Breaking The Pot - Synopsis...

Nora is happily married to Mr. Madalitso Jere. Its Christmas, and the house is bustling with happiness. Jere is a businessman who has just won the position of Human Resources Manager at The Blantyre Insurance Bank (BIB) Nora is happily married to Mr. Madalitso Jere. Its Christmas, and the house is bustling with happiness. Jere is a businessman who has just won the position of Human Resources Manager at The Blantyre Insurance Bank (BIB)

They have three small children and live in a town house, with an insulated ceiling and a corrugated iron fence, in Chinyonga, a 'better side' of town.

"Underneath all the action in this play, there are silent cries of
'SEE ME!' 'SEE WHO I AM!' 'UNDERSTAND ME!'
'UNDERSTAND WHAT I WANT & WHAT I NEED!'

Nora has a secret to keep, however. Early in their marriage, Nora felt she had no choice but to take a certain dubious course of action in order to obtain the means necessary to save her husband's life. Mr. Jere was suffering from a 'stress-related heart condition' and could not be told at the time how dangerously ill he was. Nora considers her act of 'saving Jere's life' to be a great testament of her love for him.

To save her husband's life, without him knowing Nora enlisted the help of a certain lawyer, Katswiri Chikaona. Her dealings with this man have to remain a secret.

When the play opens, an old friend of Nora's Mrs Christina Kamwendo arrives in town to look for work, and Nora sees to it that Jere gives her a post at the Blantyre Insurance Bank. Katswiri Chikaona also works at the bank, and Christina's employment there means that Chikaona is dismissed from his post.

In desperation, Chikaona goes to Nora and threatens to tell Jere about her arrangement with him unless he is allowed to keep his post. Nora is in despair but at the same time has become convinced that in his love for her, Jere will sacrifice himself and take full responsibility for what she has done, if he learns the truth. This is because Jere believes and asserts that he is 'such a man that can, in the face of floods, take it all on himself.' Nora however, vows that she would rather kill herself than let her husband go through with such a sacrifice.

Nora considers asking Dr Fundo, an old friend of hers and Jere's, for help. But, when Dr Fundo declares his true feelings for her, Nora finds it impossible to ask him.

After Chikaona has lost his job at the bank, he writes a letter to Jere revealing what Nora and he did in the past. Contained within this letter is a threat to both Nora and Jere that unless his position at the bank is restored, he will reveal everything to the police. After Jere reads the letter, he reacts with rage and revulsion, refusing to see that Nora acted out of love for him, and without any sign of willingness to accept responsibility for her actions.

Christina, who was in love with Chikaona in the past, gets him to change his mind and withdraw his threats. Mr. Jere is overjoyed.

But Nora has begun to understand that her marriage, her love and her duties in life are not what she thought they were, and in the course of a devastating conversation with Jere she decides that her most important and only task is to go out in to the world on her own, to "bring herself up".

She leaves her husband and children.

MAKING SENSE OF THE PAST >>