Since I moved to Costa Rica I have wanted to get involved in – or at least know what services are being provided for – women who are victims of domestic violence. I have lived in Atenas for five years but I had not seen anything related to domestic violence until a notice in mid-November on the Atenas Facebook Page that there would be a film and discussion on Friday night, November 22, and then a March and play presented in the City Center Park on Monday, November 25, for the National Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. I marked the two events in my calendar and decided I wanted to go.
The Friday night movie, For Colored Girls, by Tyler Perry, left me feeling very uncomfortable for two reasons. First, because as Virginia Pittman said so clearly in a review, “This is an extremely tough film to get through… it’s hard to watch because it deals with absolutely horrific issues that plague some women in our society.” And second for me because it differs so much from the Broadway original, for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf, which it is based on.
There is no question that the cast of Tyler Perry’s movie is outstanding. It features Janet Jackson, Whoopi Goldberg, Phylicia Rashad and Kerry Washington, and they give excellent performances. But the level of realism presented seems forced and overdone. The original gets to the heart of the Black woman’s emotional experience in America in a very different way.
Ntozake Shange’s piece was developed beginning in 1974 and opened on Broadway in 1976. Shange referred to it as a choreopoem with 20 monologues accompanied by dance and music. Helen Gilbert describes it well in this review:
Ntozake Shange’s explosive choreopoem, for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf, cuts to the heart of the Black woman’s emotional experience in America. Through the arts of poetry, music, and dance, the forces are revealed which are designed to beat her down: poverty, race and sex oppression.
Seven women, identified simply by dresses of different colors, bring Shange’s powerful words to life on a bare stage decorated only by a large, suspended flower.
for colored girls is what art should be: a living, dynamic force which demands that we experience, understand, grow, and relate to one another in a new way. It makes us hate, love, rage, gasp, laugh, cry and cheer because we have come face to face with truth.
In the final scene, as the women reach out to their ultimate support — each other — the audience is drawn in and enveloped in a joyful celebration of and rededication to the crusade for control of our own destinies. Art and life have fused; theatrical rapport is transformed into a revolutionary political affirmation.
I saw excerpts of the original piece and found it very moving and powerful. It was therefore very unsettling to see how Tyler Perry had turned it into something entirely different. The occasional times the women recited the original poetry were refreshing and moving, but the continual depiction of the abuse, especially with two children, was over the top and reduced the power of the film, turning it into a Hollywood thriller rather than an artistic piece with a strong message.
In contrast to my Friday night experience, my Monday experience with the March and play was very positive. Knowing that it would be in Spanish and that my Spanish is very limited, I asked a neighbor who had also been my Spanish teacher to join me and translate.
I also wanted to introduce myself to people in charge to let them know of my interests.
The March was due to start at 9 AM about 6 blocks away from the Central Park. When we got there about 8:50, there was already a nice group of about 40 people gathered. It included a school marching band, representatives from the COOPE (the major local supermarket) and a few other businesses. The police were present to block off traffic as we marched, and we began around 9:30.
I have been in very few marches in my life, and it felt good to be in this one. I was worried that in my early 80’s it would be hard for me to keep up, but it wasn’t. There were no other people from the U.S. or Canada marching, so it also felt good to be among Ticos supporting something that is very important to me.
When we got to the park, which is directly in front of the church and has a central area that is often used for concerts, there were various speeches, and again I was so glad that Raquel was with me to translate. I met the person in charge of the program, who is a psychologist, and with Raquel’s help I was able to explain my interest to her. She took my contact information, and I have already heard from her. We are on each other’s WhatsApp, so after the New Year I will be back in touch with her to see how I might help.
The play included two actors – portraying a woman dominated by her husband – with the director performing the role of a helping neighbor. There was no violence; rather it showed the warning signs of how someone’s control leads first to emotional abuse that can then escalate into physical abuse. It was well directed, and after the performance I was delighted to meet the director. We too exchanged information, and I look forward to being in contact with her.
While Friday night proved to be disappointing, Monday was not, and I look forward to learning more about what the community is doing to prevent abuse and to help abused women. Maybe there will be a way I can get involved.
All three photos by JoAnne.