19: UNDERSTANDING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND THE CULTURE OF SILENCE IN NORTHERN NIGERIA IN ZAINABU JALLO’S ONIONS MAKE US CRY

Domestic violence remains a pervasive issue in northern Nigeria, deeply rooted in historical, cultural, religious, and socioeconomic structures that enhance gender inequality and silence victims. The aim of this paper is to explore domestic violence and the loud culture of silence through the lens of Zainabu Jallo’s play Onions Make Us Cry. The specific objective is to identify the problems of suppressing a domestic violence victim’s voice under the disguise of protecting family honor, religious obligation, and cultural norms through the symbolic imagery of onions representing layers of trauma and striking storytelling, and to attempt solutions to them. Using textual analysis, the paper critiques the mechanism that normalizes abuse, uploads silence, and stigmatizes victims. The paper maintains that performing arts is a tool for healing, resisting oppressive norms, and fostering dialogue. Findings from this research reveal that lack of interventions like integrating arts into gender-based policy, reformation of legal protections for victims, and fostering community-based interventions has led to several problems which have hampered the success of reshaping responses to domestic violence in northern Nigeria.