When I got the email for this production, I liked the title and theme of the play. Experiencing it on the other hand was fantastic. Written by an aspiring playwright like myself, I have to commend her for being brave to put her pen to paper. Well done Bola Agbaje.
A story of self-identification and respect, the question to the audience was who are you and what do you think of yourself and heritage? Are you ashamed of your roots or the fact that you have a name that can break one's jaw as they try to pronounce it? If you are African, you most likely have had the expereince of people murdering your surname but does that change who you are?
With a few characters, Bola brings life in South London to the stage. She captures two cultures, British and African-Caribbean and the challenge of fitting into both for young British born Africans and Afro-Caribbeans. The story tells you the rites of passage story about a group of teenagers trying to find themselves; Kudiyasi, Yemi, Armani, Blazer and their friends in the hood or should that be estate? I guess the bottomline of the play was in order to find yourself and know who you are; you must first respect yourself and all that you stand for. It sure is a CATCH22.
Though it could have done with a less repetition in certain scenes, it was an excellent production.
Image: Marc Brenner
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