That Black Theatre Podcast: 1970s, Black Power Politics, Mustapha Matura & Alfred Fagon

Explicit content warning

10/26/20 • 57 min

This week we are looking at the 1970s, a time of resistance and rebellion. We talk about the work of Mustapha Matura and Alfred Fagon amidst the realities of police brutality, anti-racist politics and Black Power in Britain and the USA.

Mustapha Matura’s ‘Welcome Home Jacko’ and Alfred Fagon’s ‘The Death of a Black Man’ discuss Black politics, disenfranchisement, Black masculinity, Pan-Africanism and the appropriation of Black cultures during the 1970s. We discuss the legacies of these two great writers, with archival recordings from the Black Plays Archive.

Email [email protected]

Social @nationaltheatre

References:

Mustapha Matura (1980) ‘Welcome Home Jacko’ in Lynette Goddard (ed.) (2011) The Methuen Drama Book of Plays by Black British Writers. London: Bloomsbury, pp.1-59

Alfred Fagon (1999) ‘The Death of a Black Man’ in Alfred Fagon (1999) Alfred Fagon: Plays. London: Oberon, pp.87-149

Akala (2019) Natives: Race & Class in the Ruins of Empire. London: Two Roads.

Kehinde Andrews (2019) Back to Black: Black Radicalism for the 21st Century. London: Zed Books.

Colin Chambers (2011) Black and Asian Theatre in Britain: A History. London & New York: Routledge.
Peter Fryer (1984) Staying Power: The History of Black People in Britain. London: Pluto Press.

Peter Fryer (1985) Black People in the British Empire: An Introduction. London: Pluto Classics.

Lynette Goddard (2011) ‘Introduction’ in Lynette Goddard (ed.) (2011) The Methuen Drama Book of Plays by Black British Writers. London: Bloomsbury, pp.vii-xxvi
David Olusoga (2017) Black and British: A Forgotten History. London: Pan Books.
Michael Pearce (2017) Black British Drama: A Transnational Story. London: Routledge.

Roland Rees (1999) ‘Introduction’ in Alfred Fagon (1999) Alfred Fagon: Plays. London: Oberon, pp.9-21

Email [email protected]

Social @nationaltheatre

References:

Mustapha Matura (1980) ‘Welcome Home Jacko’ in Lynette Goddard (ed.) (2011) The Methuen Drama Book of Plays by Black British Writers. London: Bloomsbury, pp.1-59

Alfred Fagon (1999) ‘The Death of a Black Man’ in Alfred Fagon (1999) Alfred Fagon: Plays. London: Oberon, pp.87-149

Akala (2019) Natives: Race & Class in the Ruins of Empire. London: Two Roads.

Kehinde Andrews (2019) Back to Black: Black Radicalism for the 21st Century. London: Zed Books.

Colin Chambers (2011) Black and Asian Theatre in Britain: A History. London & New York: Routledge.
Peter Fryer (1984) Staying Power: The History of Black People in Britain. London: Pluto Press.

Peter Fryer (1985) Black People in the British Empire: An Introduction. London: Pluto Classics.

Roland Rees (1999) ‘Introduction’ in Alfred Fagon (1999) Alfred Fagon: Plays. London: Oberon, pp.9-21

Previous Episode

That Black Theatre Podcast: 1960s, Colonisation and Class, Barry Reckord & Wole Soyinka

This week we are looking at the tumultuous 1960s, a time of civil unrest, civil rights, anti-colonial struggle, and international conflict. We talk about the work of Barry Reckord and Wole Soyinka amidst the political, social and cultural contexts of Britain, the USA and Nigeria during the 1960s.

Wole Soyinka’s ‘The Lion and the Jewel’ and Barry Reckord’s ‘Skyvers’ discuss the contrasting social and political issues affecting people in South London and Nigeria respectively. While Reckord battles with class and gender amongst working-class youth, Soyinka critiques colonisation and celebrates traditional Yoruba culture. We delve into the significant work of these two, theatrical giants, and ask if we should bring these plays back to British theatre.
Black Plays Archive website https: //www.blackplaysarchive.org.uk
Email [email protected]
Social @nationaltheatre

References:
Barry Reckord (2011) For the Reckord: A Collection of Three Plays by Barry Reckord. London: Oberon Books.

Wole Soyinka (1962) The Lion and the Jewel. Oxford: OUP.

Martin Banham (2013) ‘Critical Responses: Wole Soyinka’s The Lion and the Jewel. Royal Court Theatre, London, December 1966’, Black Plays Archive. https://www.blackplaysarchive.org.uk/featured-content/essays/critical-responses-wole-soyinka%E2%80%99s-lion-and-jewel-royal-court-theatre-london

Colin Chambers (2011) Black and Asian Theatre in Britain: A History. London & New York: Routledge.
Patricia Hill Collins & Sirma Bilge (2016) Intersectionality. Cambridge and Maldon: Polity Press.
Peter Fryer (1984) Staying Power: The History of Black People in Britain. London: Pluto Press.
Peter Fryer (1988) Black People in the British Empire: An Introduction. London: Pluto.
Stuart Hall (2019) 'The West and the Rest: Discourse and Power [1992]', David Morley (ed.) Stuart Hall: Essential Essays Vol. 2, Identity & Diaspora. Durham and London: Duke University Press, pp.141-185
bell hooks (1990) Yearning: Race, Gender, and Cultural Politics. London & New York: Routledge.
David Olusoga (2017) Black and British: A Forgotten History. London: Pan Books.
Michael Pearce (2017) Black British Drama: A Transnational Story. London: Routledge.

Wole Soyinka (2002) ‘The Fourth Stage: Through the Mysteries of Ogun to the Origin of Yoruba Tragedy’ in Paul Carter Harrison et al. Black Theatre: Ritual Performance in the African Diaspora. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, pp.140-153

Next Episode

That Black Theatre Podcast: 1980s, Michael Abbensetts, Winsome Pinnock

This week we are looking at the 1980s, a time when there was a ‘boom’ in Black theatre production in Britain. We discuss the political and social changes that occurred in 1980s Britain, a decade of Thatcher’s Tory government, recession, and institutional racism.

We look at Michael Abbensetts’ In the Mood, and Winsome Pinnock’s A Hero’s Welcome. Both of these plays talk about migration and the legacies of the Second World War in very different ways. Michael Abbensetts asks how radical black politics can work within conventional political institutions, while Winsome Pinnock creates a female-centered story about life in the West Indies after the war.

Email [email protected]

Social @nationaltheatre

References:

Michael Abbensetts (2001) Michael Abbensetts: Four Pays. London: Oberon.

Winsome Pinnock (1993) ‘A Hero’s Welcome’ in Kadija George (ed) (2018) Six Plays by Black and Asian Women Writers. Twickenham: Aurora Metro Press, pp.23-70.

Nicola Abram (2015) ‘Looking Back: Winsome Pinnock’s Politics of Representation’ in Brewer, Goddard and Osborne (ed.) Modern and Contemporary Black British Drama. Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, pp.95-112

Kehinde Andrews and Lisa Amanda Palmer (2016) Blackness in Britain. London: Routledge.

Kehinde Andrews (2017) ‘How to stay radical within an institution’, TEDxYouth@Brum (YouTube video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFUymWxfrkQ

Kehinde Andrews (2019) Back to Black: Black Radicalism for the 21st Century. London: Zed Books.

Colin Chambers (2011) Black and Asian Theatre in Britain: A History. London & New York: Routledge.
Peter Fryer (1984) Staying Power: The History of Black People in Britain. London: Pluto Press.

Peter Fryer (1985) Black People in the British Empire: An Introduction. London: Pluto Classics.

Lynette Goddard (2007) Staging Black Feminisms: Identity, Politics, Performance. Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.
David Olusoga (2017) Black and British: A Forgotten History. London: Pan Books.