Writing: black on black in black

A few days ago, I asked why there so few black writers. 'Da Bomb' has kindly given me an answer. It's well worth reading (so i'll shut up now)...

It's a complex question and I think there are lots of reasons. Partly it is about aspirations, what young black men and women aspire to be and what society/culture/schools etc tell them they can aspire to be. Also, I think their voices may not be understood or encouraged at university level (that's if they manage to get a place on a relevant degree - last term there was just one black student on the playwriting module at the university where I lecture and just two the term before). We need to encourage more young black people into the theatre and companies like Talawa and writers like Kwame Kwai Armah are a big part of making that happen - making it a real and viable career path. But getting in to the industry is tough and very competitive and although the Royal Court and the BBC now have excellent schemes aimed specifically at black writers the places on the schemes are few and far between.

I gave the highest grade I have ever given for playwriting to a black student last year for a brilliant one woman play written almost exclusively in Jamaican patois. In giving the mark I knew the work would be singled out and my concern was that the white, middleclass, external examiner just wouldn't 'get it'. Its very difficult to explain to people with no understanding of black culture who have probably never even spoken to a black person unless they were being served by them in a shop/garage/bank etc what the issues are that are being explored in black theatre and why they are so relevant and important. It does rile me and I do my best to encourage my black students as much as possible to express themselves and their issues through their work. I make sure they hear about all the relevant opportunities such as Critical Mass, the Royal court scheme, and try and push them to go for it because it's a chance to get in and make a difference. I worry that on other playwriting modules, the black students may not be encouraged to find their own voice and may not be told about the opportunities that are available to them.

A. Ruth Tompsett - a brilliant lecturer at Middlesex University has for some years run a whole module called Black Theatre exploring these very issues and looking at all aspects of black theatre. The module is available to students taking drama and performance based degrees at Middlesex University and has in fact extended into all sorts of exciting areas with African-American and African Theatres and Black British and Caribbean Theatres all covered.

Worth looking at:

Moving here
Carnival archive & study resource
Alfred Fagon award