african tiata delights - all this week

Here's a chance for those who can make their way to the Soho Theatre in Dean Street, London, to catch week-long readings of New Theatrical Works by African writers resident in Britain. Six plays showcased as rehearsed readings with live music, each focussing on "the disparities and harmony existing within African and British cross cultures. All readings begin at 7.45pm.

Monday 27 February Buga Me by San Cassimally (Mauritius)
*Directed by Femi Elufowoju Jr; A modern play about colonisation. Two men wrangle over the ownership of an abandoned house.

Tuesday 28 February Ayo and Ade's Big London Safari by Segun Lee-French (Nigeria)
*Directed by Marissa Phillips; What would have happened if the great Nigerian Empire had colonised England?

Wednesday 1 March The Other Woman by Kofi Agyemang (Ghana)
*Directed by Michael Buffong; The lives of a young coupla are thrown into a tailspin when a foster parent from the past arrives on their doorstep.

Thursday 2 March You Get Me by Valerie Mason John (Sierra Leone)
*Directed by Hannah Quigley; A British widow and her sons from her interracial marriage face unexpected condemnation.

Friday 3 March Pure Gold By Michael Bhim (Zimbabwe)
*Directed by Clint Dyer; Can a man triumph over poverty in preserving love and dignity?

Saturday 4 March The Estate by Oladipo Agboluaje (Nigeria)
*Directed by Femi Elufowoju Jr; A powerful yet comic tale of explosive family secrets set in contemporary Nigeria

A full production of The Estate by Tiata Fahodzi will be at the Soho Theatre from 6 to 17 June.

the estate - a play

Inspired by Chekhov but set in contemporary Lagos,Nigeria, Chief (Mrs) Adeyemi is engulfed in burial arrangements for her recently deceased husband, an influential entrepreneur with an extended family scattered across the globe. His children arrive from abroad to hear their father’s Will. As they divide his estate an unnatural turn of events takes place and sparks begin to fly...

So goes the promo for The Estate, a play by Oladipo Agboluaje directed by Tiata Fahodzi's Femi Elufowoju Jr at the Soho Theatre. I saw a reading of the play back in March. Ovation Magazine, NEPA, ambitious pastors, incest.. it's all touched on as the family members tear themselves apart over the inheritance.

The Estate is at the Soho Theatre, London - from 6 to 17 June.