March 27, 2017
Inspired to raise awareness about women’s sexuality and sexual health, a group of students staged a rendition of the award-winning Vagina Monologues in the Norton-Motulsky Hall.
Written by American playwright and activist Eve Ensler, the multi-part play recounts experiences from several women touching on issues of sexuality and sexual awareness. Since its first staging in 1996, the Monologues has been translated into more than 45 languages, performed in more than 120 countries and re-created as a feature film.
“I feel it’s the one time in the year so far that gives people the opportunity to discuss sensuality and sexuality in a safe space,” said one of the actresses Beryl Nana Ama Kwapong ’18. “The play is entertaining and uses satire to educate, inform and empower. It also uses satire as a tool to help people grasp and understand issues surrounding women in a non-confrontational fashion.”
The play employs humor and wit to dispel myths and further educate people on women. The monologues are usually staged in the form of a sketch that involves women personifying their sexuality in an educative and yet provocatively entertaining way.
At Ashesi, the group also used personal storytelling to increase discussion and empathy on what is usually a difficult and controversial topic.
“Restaging the Monologues within our context was important because it helps spread awareness about sexuality,” said Lilian Awuor ’19. “It creates a platform for young women to share their struggles, thoughts and feelings on how it is like being a young woman in Africa today. It also helps the community to engage in healthy conversations about sexuality, and other women’s issues that cut across board.
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