What Mama Said

Renowned playwright Osonye Tess Onwueme's powerful new drama illuminates the effect of national and global oil politics on the lives of impoverished rural Nigerians. What Mama Said is set in the metaphorical state of Sufferland, whose people are starving and routinely exploited and terrorized by corrupt government officials and multinational oil companies-that is, until a voice erupts and moves the wounded women and youths to rise up and demand justice. Onwueme's powerful characters and vibrant, emotionally charged scenes bring to life a turbulent movement for change and challenge to tradition. Aggrieved youths and militant women-whose husbands and sons work in the refineries or have been slaughtered in the violent struggle-take center stage to "drum" their pain in this drama about revolution. Determined to finally confront the multinational forces that have long humiliated them, Sufferland villagers burn down pipelines and kidnap an oil company director. Tensions peak, and activist leaders are put on trial before a global jury that can no longer ignore the situation. What Mama Said is a moving portrayal of the battle for human rights, dignity, compensation, and the right of a nation's people to control the resources of their own land.

Tumi Morake modelled her public persona on her mother, a charming and contentious woman who used her big, bold voice to say what others were afraid to utter. It's the personality that Tumi took on stage in the mostly male space of stand-up comedy, and the one that gave her the courage to join a white, Afrikaans radio station and comment about apartheid on air. But there's only so much you can find out about Tumi from the stage, the screen and the internet. And Then Mama Said ... is the voice of Tumi in private, as well as a behind-the-scenes perspective of a pioneering South African star who has been both deeply loved and viciously hated by her audiences. Tumi gets frank about the race row at Jacaranda FM; the Jaguar car accident that cyber bullies said she deserved; the body-shaming she endured on the set of Our Perfect Wedding; and her tumultuous relationship with her beloved husband. Throughout her story, she carries the voice of her mother, and with it the indispensable life lessons that made her who she is today.

Mama said to make a mark on the world. To change it with playful laughter and deep love. To live a life chock-full of beauty and life lessons. And to turn to the pages of this book when some inspiration is needed.

An explosive political drama projecting an African people’s revolutionary struggle to confront government forces and foreign oil corporations that have ravaged their land and strangled the voices of their mothers and daughters.

From the author of How to Eat Humble Pie and Not Get Indigestion comes a collection of essays--some never before published--intended to entertain, elicit laughter, and inspire healthy doses of perspective concerning our day-to-day trials.

Mothers often feel they are running as fast as they can to keep up or to stay just ahead of those who want a piece of their time, energy, and self. Author, speaker, and mother Jenn Doucette offers a humorous and insightful look at how every mom on the run can head for much-needed rest stops by: experiencing girl time choosing contentment setting boundaries and achieve freedom getting a grip on emotions giving themselves a break With comedic flair, Doucette confesses to her own failings as well as God's successes in the face of them, reminding mothers that it is healthy to laugh, take a break, and practice grace.