. As if they wanted this to happen to them. I strongly believe that family should always be there for you. If they’re not for you then who will be? But I guess its just goes to show that for some, family doesn’t have to be blood related. In Ruined Mama Nadi and her girls are a family, in the way that they stick together and understand each other.

I find it disgusting that some people have downgraded to such animalistic behavior. We live in a sick world. What has humanity transformed to? I can’t comprehend how one human can do such acts on another human. I really hope this will change or at least decrease in the future. Let’s try to bring humanity back.

Moral ambiguity, ethics, and principles are all main themes that I thought about when thinking of the play Ruined.  I took notice to these topics because it was these ideas that  probably caused the biggest debate in our class.  Shouts of “it was wrong what she did how can’t you see that” and ” what she did is absolutely justified” ran through my head at the same time.  I knew I had to write about these principles because for me, it would create the most discussion.  I also had issues that  were hard to take in and wondered if what some of the characters’ actions were truly justifiable.  I could not answer immediately and I truly had to think about whether the choices these group of people made were really morally acceptable or not.

Before I get to the main issues of moral ambiguity in the play Ruined, I want to refer to one issue that was present early in the text.  This issue was wheter it was justified or not that Christian had his niece Sophie in Mama Nadi’s brothel. Now if I said that statement alone to someone who had no background of the play, they would look at me as if I was dumb to ask such a stupid question. However, those of us who read Ruined wonder about this example and if Christian’s actions truly were justifiable in this case.  To me, Mama Nadi’s bar, despite its connotations, was a place of safety.  It was a place where violence did not exist and people were sheltered from the chaos and disruption that occurred outside the bar. Yes I know Mama Nadi used woman as prostitutes but it makes you wonder what would happen to them if they were not there. What would happen if soldiers saw a wandering Josephine or Sophie outside of the bar and the thought of that makes me shutter.  This is why I think Sophie staying in Mama Nadi’s was the best thing for her. Sophie, although ruined, would not of been protected by soldiers who wanted her if she did not have Mama Nadi. This was for her safety and protection from the savage soldiers and it is this that I think Lynn Nottage wants us readers to think about.

Wondering whether Sophie taking part in the brothel was justifiable or not made me think about one of the biggest issues I had about the play.  This was the encounter between Sophie and Commander Osembenga in Mama Nadi’s bar.  I admired how Mama Nadi defended Sophie and avoided Sophie from having sex with him. However, I did not know what to think when Mama Nadi commanded Sophie to still sexually satisfy Commander Osembenga. I was at a loss of words and I did not even know what to think about this issue. I was wondering how to rationalize the situation, but to me it was just completely wrong.  Why would Mama Nadi put Sophie, who is ruined, in such complete danger?  She did not know what could of happened to her in the room at that time. This is what I was thinking and the more I thought about it the more I thought about how much war transformed these people.  Commanders invading at any time, mistreating who they pleased combined with violence and rape made  people have horrifying times in the Congo. I think of this and I think of Mama Nadi’s decision to give Sophie to the commander. You wonder what would of happened if the commander did not get any pleasure; he would of probably resorted to violence. As sad as it is to say, Mama Nadi did this in order to prevent violence and harm to herself and others, to have peace for once in the Congo.

Writing about this idea made me finally wonder about a concluding moral issue.  This isse was whether or not Mama Nadi’s business was justified. I had to think about the war in the Congo to realize this point.  People were mistreated so horribly that people wanted a place of safety, security, and shelter.  Although it was a brothel, Mama Nadi’s place was this form of safety.  People went for food, laughter, and just a break from all that went on outside.  It was also safety for the girls.  As I mentioned before, if the girls wandered around outside instead of a place of security, who knows what would of happened to them.  Mama Nadi’s gave girls safety and security as well. They were in control of their bodies because the people were coming to them.  Mama Nadi provided a home and food for them, something they might not of had if they went astray and wandered about. They were protected from the horrors of war and its severities. Despite this moral ambiguity, Mama Nadi and all other instances in Ruined made us think about how much war changes a simple moral view and people. It makes us debate and always wonder how would this be different if war or other things did not take place.

Hmmm…Ruined. What can I say about this play? It was one of the most moving pieces of work I’ve ever read in my life and made me think about what goes on in this world. I actually had a friend who was forced into a marriage and after realizing the abuse that she was going through, her parents let her get a divorce after 3 months. 3 months? I can’t imagine all the horrors this poor girl saw during that time. And what about all those helpless women in African countries? I can’t even begin to imagine what they go through everyday of their lives.

Most of us sit comfortably at home everyday, not appreciating what we are blessed with. Reading Ruined under my covers, I began to think about if I had gone through even half of the pain that sexually abused women go through. After being abused, they have no one to look to. For example in Ruined, many of these women were rejected from their homes, and left to wander the streets alone. If a person’s own family won’t take care of them, then who will? Think about all the women that go through this sort of suffering. Most of the time, no one is there for them. A majority of women die from the overwhelming pain and humiliation they get from their loved ones. I think a woman that has gone through that should be supported rather than kicked out of her home. By rejecting a woman who has gone through such an immoral act, the person is committing even a more immoral crime. For example, was it Salima’s fault that she was forcefully raped? No. Then why was she blamed for it? Well, one would say that it is because she has disgraced the family. However, the people who say this should think twice and ask themselves if this happened to us, how would we feel?

I think that culture plays a major role in determining a person’s life outcome. However, everyone around the world should think for him/herself. Question the boundaries of the world, and reflect upon the actions we make everyday. There was a time during the 1800’s when Americans thought that slavery and racism was perfectly okay. If everyone continued to think that way then where would we be today? However, there were those individuals who disagreed upon these ideas and fought back. They were the ones who stood up for justice. I feel like there is not enough of independent thought in today’s world. As Metal Children showed, we are often greatly influenced by societies pressures. An individual can only answer the questions of what is right and what is wrong. Our responsibility to the world is to research and learn about why we exist. We should take an active role not only in our communities but also the international community.

I rarely hear of horrifying stories of torture in the news. There is usually one bizarre one here and there. However, people are suffering every day whether we want to accept it or not. There are innocent lives being killed, and millions of families being torn apart. What is our role in this? Most of us sit back and live our daily lives. We are so caught up in school, work, that we forget about the reality of things. Nottage traveled far and reached out to these women to spread awareness of all these horrible tragedies. The education she has given so many people around the world is very valuable. If we all make an effort and spread awareness about the torture women go through in their lives because of rape, and/or sexual abuse, we will be doing a great deed.

I felt very moved when I was reading Ruined. It made me appreciate that I have a home to go everyday where I can peacefully study and live. It also made me aware that not everyone in this world has this privilege. I hope to research more and learn about the reality of things so I can become a part of the solution rather than the average person who just sits and watches.