Ruined

Scene 1 introduces the characters of Christian, a traveling salesman who writes poetry, and Mama Nadi, the proprietor of the bar and brothel in which the play takes place. While they banter with each other about various items Christian has neglected to bring Mama Nadi, Christian alludes to “this damn chaos” (6), which has prevented him from delivering everything he promised. After Christian changes the subject to give Mama Nadi a lipstick and to offer Mama Nadi a romantic poem he has written “in lieu of the kiss you won’t allow me” (7), he acknowledges that he hasn’t “had a drop of liquor in four years” (8). His attention shifts to a gray parrot in a cage that Mama Nadi acquired when “Old Papa Batunga passed” (8), and then shifts back again to Mama Nadi, whom he instructs to “[t]ake a peek in the truck” (9). Her glance reveals two young women, Salima and Sophie; though Mama Nadi expresses reluctance because they both look “used” (9), she gives Christian “fifteen” (10) for both girls. She asks Josephine, another one of her girls, to show the girls where they can clean themselves. When Christian admits to Mama Nadi that Sophie is “ruined” (12), thanks to the militia who “did ungodly things to the child, took her with […] a bayonet and then left her for dead” (13), Mama Nadi refuses to take Sophie as she is no use to her as a prostitute. Christian explains that Sophie, “a pretty thing” (11), and is his “sister’s only daughter” (15). Mama Nadi begrudgingly agrees to take them on despite her protest that she is “running a business, not a mission” (14) and when Mama engages directly with Sophie and learns that she is intelligent and able to sing, she warms to the young girl. She applies lipstick to Sophie’s mouth and explains the terms under which Sophie and Salima must live while in Mama’s employment, giving Sophie liquor to “help the pain down below” (17). Mama and Sophie each eat a chocolate from the box Christian has brought to Mama Nadi, and when Mama denies Christian a chocolate, Sophie laughs, which annoys him a great deal.

A month later, it is Christmas time, and Scene 2 opens with Sophie singing and Josephine dancing for Jerome Kisembe, the rebel leader, and a group of his soldiers. The rebel soldiers curse loudly and act obnoxiously despite Mama’s warnings to them to “[b]ehave” (21). Mama Nadi refuses to accept coltan, a type of metallic ore, as payment from one of the rebels, until the soldier becomes threatening and aggressive; at this point, she orders Salima to dance with the soldier, in order to appease him. Mr. Harari, a Lebanese diamond merchant and one of Josephine’s regulars, admires Sophie’s beauty, which irritates Josephine. Mr. Harari gently scolds Mama Nadi for taking “that poor man’s coltan” (25), worth enough money to Mr. Harari “to buy pussy for a month” (25).

They discuss a diamond Mama has been holding in safekeeping for a past customer, and Mama asks about its worth; they both lament the unreliability of their environment, which makes business uncertain. Mama explains that “[t]hings slip from our fingers like butter” (27), which inspires her determination to keep her business intact. Josephine returns to Mr. Harari, distracting him with her new traditional dress and extracting from him a promise “to take [her] home with [him]” (28). When Salima stands up for herself in response to the rebel soldier who has bitten her neck, Mama calls her a “selfish girl” (29). Sophie comforts Salima, who is upset by the whole exchange, and the scene closes with another song by Sophie and a dance by Josephine.

Scene 3 takes place in Sophie and Salima’s living quarters, which they share with Josephine. The two newcomers borrow Josephine’s nail polish, and Salima states that “[s]he’s gonna kill me if she find out I use her nail polish” (31). When Sophie makes a mistake on Salima’s nails, Salima uncharacteristically loses her patience, explaining to Sophie that she struggles to tolerate the soldiers who “want more of you” (31), unlike the miners, who are content with “drink, company and it’s over” (31). Salima reminisces about her life with her family, remembering her husband and her baby daughter, until Sophie reminds her that “[t]here is a war going on and it isn’t safe for a woman alone” (32). Salima confesses to Sophie that she is pregnant, and Sophie reveals that she is stealing from Mama Nadi, promising Salima that “when there’s enough, we’ll get a bus to Bunia” (33).

Josephine interrupts the two young women, and Sophie hides Josephine’s nail polish and the book in which she hides her stolen money just in time. Josephine complains about the lack of food, comments on Salima’s visible weight gain, and then takes a hostile tone when she notices Sophie looking at a scar on Josephine’s body. Her hostility increases when she asks, “why is my fashion magazine here?” (34), and despite Sophie’s efforts to keep the peace, the situation deteriorates. Josephine claims that “Mr. Harari is going to take [her]” (36) to Kisangani, which leads Salima to feel competitive and mention her husband, whom Josephine describes insultingly as a man “going to sell his yams in the market” (36). The two women argue, and Josephine attacks Sophie, calling her “something worse than a whore” (37). Sophie is wounded into silence, and the scene closes with Josephine haranguing the other two women, insisting that because “[her] father was chief” (37), she should have received better treatment when her village was raided, and this fact proves that Sophie is no better than she is.

Another song by Sophie opens Scene 4, and while she performs for government soldiers and miners, Christian arrives to the bar, much to Mama Nadi’s delight. He flirts with Mama Nadi, greets Sophie affectionately, and refuses a cold beer, explaining that the “[l]ast time I had a drink, I lost several years of my life” (39). When Mama questions Christian about his recent whereabouts, he passes on some worrying gossip: “Pastor Robbins has been missing for a couple days” (40) and because the pastor has been “treating wounded rebel soldiers” (40) and “[t]hings are getting ugly over that way” (40), Christian is worried about the fighting. When he expresses his love for Mama Nadi and suggests they “build a nice business together” (41), he upsets her, and she responds by saying “I have my own business, and I’m not leaving it for a jackass who doesn’t have enough sense to buy a new suit” (41). Christian does not appear insulted, dancing a few steps just as Commander Osembenga, the government leader arrives. Mama Nadi insists he “leave [his] bullets at the bar” (42), asserting her rules about weapons and standing up to him in a way that appears to charm him. Osembenga asks Mama about Kisembe, and Mama denies that Kisembe has even been to her bar, claiming that she only “knows of him” (43). When Osembenga warns everyone in the bar of Kisembe’s treachery, Mama talks to him insolently, not realizing that he is a government commander. When Osembenga identifies himself, she apologizes for not knowing him, and offers him American whiskey. When one of Osembenga’s soldiers shows off by demanding a cigarette from Christian, the situation in the bar becomes even more tense. Osembenga calms his soldier and sends a drink to Christian, in a gesture of respect. Mama pressures Christian to drink, saying that “the commander has bought you a drink of whiskey and hopes that you’ll find prosperity” (48). Christian gives in and drinks the whiskey while Mama whispers to him of the commander’s power over them, and Christian drinks again reluctantly, while Mama Nadi asks him to trust her.

At the start of Scene 5, Sophie reads out loud to Josephine and Salima from a romance novel. Mama comments on Salima’s weight, which scares Salima, and Mama dismisses romance in general as “kissing, fucking, a betrayal” (51). Salima and Josephine engage in yet another petty argument, and Mama suggests “a good smack in the mouth” (52) to keep Josephine’s comments in check. While counting the money with Sophie, Mama Nadi shows Sophie the raw diamond she has been keeping safe for a “[s]tupid man” (53) who “said he’d be back for it” (53). Mama has been keeping the diamond as an “insurance policy, it is what keeps [her] from becoming like them” (53). At this point, Mama confronts Sophie about her theft and learns the truth behind Sophie’s motivations: “A man that came in here said he can help me. He said there is an operation for girls.” (55) Mama Nadi accepts Sophie’s explanation and congratulates her for being “the first girl bold enough to steal from me” (55).

At the start of Scene 6, the morning light exposes Josephine’s struggle with a miner, Salima’s efforts to steal food, and Christian’s panicked demands for whiskey. He has bad news: “The white pastor’s dead” (56). To Christian, the death of the pastor means that “[t]hey’re pushing this way. They won’t think twice about killing us” (57). When he tries to convince Mama to leave with him, “to Kinshasa where there’s no trouble” (57), she refuses. A soldier named Fortune arrives, his cousin Simon by his side. Mama enforces her rule and makes the soldiers “[e]mpty their weapons” (58) before agreeing to feed the soldiers. When Sophie emerges, she is surprised to see Christian, and the soldiers greet her politely. Fortune explains that he is looking for Salima, and Mama says she will go and “ask around” (61) when Fortune identifies himself as Salima’s husband. Mama returns from the back rooms, explaining that “[t]here is no Salima here” (61), and when Fortune is violent in his disappointment, she throws him out.