Ruined (Theatre Review)

Ruined (Theatre Review)

off The Endz: Estate Life

Growing up on a council estate in London, or any estate in the United Kingdom for that matter, can be alright for some, but for others, the disadvantages outweigh the good. Many people have a love-hate relationship with council estates, and there are specific council estates which are deemed dangerous or not suitable for anyone to live in.

Read the Rest here: Off The Endz: Estate Life

Every Year, Every Day, I am Walking.

Every Year, Every Day, I am Walking.

Happy New Year!

This is to let you all know that I have moved home and while I aim to maintain this blog to the best of my ability, please, cross over with me to my new home.

It is new and work in progress but I am not letting that stop me from writing. I will go with the flow, write while I make the site better.

So, cross over with me into a new decade and a new website.

Thanks for taking your time to read this blog and leaving your comments. They have been very encouraging. I hope you keep reading my new blog and of course, leave your comments also.

www.belindaotas.com

Cheers!!!!

I'm An African Playwright and I'm Cool Like That!

One of the perks of being an arts journalist is the very fact that you get to see theatre productions, exhibitions, gigs among many other things and you go for free. For me, that's great but the freebies aside, I appreciate when a theatre production has substance to it. Lately, I have enjoyed the very fact that my passion for African theatre has been re-ignited. I have seen some great productions this year. From Iya-Ile at the Soho theatre to Wole Soyinka's, Death and The King's Horsemen at the National. It has been a big splash of African theatre on the British theatre landscape.

Even the Independent newspaper acknowledged that it was cool to do African theatre. 'Out of Africa: Award-winning African plays find a new home in British theatres' Give it Up!

It isn't the accolades or recognition that has me rooting for African theatre. I would like to interject at this point and tell you that I am a very proud African lady living in London.

So, let's continue. What has re-ignited my passion is the very fact that we are telling our stories, we are able to laugh at ourselves, our nuances and idiosyncrasies. At the same time, we are creating platforms to have a debate and discussion about the motherland. We are taking a mirror and putting it up to examine the good, the bad and the ugly and please don’t forget the struggles.

I saw Bad Blood Blues at Theatre Royal, Stratford. It was a production about the HIV anti-viral trials in Africa and the load of horseshit bureaucracy that goes into who gets the anti-vial and who gets the trial drug and who gets nothing at all. I had to ask myself, how important is an African life compared to other parts of the world when it comes to tackling the HIV/Aids virus?

Karoo Moose by Lara Foot-Newton, a South African playwright was so good; I remember using the word 'Ingenious' when the birth of a child was depicted by a young lady coming out of a drum. It was so symbolic and at the same time powerful. It was traditional theatre full of magical realism at its best and there was no dull moment. Death and The Kings Horsemen by Wole Soyinka was outstanding. My history was on stage and it was great that they kept it very traditional. Nothing like talking drums to make you sway from side to side.

I could go on and on about the shows I have seen this year but I'm sure you might think, okay, go on, say what you really want to say.

So, here it is. It is okay to write about African theatre and not be afraid of expressing what you feel or want to say about being African. I know some writers are nervous when they start out about boxing themselves but today, a young African dramatist told me in the course of an interview, I am an African Playwright. I was impressed by that. Often, you get some saying, I am a playwright full stop. And yes, that is valid also because labels do stick. But there is nothing wrong with it if you decide to be identified by your heritage and body of work. After all, you are writing about Africa and Africans in the diaspora. So, why can't we call you an African Playwright?

Picture Credit: Ruphin Coudyzer

Death and the King's Horseman

If there is a theatre production you must see in your lifetime, it is Wole Soyinka's, Death and The Kings Horsemen. Hailed as one of his best masterpiece, this is a play every playwright, theatre director and theatre students must see for its ability to break the barriers of race, language and cultural boundaries. It is a play that does what theatre does best, bring oneness to the audience though we speak different languages. It brings one truth though we come from different social and cultural backgrounds. It speaks one word and says we are one though we are different. Yet we have an understanding of what transpires on the stage as we look on. Soyinka reiterates that we are indeed responsible for our fate in life.

The Hounding Of David Oluwale (Preview)

The first time I came across the book by the same title, I was rather saddened by the story. It is still on my Amazon wish list of books to buy and read. However, I have not been able to get round to reading the book despite promises to do so.

So, imagine how excited I was when I heard it had been adapted for the stage. So far, the reviews have been great and I can't wait for the experience. These are the type of stories I love to see on stage. When a great injustice is brought to life and tackled head-on.

This is one of the reasons I love the stage. The characters tell you their stories. You are not being spoon-fed but they are telling it like it is and leaving it to you, to draw your own conclusions.

It has been described as a shocking and engrossing story. Now, I hope it lives up to expectations because I am seeing it on Saturday. Yippee!!!!