Both Nigeria and Kenya are diverse multicultural societies each with hundreds of indigenous populations. Traditionally, men usually had responsibility for such duties as tending livestock, hunting, fighting, and making community decisions. Women's duties tended to include cultivation of crops, grinding grain, carrying water, gathering fuel wood, plastering houses and caring for children, among other tasks. Many Kenyan and Nigerian men and women still follow their traditional roles, but as these nations continue to develop and new opportunities and demands arise, these roles are rapidly changing.

You will be assigned topics that reflect the issues surrounding the lives of Kenyan or Nigerian women. Use what you have learned to write a play in which you portray the factors that are influencing the societal roles of women. To prepare for your report, you will research the impact of social norms, economics, and education, among other topics.

Look at the photograph below. Answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper.

The tasks culturally designated as those of women include rearing children, planting, weeding, harvesting, grinding grain, collecting water, gathering firewood, and plastering the house. Kenya.

• Why might these duties be assigned to women?
• What resources does this woman have available to her for accomplishing these tasks?
• Is this in an urban or rural setting?

Use the World Cultures Today articles listed below to research the lives of women in your assigned country. As you read, keep your assigned topics in mind. Remember that your play will need to include specific facts and details from your readings. You will need to incorporate these details into your plot, characters, and setting.

Use the Cause and Effect chart to organize your information. On the left, write details about what factors are changing in the society. On the left, write details about how these cultural changes are affecting the lives of women.

Work in groups to conduct your research. Discuss your findings and point of view with your colleagues. Decide what characters and setting you play will have. Decide on a basic plot and write your play. Your teacher may ask you to perform your play.

Your teacher will use these questions to assess your writing:

• Did your play include specific facts and cultural details?
• Did you organize the plot of the play in a clear and logical way?
• Did your play make clear connections between the changes in your society and the effects they have on the lives of the characters?
• Did you participate in both the play writing and the group presentation?