Nigerian Women Speak Out

HEAR WORD! portrays the lives of Nigerian women.

Photograph courtesy of the ART

 

Photograph courtesy of the ART

 

Loeb Drama Center

January 26-February 11

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.

You might also like

A New Black Swan Musical Cranks Up the Tension

The creative team of the A.R.T.’s new show dish on adapting Darren Aronofsky’s thriller classic from screen to stage.

Harvard’s Hasty Pudding Honors Rose Byrne

The Bridesmaids actress celebrated her 2026 Woman of the Year Award with a roast and a parade.

How a Harvard and Lesley Group Broke Choir Singing Wide Open

Cambridge Common Voices draws on principles of universal design. 

Most popular

Harvard Stem Cell Institute Names New Faculty Co-Director

Biology professor Lee Rubin is a leading expert on neurogenerative diseases.

Inside Harvard’s Most Egalitarian School

The Extension School is open to everyone. Expect to work—hard.

Chinese Immigrants in Early America

Michael Luo ’98 on the first great wave of immigration—and of nativist anti-immigrant reaction

Explore More From Current Issue

Portrait of a man with white hair, wearing a black coat, arms crossed, thoughtful expression.

The Framer Who Refused to Sign the Constitution

Harvard’s Elbridge Gerry helped draft the U.S. Constitution, but worried it might create a new monarch.

Historical scene in colonial Boston depicting British soldiers confronting civilians, with smoke rising, in a city street.

Houghton Library Displays Revolution-era News and Propaganda

A new exhibit reveals how early Americans learned about the war.

Woman with long hair, smiling, wearing a black sweater, in a textured beige background.

For This Poet, AI is a Writing Partner

Sasha Stiles trained a chatbot on her manuscripts. Now, her poems rewrite themselves.