After over forty years off theatre stage, Ladies and Gentlemen, Christopher Mukiibi is back!
The award winning playwright made a grand return at the Ugandan National Theater with the Legends of Theatre comprising of Mayor Dramatic Society, Kampala Golden performers, Bakisaaba Singers, Mulago theater Kings, Negro Angels, the planets, the Shavians among others.
Mukiibi leads the cast in the award winning theatrical he put down in 1976 dubbed abassa n’abassa. The title; Abassa n’abassa tebasingana mpaka is a Luganda proverb literally translated as two wrongs don’t make a right.
In the captivating contemporary, Uganda is rounded up by the life of flat mates and entrepreneurs surviving on toga street 111 and 112 as their traits are clear illustrations of the current state of the nation, both spiritual and physical.
With focus on how deceit and lust destroys families, the theatrical presents the life of two married friends and neighbors; Dan and Kasirye, who use money to lure their teen daughters into sexual relationships with Dan sleeping with Kasirye’s daughter and vice versa. Their relationships not only expose cross generation sex but also, show how everyone in the society is connected to a sexual network.
Besides the sexual risks, it brings to light the psychological torture un employed men go through living with women as breadwinners of their families.
At a time when the government is trying to improve the National backbone, the play encapsulates how young people sell off land where they would have practiced farming. They instead use the money to buy motorcycles which are many times short lived while others like Nabiddo use the money to start a new a life in town.
Mukiibi uses the composition to illustrate the hardships street vendors go through with Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) with the former looking for survival while the latter aims for a smart city.
Just like it happens in Najeera, Salaama road or Nansana, burglary in Abassa n’abassa is done in broad daylight with neighbors present though too busy on gossip and sarcasm.
It teaches man to be twice as cautious of his behavior in society because many people are living incognito. Bawoza Nyanja, a shoe repairer had never imagined that his busybody friend Taata Emanuel the phone repairer, was an undercover police officer. The burglar who shows up as a laptop repairer is also part of the prayer warriors at the crusade.
The best part of Abassa n’abassa is no sin goes un punished. It clearly highlights the notion that says: “Karma is a bitch” as Dan and Kasirye get arrested, Ludigido is caught with a student, maama Emanuel who is always left with ugx 3000 at home eats her co-wife’s luxury meal and the two faced burglar is arrested.
