Terms of Divorce – A must watch for the married

Ever thought of divorcing your spouse because she or he is not what you expected him or her to be – a lifetime partner?

Then you must watch the play “Terms of Divorce” written by one of Ghana’s prolific playwrights of all time, James Ebo Whyte, fondly called Uncle Ebo before taking that final decision.

There is a second opportunity for those who could not watch the thrilling play first staged at the National Theatre, Accra from September 3 to September 5, 2010 for packed audiences.

The epic, which runs twice on the day is staged; 6pm and 8pm, can again be viewed by patrons this weekend from September 10 to September 12, 2010 at the same venue.

The hilarious, yet life transforming play with a main cast of seven brilliant actors and actresses, is about a bitter and unhappy woman, Ethel, who wants divorce from her husband of twenty years, Ralph Arthur.

Mrs. Ethel Arthur is played with dexterity by Ethel Mercy Muale and Shirley Okyere-Darko, while Ralph Arthur is played by Nii Akrofi Smart Abbey and Bellah Djibrilla.

The others are Andrew Adote and Belinda Bediako Asiedu who play counsellor and wife. The role of the two lawyers is played by Roland Adom and Egya Agyekum Onwona-Sarfo as Lawyer Michael Ababio, while Elsie Attieku-Nuku and Lauretta Hammond play Lawyer Baaba Essama Ababio.

Prosper, a worker who assists Ralph to park his belongings from the house is played by Moses Okine.

Ethel and Ralph go for lawyers who ironically have ever been married and are divorced and it is no wonder that both seek to advance arguments to help their clients to do the same.

This desire of the once married lawyers however encounters a severe jolt, when the yet to divorce couple are ordered by the court to see a marriage counsellor first, which sends the process into an unforgettable twist of events.

The turn of events at the counsellor’s house, which would be better watched than told, inevitably reverses the divorce process to the chagrin of the two lawyers, who themselves later through an intriguing drama come together once again.

One lesson learnt from the play is that there is no problem that is insurmountable in a marriage and partners in that life-long commitment owe it to themselves to make it work, once they have tied the knot.

For anyone with a soft heart who is ready to watch the masterpiece of a play, a handkerchief will by all means come in handy, especially as events unfold at the counsellor’s house.

Kudos to Roverman Productions and all sponsors of the play – MTN, Stanbic Bank Ltd, GTP, KPOGAS Furniture Company, Joy FM and others. Such immensely rewarding and educative plays are what are needed in a world where the divorce rate is soaring ever so often that marriage has lost its essence.

Available statistics provided by Americans for Divorce Reform, indicate that Sweden tops the world’s divorce rate with 54.9% of marriages ending in divorce as at 2002, closely followed by the USA which has 54.8% of marriages falling on the rocks, while India is bottom of the ladder, with 1.1% of marriages ending in divorce.

Unfortunately, there are no figures for Ghana on the world chart, although it is generally known that divorce cases have become rampant in the country.

However, data available at the Accra Metropolitan Assembly on customary marriage indicates that a total of 618 marriages were dissolved in 2007 out of 1,511 marriages registered.

In January 2007, 46 out of the 136 registered marriages were dissolved and the month of February saw 49 dissolutions out of 122 registered.

By Edmund Smith-Asante