The cast of Ifeoma Fafunwa’s ‘Hear Word!’ is back from a successful run at Harvard University. The play, which is about the everyday struggles of the Nigerian woman, stars seasoned actresses such as Joke Silva, Taiwo Ajayi – Lycett, Bimbo Akintola, Omonor, Elvina Ibru, Zara Udofia – Ejoh, Odenkike, Rita Edward, Deborah Ohiri, Ufoma McDermott, Chioma Nwosu and Chiagoziem Nwakanma.
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Ifeoma Fafunwa, the writer and director of the play, shared at a soiree on Monday that the play is making progress in ways she never imagined. According to Fafunwa, there are invites to come and perform the play in a plethora of countries such as Brazil, Australia, Canada, England and a number of other African nations.
Speaking to Boston Globe, Fafunwa (who is a Fellow at Harvard University’s Radcliffe Institute) said ‘I want the audience to draw parallels to how patriarchy manifests itself in Africa and how it manifests itself in the rest of the world. It is an olive branch, a bridge across cultures.’
‘Hear Word’ is a series of evocative monologues that mirror the everyday life of Nigerian women; many of whom deal with issues of discrimination, gender bias and exclusion, rape and molestation, spousal abuse, female circumcision and more on a daily basis; and largely based on actual events.
While the play is about Nigerian women, its message is universal as viewers from different social and ethnic backgrounds identify with it. The cast is due to perform the piece at the United Nations headquarters in New York later this month.
‘There are several lines in the play that seem to relate to what’s happening at the forefront of dialogue in America,’ said Fafunwa in the Harvard Gazette of the play.
As the world continues to find a way to deal with these issues, perhaps there is no better time than now for ‘Hear Word’ to take the stage.
