THE ORISHA TRILOGY, d’bi.young anitafrika’s second triptych featuring the plays Esu Crossing The Middle Passage, She Mami Wata & The PussyWitch Hunt and Lukumi: A Dub Opera, takes us on a journey across the past, present, and future while reinterpreting the triangular journey of Black folks, voyaging from Africa to the Caribbean to North America under the influence and protection of The Orishas. The second play in the Trilogy She Mami Watah and The PussyWitch Hunt, will be featured in Vancouver from January 28-Feb 1, 2019 as part of The Frank Theatre season and as a featured show at PuSh International Performing Arts Festival.
FOUR NNNN!!!! NOW MAGAZINE + CRITIC'S PICK | DORA WINNER - BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE and Dora nominated for Best New Play, She Mami Wata & The PussyWitch Hunt centres on gender, sexuality, and the erotic through the life of four friends – Niki, Michael, Kizzy and Everdon – growing up in present-day Jamaica, who are challenged to renegotiate their complex relationship under revised ‘antibuggery’ laws. Raised in the violence and silence of misogyny and homophobia, Niki lives on the margins of church, the burlesque pole and womxn’s thighs. As the play unfolds we learn that Niki is not the only one living on clouds and in shadows. Mami Wata is Anitafrika’s continued exploration of divinity, activism, the erotic and the Black diaspora through the Yoruba Ifa Orishas: Ochun (river goddxss of childbirth and erotic love), Yemoja (mother goddxss of the sea), and Oya (goddxss who defends and protects womxn).
“[A] profound exploration of the intersections between personal identity, sexuality, gender, religion, and the consequences of colonization.” —Mooney on Theatre
d’bi.young anitafrika takes on gender, sexuality, divinity and more in this erotic solo piece. Whether playing a church pastor, a pole dancer or a child in a schoolyard, d’bi.young positively glows with fervour; the spirit of protest runs strong through the multiple characters, shifting timelines and changing settings of the narrative. Telling the story of four friends and their lives in present-day Jamaica, the artist paints a picture of lust, love and the forces that would seek to deny them.
She Mami Wata is anchored in the writing and performing of its multi-talented star, but it’s also powered by music: to the side of the action is DJ Softieshan, dropping beats and loops that propel the story and add spice to an already sizzling drama. This is a performance that reflects the heat of the tropical sun, of frustrated passions, of the need for fulfilment that drives us all. It is, nevertheless, a highly specific work: queer, diasporic and feminine, and all the more beautiful for it.