Sublime poetry and unapologetic storytelling, Our Stories, Our Motherland from The Outsiders delves into the raw intersections of womanhood, Blackness, and third-culture upbringing. Playing over two nights at the State Theatre Centre of WA, local stories exploring the reverence and power of Black Womanhood have never been so lustrous.
Created by Our Collective Dreams Mohammed ‘Ayo Busari’, Lisa Watson, and Kuda Ndlovu, the performances bring the dreams of two continents together. It is an open-hearted merging of poetry and performance art, with the losses and triumphs of the poets fresh in their eyes and voices. New identities begin to be discovered in real time.
Performers Abuk Lual, Vuma Phiri, and Nidal Saeed wield the rawness of loss, love, and faith like weapons of truth. It felt like more than just a coming-of-age story or a cultural insights excursion. It felt like a summoning of a group of women into the forefront of societies that have rendered them invisible in many ways.
Old seams burst as identities and expectations are challenged. Motherhood, Womanhood, Sensuality, Belongingness and the right to evolve beyond pre-determined identities. It all captivated me.
The stories vary in intensity and all share the momentum of dreams of the Motherland. Nidal’s performance with the rope as a metaphor for how others want her to be, and how much she might bend and twist, it never seems like enough.
Vuma’s enchanting storytelling is a real offering of hope and wonderment.
Abuk’s performance was solemn but held me. A very strong performer, Abuk embodies her talent with a sure hand.
Where it lacked a thorough narrative, I felt that sensing the body was the element that kept the show working. As the performers evoke their bodies and experiences of their Blackness and womanhood, the body is a constant reminder of increasing awareness of our shared humanity: blood, limbs, hair, thighs – the body is a source of inspiration and grief.
The show left me with thoughts that softened my heart and opened my eyes to Perth as a place of multiple identities. As a woman, I felt activated to understand my role to play in the communities I’m involved in and empowered to learn more about Black feminism and local experiences of belonging in this city. “Earthly words will never capture the majesty of a Black woman,” but this show comes astonishingly close!
MAYA-ROSE CHAUHAN
Our Stories, Our Motherland from The Outsiders ran from 17 – 18 Jan 2025 at the State Theatre Centre of WA for FRINGE WORLD.
