None of us are free
None of us are free
None of us are free one of us in chains
None of us are free
The Gods Are All Here‘s Phil Okwedy sings as he enters the stage – a surreal space designed by Molara Adesigbin, with beautiful, pale wall hangings and vast images of times gone by. The space fizzes with unfamiliar energy. Unfamiliar because Okwedy is unassuming, but his presence is immense and impossible to ignore.
As Okwedy begins to speak, you are transported to another landscape. He leads you to Nigeria, where a young woman begins an epic journey that spans the slave trade, Africa, and time itself. Then he brings you back to Cardiff in 2003, where he discovered evidence of his parents’ confused and remarkable love affair. Through a series of letters between his father and his mother, Okwedy takes you through Cardiff, Pembroke, West Africa and back. He explores heady romance, families (lost and found), racism and war.
The two stories flow from one to the other and both are beautifully written and told. They both map epic myths of loss and recovery – one many hundreds of years old, one that started 60 years ago. Okwedy’s exploration of his search for identity as a mixed-race foster child living in West Wales and his parents’ desperate attempts to be together is compelling and profound. His retelling the myth of Mami Wata is enthralling and magical. The whole show is masterfully constructed. Okwedy – assisted by the show’s dramaturg and director Michael Harvey – has crafted two perfectly assembled narrative arcs that inform one another. The skill and precision of the storytelling is second to none: a must-see for anyone interested in the oral tradition.
One of the most remarkable things about Okwedy as a storyteller is that his stories are serious, sometimes harrowing, but he is never sombre. He speaks frankly and openly. He laughs and smiles often. His presence, even when sharing moments of immense pain, is soft and welcoming. You trust Okwedy because he understands that he is sharing something with you; that you are as important as he is in that moment. Throughout The Gods Are All Here, you are invited to engage – never picked on directly or forced into anything – just gently asked to express yourself as a group. At the end of the show, you all sing: not because you are forced to, but because Okwedy starts, and you all feel that you can join him.
It is worth noting also that the production does everything it can to make itself accessible. A BSL interpreter is present throughout and the lights are up on the audience throughout the piece. The atmosphere is relaxed and welcoming. Okwedy uses language that is clear and unpretentious (his previous life as a teacher is clear here), and there are a number of opportunities for schools and other organisations to engage with the production. Adverse Camber’s commitment to making work that can be enjoyed by all is wonderful to see.
Okwedy stated in a recent interview with Buzz that he wanted to diversify the audiences drawn to storytelling, and he has certainly achieved that. Not just by sharing stories relevant to those of African and Caribbean heritage, but by creating a space that is deeply safe and supportive. Okwedy demonstrates that sharing your story can lead not just to understanding but empowerment – a force that can bring communities together. With The Gods Are All Here, he shows that expressing your vulnerability builds strength not just in you, but in those you share your story with. Most of all, he shows that stories beget more stories and that those stories can change lives.
Phil Okwedy: The Gods Are All Here, Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, Thurs 20 Oct
On in the Galeri, Caernarfon on Thurs 27 Oct and various other dates across Wales until Tue 28 Feb. Info: here
words HARI BERROW
