Of Gods and Men…
Phil Okwedy
Sparked by the discovery of a series of letters from his father in Nigeria to his mother in Wales, The Gods Are All Here is a one-man performance from storyteller Phil Okwedy – due to be performed at the Torch Theatre, Milford Haven, on 27 January.
The show, funded by the Welsh Government, weaves myth, song, folk tales and legends of the African diaspora with a personal story that uncovers Phil’s experiences of growing up as a child of dual heritage in 1960s and 1970s Wales.
Charting the time of life when children are said to view their parents as gods, but never having actually lived with them, Phil from Cardiff raised by his long-term foster mother in Pembrokeshire considers if his parents were, in fact, the gods he had imagined them to be…
It’s a story exploring equality, freedom, racism, family and growing up without one’s birth parents.
Phil said: “As I developed as storyteller, there came a time when I felt ready to tell myth but could find none that resonated with me. So, I began to weave personal and family stories with folk tales as a kind of myth-making exercise. When I found the letters in my mother’s flat after her death, I felt a need to do more with them than just read them, but I was not yet a storyteller and so had no idea what that might be.
“Now, in sharing this show, my intention is that it resonates with other people, with their individual family stories but also with the audience as a whole, because it is by working together that we ensure that equality, justice and freedom are experienced by all.”
27 January, 7.30pm. Tickets: £12 / £10 concessions. Box office: 01646 695267 or www.torchtheatre.co.uk.
