#ThrowbackHit: "The Mourning After"

‘by Ifreke Inyang

In 2004, Jimi Odumosu released the heart wrenching movie, The Mourning After. The story line revolved around the plight of widows and their ordeal in the hands of in laws.

In some parts of Africa, Nigeria inclusive, tradition insists that nobody dies naturally and someone must take responsibility for the death in order for burial rights to be performed dutifully. In most of these traditions, if the deceased was a married man, the wife automatically carries the cross. She, even though in grief is usually subjected to different rituals to prove her innocence-that she was not responsible for the death of her husband.

These rituals range from drinking the water in which the corpse was washed, shaving the entire hair off her body, sleeping with the corpse for days, urinating in the presence of  her inlaws, and so many other inhumane acts.

In ‘The Mourning After’, lead actress, Bimbo Akintola plays the part of a distressed widow. She speaks to YNaija of what it was like playing such a controversial part and the fate of some widows.

Watch the clip:

Comments (2)

  1. The movie kinda fizzled out. And o, so this is where Adaorah Ukoh copied shaving her hair from? Shio!

  2. I didn't get to watch this movie 🙁

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