On June 12, streaming giant Netflix released an African series titled The Polygamist, produced by Stained Glass Productions featuring an-all South African cast. The series, which has 22 episodes, is based on a book by the same title written by Zimbabwean author Sue Nyathi who published the book in 2012.
When The Polygamist was released on Netflix, it immediately became a worldwide sensation reaching number 1 in more than 16 countries and had viewers on a chokehold as many binge-watched it.
The series tells a story of a successful business man Jonasi Gomora and his high class wife Joyce Gomora with whom he maintains a clean and happy public image as a loving united couple. But behind the scene, Jonasi has secrets. He has several secret affairs, children and handles his family conflicts with recklessness.
As the story unfolds, he meets Matipa, an ambitious young professional who after dating his brother Magesh, pursues Jonasi. She is in it for the money and power but eventually falls in love, has his babies and eventually faces domestic violence before choosing herself and leaves.
The other woman in Jonasi’s life is Essie, his childhood sweetheart who sacrificed everything for him to get an education. When he marries Joyce and makes it in life, Jonasi goes back to marry her secretly. She is so in love with him that she allows him to continue keeping her and their daughter Sarah a secret. She even pretends to be Jonasi’s brother Magesh’s wife just to keep the secret safe. She comes and lives in the township.
Then came Lindani, a young impressionable girl who gets hooked to Jonasi because of his money. She somehow believes she is the special one above the other women and even though she is Jonasi’s daughter’s best friend, she abandons the friendship to pursue her man.
When Joyce, the relentless original wife gets fed up after trying for so long to hold on, she decides to revenge by planning with a connection from her past to infect Jonasi with HIV. After the diagnosis, Jonasi refuses to take medication and instead opts for herbals which ultimately do not work effectively and he loses his life.
Now, the story had the world at the palms of its hand, not only due to the exceptional acting of the team but also the story line.
The play is a reflection of the realities of our daily lives as Africans, but also maybe as human beings in general.
Here is my breakdown of the main characters;
Jonasi Gomora
Played by the popular South African actor Sdumo Mtshali, Jonasi Gomora portrays a charming but reckless successful businessman. He uses his money and charm to sleep around. His recklessness causes him to catch HIV. He represents a typical African man who will use what he has to get what he wants. He will also use culture as an excuse to have his cake and eat it.
But this character is not all bad as he is a dedicated father and supportive husband to Joyce despite his shortfalls.
Joyce Gomora
This character embodies an ambitious wife who after 20 years of marriage is not ready to let go of her marriage despite her husband openly cheating on her. She reflects our society which expects married women to stick around even when the marriage is hurting them. She also tells a story of many wives who suffer in silence while maintaining the ‘perfect marriage image’. Joyce also embodies broken love. Her love for Jonasi makes her to accept disrespect and in the process, she loses herself.
Matipa Nkosi
Played by Kwanele Mthethwa, Matipa reminds the society of beautiful, youthful and ambitious women who will stop at nothing to get what they want-money and power. By having a relationship with a powerful and successful man, Matipa thinks her beauty is enough for her to get better treatment than the wife. She knowingly pursues a married man and is clearly unbothered by the pain and destruction that could follow and affect a fellow woman and her children. But just like we have seen multiple times in real life, reality hits her when the man proves her wrong by first refusing to abandon his wife Joyce and then by abusing her and cheating on her with other women once she gives birth.
Essie
The original girl in Jonasi’s life, Essie, embodies a character of women who put love above their wellbeing. By accepting piece meals from Jonasi and remaining a secret for the good part of their marriage, Essie proves that love and sacrifice do not always pay in the end. She is a reflection of many women in society today.
Lindani
The young and impressionable girl comes in as Jonasi’s final woman who gets taken in by his money and charm, but soon realises she got herself involved with a man who is not only unfaithful, but also sickly. Her character also reminds society of the many young girls that give their lives away to older cheating men in exchange for the so-called soft life.
Other characters in the play are Megesh, Sarah, Mpume, Menzi and Mkazimulo Gomora as well as Freedom. The Polygamist also has Mama Grace in the role of Joyce Gomora’s mother, among others.
Though critics describe the series as a depressing play of marital challenges, I call it a mirror of our realities as many can watch the play and see themselves in one of the characters for sure.
