Performing Arts | December 8, 2017

Nigerian Women Speak Out

HEAR WORD! portrays the lives of Nigerian women.

From The January-February 2018 Issue

HEAR WORD! Naija Woman Talk True, directed by Ifeoma Fafunwa (a current Radcliffe Institute fellow), is a dynamic performance piece inspired by a spectrum of true stories about women across Nigeria. Nigerian actresses combine dances, songs, and spoken word in intimate portrayals of struggles—for dignity, independence, and professional/meaningful engagement in African society. Themes both personal and universal are candidly broached in an effort to break through a culture of silence. The production, hugely popular in Lagos, had its American premiere at the Harvard Dance Center in 2016, and returns for a two-week run at the American Repertory Theater. Fafunwa also discusses “Who Would Choose to Be LGBT and Nigerian!?” at the institute’s Knafel Center on February 7.

Published in the January-February 2018 print issue in the Harvard Squared section.

You might also like

A man sitting at a wooden table in a formal setting with portraits on the wall.

A theatrical reenactment explores a 1976 clash between science and democracy.

A man in a tuxedo gestures while holding an award on a stage.

Graduates John Lithgow, Bill Rauch, and Bess Wohl took home prizes on Sunday night.

Singer performing on stage with a guitar, wearing a hat, and surrounded by band instruments.

Singer Elisa Smith’s whiskey-soaked voice and subversive feminism is part of the genre’s urban shift.

Most popular

Photo montage showing Harvard’s Widener Library and the edifice of the Supreme Court divided by a gavel.

The Supreme Court Affirmative Action Rulings: An Analysis

The underlying arguments project clashing worldviews of race and appropriate remedies.

White House and Harvard University buildings split diagonally with contrasting colors.

Harvard Weathers a Year of Turmoil

The federal government has launched unprecedented actions against the University. Here’s a guide.

Two mounted pheasants displayed on a stand against a gray background.

Lafayette’s Unexpected Gift to George Washington: Pheasants

The two birds will be on display at Harvard this summer.

Explore More From Current Issue

Five individuals are posed in a monochrome outdoor setting near a cinderblock building, some standing, some seated.

Visual Arts

Photographer and writer Morgan Smith chronicles life beyond the violence in Ciudad Juárez and other Mexican towns.

A vibrant group of dancers in colorful outfits poses on a stage with shiny decorations.

Arts & Culture

The Harvard Arts Medalist wants his smash-hit Cats revival to reach “as many young queer people” as possible.

A blue refrigerator covered with animal pictures, notes, and drawings, surrounded by greenery.

Health & Medicine

An animal’s journey from grief to love shows how much humans need each other, too.