An Uncommon Woman: A story that showcases a polygamist relationship, but this time with two men who share a spouse

Directed by Abdoulaye Dao, An Uncommon Woman is a West African film that shows the daily lives of two people—in this scenario, two men—who have the same spouse. Dao offers us a humorous tale of passion, infidelity, revenge, and jealousy.

The Plot 

The movie is based on the character Mina, who is played by Georgette Pare, a story of a wealthy woman who decides to take a dramatic step and marry a second spouse after growing tired of her husband's infidelity.

A househusband named Dominique (Bakary Bamba) is unfaithful to his wife of 7 years, Mina. In plain sight of their nervous maid and niece, Naabo, he plays around with a younger lady while Mina leaves for work each day. 

Dominique and Aicha (Augusta Palenfo), the neighbor's wife, have recently been involved in an affair. Aicha’s husband, the neighbor, works as a policeman. 

Mina manages to catch Dominique in the act one day but acts clueless. While the secret lovers are worried with shame and anxiety, Mina abruptly reveals that she will be welcoming a second husband into the home. 

This shocks Dominque and he is in disbelief, but Mina suggests that she is very serious about the matter. 

Little clues regarding the affair, such as underwear, jewelry, and other personal items, are given to the policeman by a mysterious woman. 

The policeman won't accept that the belongings are Aicha's until Mina writes him a letter revealing the infidelity that has been going on between Aicha and her husband.

As the film goes on, Mina finally brings the second husband, Sekou, (Abdoulaye Komboudri) into the home which frustrates Dominque. 

Jealousy and envy start to build between the two husbands. Dynamics between the two interferes within the household and the two husbands go at it every chance they get until the first husband cannot stand it anymore. 

The Message 

The filmmaker seems to expose some of the difficulties, biases, and injustices that are typically present in polygamous marriages through the arguments between the co-husbands. The director, Dao seems to be posing this question to its male audience: how would you feel if something like that were to happen to you?

The film suggests masculinity, inequality, and gender biases when it comes to relationships in the world. In an ironic part of the film, Mina enters her office and informs one of her staff about her decision. The male employee hears this and laughs thinking she is playing.

 As Mina laughs along, she repeats that she will be bringing a second husband into her home very soon. The employee is suddenly not laughing anymore and explains that if Mina did so, other women would go out also searching for second husbands, and there would be a civil war! Haha. 

The employee asks Mina what her husband said and she snaps back and asks, “What did your first wife say when you decided to marry that kid?” Boy, did that make me happy!

This scene is a favorite of mine because it explains the social system of gender inequality. A civil war? It won’t turn into a civil war if men decide to do it, but somehow it will when a woman does.

Although the film speaks on gender inequality among men and women in relationships, it also suggests the issues of sexuality in Burkina. 

For Example, in the scene where Mina walks in on Dominque in the act, he suggests that their maid, Naabo, lies and says that she was the one in bed with Aicha, as a cover

story. When Naabo refuses, Dominque throws in her face the time he helped her get an abortion.

The scene then continues with Dominique's affair instead of pausing and touching light on homosexuality or abortion in the West African film. 

 Polygamy History in West African Culture

Most West African states support polygamy, which is governed by civil law and allows a man to marry up to four women under certain conditions, such as having enough money to support several wives and children. (Alhassan AR)

Many societies throughout the world have been practicing polygyny for many centuries. It has been a fundamental element of family law in the majority of African nations. 

However, as colonists and Christianity spread, it was acknowledged as a kind of slavery that needed to be outlawed. Its frequency therefore has been gradually declining for decades.

While it has decreased over the last decade, West Africa remains a region where polygamy is still common. Standard laws and religious traditions support this traditional practice. 

This practice is not only a tradition engraved in West African culture but many other cultures and is still an act that is done around the world, depending on different people’s beliefs. 

The director flips the narrative 

In other aspects, the movie is filled with cliches. For instance, Dominique's character is portrayed as a stereotypical middle-class housewife. His existence involves going out with his buddies, worrying desperately over his wife when she gets home from work, and spending the entire day at home. 

He occasionally starts a new Chinese workout, but mostly he is portrayed as a lazy house husband who isn't even bold enough to go to the neighbor's house in search of a hidden lover.

The Ending

Mina’s second husband was only a lesson for Dominque to learn, as Sekou becomes a village relative of Mina's. Sekou wants to stay in Mina's house to make the hoax come true. 

The film ends with Sekou saying “Female cousins are meant for male cousins”.

In my opinion, I was not a huge fan of the ending. As a viewer, I wanted a dramatic ending between the two husbands. Although the end was unexpected, it also missed the point of the message behind the film. 

The filmmaker implied that she would wind up with her cousin at the end, insinuating that incest is not a huge concern in the West African Community, which personally disturbed me, haha.

But, maybe that was the point. Most viewers would expect Dominque to find out about the hoax, but instead, Dao switched to a different setting, which most viewers would not expect. Definitely an ending that leaves viewers curious about what happens next.

Final Thoughts

The film's humorous storyline and message were appealing to me. Despite my disappointment with the ending, I can accept it since it is a comedic romantic story.

I thought it was fantastic to watch a West African movie transform a topic of traditional and standard laws in polygamy marriages into a lighthearted love tale that gets its point across. 

The performance in the movie was quite hilarious, and I laughed many times throughout the film. 

The film addressed a problem that is still very relevant today: the social system of gender inequality in relationships between men and women.

I had never seen a romantic comedy centered around West Africa. Having said that, I'm glad it was this one.