20 February 2020

Why the men of Unmarried will stain your white

That society mistreats women is not new, but what is new is this Nigerian show exploring it from a woman’s perspective. Unmarried, a new TV series on Showmax express from Africa Magic, explores the misogyny women face irrespective of their status in society; you can be a successful career woman or a housewife and still be looked down on by men.

Unmarried follows childhood friends, Nengi, Funbi and Kamsi, as they navigate adulthood and bond over their broken relationships after realising their men weren’t as sweet as they thought.

The three ladies are on different paths: Nnegi is a successful career woman; Funbi depends on Glucose Guardians to cater for her expensive lifestyle; Kamsi is a full-time housewife. The rope that binds them together is scums of men in their lives, meet them.

Chuka

Chuka is a caricature of a wealthy Igbo businessman. He is married but enjoys ‘business trips’ with the beautiful Funbi, whom he spoils silly. They have been together for three years and he has promised to divorce his wife to be with her, but like most married men with side-chicks in Lagos, these are mere words. Funbi is just one of his many side-chicks.

Lotanna

If Chuka is the rich scum Igbo man, Lotanna is the broke version. Lotanna forbids his wife, Kamsi, from working. He is never there for his kids because he believes a man has no business catering for kids. He would rather watch European football with his friends. But despite Lotanna’s obsession with being the head of the family, he can’t provide adequately for them, and even after losing his job, he is ashamed to admit to his wife because God forbids a man should look weak.

Atonye

Atonye, Nengi’s husband, is the classic Nice Guy—the most affectionate of the men of Unmarried. He is attentive to Nengi’s needs; he makes breakfast and packages lunch while she prepares for work. He ensures she never worries about domestic stuff, allowing her to focus on her career. But there’s more to Atonye than meets the eyes: he has a 7-year-old child with another woman, whom he secretly wants to marry.

Nosa

In most workplaces, there is a man who benefits from the effort of a female colleague. In Unmarried, that man is Nosa, Nengi’s lazy colleague, who gets all the credit for her work. Nosa does less or nothing and gets rewarded with praise and a higher salary. Even worse, he gets promoted in place of Nengi because she won’t sleep with the company’s CEO.