Performing Arts | December 8, 2017

Nigerian Women Speak Out

HEAR WORD! portrays the lives of Nigerian women.

From The January-February 2018 Issue

Photograph courtesy of the ART

Photograph courtesy of the ART

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.

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Performing Arts

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