WHY A BLACK WOMAN WILL NEVER BE PRIME MINISTER
Image credit: Ali Wright
What would it be like to see a Black woman elected to guide the country and live in Number 10 Downing Street? Would artefacts begin to return back to their native lands? How about reparations to those that deserve them? Or, as wonderful as our collective pondering may seem, is it something that will never be able to come to pass on British soil?
Why A Black Woman Will Never Be Prime Minister written and performed by Zakiyyah Dean takes on some heavy themes; intersectionality, racism, the British political system and the erasure of Blackness within it and Black womens maternal health in the UK.
We meet Shannice Laybá (Zakiyyah Dean) at the beginning of her first year of university. She’s studying politics, managing an internship with an MP whose apathetic policies make her squirm and managing a long distance relationship with her boyfriend, Rafiq.
If Shannice is anything, she’s determined to make a change. Since her adolescence, she’s dreamed about lobbying in parliament and ensuring change for those that can emphasise with her own past experiences of racism, poverty and austerity.
As the story continues, Shannice has bitten off a little more than she can chew. Ignoring warning signs from her body to slow down, she juggles putting her pride and personal politics aside to work under John Gainsborough (Ryan Whittle) and guide his campaign to success all while aiming to ace her studies and come out top of her class.
Why A Black Woman Will Never Be Prime Minister is current, electric, comedic and plays on the satirical in some moments while largely staying rooted in truth. Zakiyyah Dean’s writing was the standout component of the play itself. It provides the performance with a beautiful ebb and flow - Dean bolsters the protagonist's interest in spoken word poetry by dancing with poetry and prose for the entirety of the script.
While there were only two on stage characters for this iteration of the play, their individual performances and the dynamic that was created between them acted as a driving force that ensured the themes of the play were understood without them always having to be explicitly spoken about. These directorial choices by Kelechi Okafor acted as a reflection to the alienating experience that Black women experience within political spheres.
Shannice (Zakiyyah Dean) was at her strongest in comedic moments, although there is room for improvement when her character was in the depth of her emotions. Without rawness of emotion, her performance became static in parts. However, the rhythm of the writing acted as a stabiliser and brought balance to the fore when this happened.
John Gainsborough (Ryan Whittle) perfectly encapsulated how politicians and MP’s alike are understood and perceived by the majority. From his enunciation to his arrogance, John’s character, rooted in his whiteness, translated so many of the barriers faced by Black women throughout his performance.
In Why A Black Woman Will Never Be Prime Minister, Zakiyyah Dean has crafted a creative and poignant exploration of race, identity, intersectionality and ambition within the British political landscape. Through her character building of both Shannice and John, Dean invites us into a reality lived and known by those that look like her - a reality shaped by systemic inequalities and personal resilience.
This play acts as a provocation; a mirror held up to society, reflecting the limitations and challenges of being a Black woman in a country that refuses to make space for her.
As we leave the theatre, we are left with both the heaviness of Shannice’s struggle and a lingering question: will there ever be space for her - for us - at the heart of power?
Why A Black Woman Will Never Be Prime Minister is running at the Camden People's Theatre until the 09 of November 2024.
★★★★☆
By Jojo Dixon