Mother Poem

The book Mother Poem, published by Edward Kamau Braithwaite is not a drama but a reflection on identity for Caribbean people in respect of the language, cadences and rhythms of their speech as well the enviroment they live in and people they see, ignoring the received identity handed down to them through slavery, colonialism and racism. The national tour of the production that we devised wiith the help of dancers and poets, as well as the performers, was accompanied by a series of readings, talks and Slam Poetry sessions held in different parts of the country, featuring some of the UK’s leading Black poets like Lemn Sissay, Benjamin Zephaniah, Jean “Binta” Breeze, James Berry, Martyn Glynn, Levi Tafari, Beverly Lindsay and Suandi. Our aspiration was to inspire many more individuals from Caribbean backgrounds to explore their creativity and to see their literary heritage and ways of talking as somethiing to feel proud of and to celebrate in their lives and work.
The tour was sponspored by Cockspur Rum, which is made in Braithwaute’s home country, Barbados, which was offered to those who attended post performence dscussions and poetry reading sessions and in our promotional activies to generatenew audiences for the company’smwork around the country.
‘A theatre-piece that sings with the poetry of the Caribbean. Three women take a holiday and director Alby James turns the events into a stunningly dramatic evening.’ What’s On and Where To Go, 7 June 1989

Cast & Crew

Cast

Observations

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