LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM / AGILITYPR.NEWS / June 18, 2024 / "Ain't I a woman?" This question emphasises the speaker’s identity as a woman while challenging the societal norms and prejudices that deny her the full recognition and rights accorded to other women. It underscores the speaker's humanity and womanhood, asserting that she deserves the same respect, rights, and opportunities as any other woman.

This question was posed by 19th-century US abolitionist Sojourner Truth, in her famous 1851 speech at the Women's Rights Convention, in which she powerfully confronted the dual impact of racism and sexism. A century later, in 1981, writer bell hooks borrows this title for her seminal feminist theory book, which explores the intersection of racism and sexism on black women. hooks critiques mainstream feminism for being dominated by the perspectives of white cisgender women, highlighting that the fight for racial equality is often portrayed as being led by black cisgender men.

Decades later, in June 2023, Landé Belo, an artistic director at Tower Theatre in London, UK, launched a search for new and aspiring black female writers to transform the question "Ain’t I A Woman?" into short plays that will feature in a new theatrical initiative of the same name. The response was overwhelming, with submissions showcasing incredible writing talent. The final selection includes plays from five women who tell stories spanning diverse settings—from a London casting room to a dystopian future, a sci-fi mystery to a TV studio. Each play skilfully uses satire to explore the dual impact of racism and sexism and each offers a unique perspective on the experience of being black and female in contemporary Britain.

2037: The Burden of representation weighs heavily on Fin as she faces an invidious choice: self over cause? Nicki Takes A Breath and prepares to pander to a lazy trope as this will open doors for her…or not?…..Will Ngozi actually resort to self-inflicted grievous bodily harm and succumb to the physical and metaphysical “whitewashing” promulgated by Changing Rays? Mary, Queen of Thots optimistically ventures into digital dating….the perfect antidote for her self-loathing and depression….meanwhile, Tiwa exposes the insidious impact of the economic crisis on her world and wonders why we are not all In Conversation about this or don’t we care…? 

Produced by Landé Belo and directed by Landé Belo, Sara Amanda and Beverly Andrews, Ain’t I A Woman? will be at the Tower Theatre, 16 Northwold Road, Stoke Newington, London N16 7HR, from 10 to 20 July 2024. Suitable for ages 12+. Tickets are £12 in advance or £14 at the door.

The Tower Theatre Company provides high quality yet affordable drama while enabling people of all ages and backgrounds to experience every aspect of live theatre. The company has more than 700 Members and Friends and presents up to 18 full-scale productions a year to a wide audience at its own theatre in Stoke Newington, which it moved into during 2018.