It was cold, miserable, and rainy this past Saturday but that did not deter my sisters, a couple friends and myself from lining up to watch Danai Gurira’s Eclipsed at the John Golden Theatre on Broadway. It’s a play which in short tells the story of women having to make difficult choices for survival near the end of the Second Liberian Civil War in 2003.
The play opens with a scene of a woman braiding another woman’s hair, a seemingly normal day, but soon we realize that it’s not an ordinary time but a time of poverty and conflict. I was surprised by the attempt at authenticating the language used … I say attempt because the accents were not always on point but much appreciated. I was surprised too by how funny the whole play was despite it’s very heavy topic which we are never allowed to forget. Frequently, I reminded myself that I was watching a Broadway play like no other. A Broadway play with a serious African theme. A Broadway play written by, directed by and starring only women. A Broadway play that is political and gendered, feminist even one can argue.
I’m quite inspired by Danai Gurira who calls herself a Zimerican – an American with Zimbabwean roots. Like me her identity is a “hodgepodge of cultures”. Humbled by her achievements. Glad that she saw fit to highlight the stories of those with limited agency. Proud that she highlighted the vital part Liberian women took in bringing an end to the war, an achievement recognized by the Nobel committee when they awarded the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize to Leymah Gbowee and President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
A lover of mangoes. A woman - smart, without pretense, lefthanded, Afropolitan - navigating this thing called life. An unapologetic believer in social justice and karma. Choosing to radiate positive energy and be true to myself. Here, my musings.
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