I AM Talks: Chinonyerem Odimba

One of the UK's leading British African heritage contemporary theatre companies, tiata fahodzi is about to celebrate its 25th anniversary with a new season of creative initiatives and productions, supporting the future of Black British artists.

The Watford-based tiata fahodzi theatre was founded in September 1997 by playwright and director Femi Elufowoju Jr. It is now under the direction of its fourth artistic director, the playwright Chinonyerem Odimba, for a milestone year named 'Year of the Artist', coinciding with its 25th anniversary.

We spoke with the Nigerian British playwright and newly appointed artistic director to get to know more.

Hi Chinonyerem, first how do you feel about this new role?

This job came along for me during the pandemic, so we were and are working amid challenges, but it’s important to celebrate this anniversary! The organisation is part of the national portfolio of Arts Council England’s British African Heritage community, and we need to continue that work and to support artists, especially in the context of horrific political news, like the Rwanda deportation scheme…

You’re in charge of the 25th anniversary programme, what can we expect? 

This anniversary will be about listening to these artists and acknowledging what impacts them, both negatively and in their joy; it’s really important for us to be clear in our communication about that. We’re a theatre company, and my heart sits in this work and what it means for us, British African artists and the people invested in those lives, the bigger audience, and the people who care about our success. 

So, we’re doing it for instance through our ‘Laugh It Off’ programme’, a space for younger artists mirroring the ‘compound’, a type of conversation we have in West Africa and especially in Nigeria. These are spaces where we come together informally to speak and dance with joy, events we’ve all been missing during the pandemic. This is a big driver for me. 

What else is in the programme? 

We will stage my play ‘Black Love’, which started on a small scale last year. It is about love in the Black community and their family and about the ones who support and nourish this love, but also about self-love, which I think is required before loving any other people. 

We also have a new cohort of artists and creative associates along with well-established creators, some starting and some a bit outside the theatre industry, to play around together with ideas. What we want is to not limit British African heritage artists, and to encourage them to practice playing, which too often remains rare in the community. 

So, we also have the tf PLAYLAB. It's a new annual initiative to fund the work of six British African heritage artists and creative associates for a year. The first cohort includes Artist Associates director Monique Touko, sound designer/composer Esther Kehinde Ajayi and poet/playwright Yomi Sode. The Creative Associates are dramaturge Zodwa Nyoni, climate change expert and BBC's Springwatch presenter Gillian Burke and playwright Oladipo Agboluaje. 

Then there’ll be the 25th anniversary gala, in the autumn as well, with one special night in Watford, with the premiere ‘Talking About a Revolution’ at Watford's Pump House Theatre, on 5 October.

You also insist on encouraging new writing…

Yes. That’s why we’ll have this play, ‘Talk About a Revolution’, a triple-billed authored show, to be performed in October. 

The authors are Diana Atuona, Babirye Bukilwa and Malaika Kegode. Their new commission will be staged in October at Watford's Pump House Theatre and at Bristol Old Vic. It explores what a revolution looks like for them and for our times, much-divided times, and whether it takes the form of protests for instance, or how it’s evolved. 

We’re exploring these ideas this year to develop different themes every year. The important element for me is how we benefit from these artists’ exciting ideas and creativity, and how to foster them further. Our role is to learn as much as we give. 

L-R: Babirye Bukilwa, Diana Atuona, Malaika Kegode

Some social issues are also very important to the theatre, like climate change…

The issue of climate change and climate justice is also an important piece for us, yes, and for Black voices in general. We really want to engage local artists and local communities around this topic, as we realise that global majority people are often left behind on these issues, because of some racist assumptions about how we’re involved or not. So, we’ll have walks in Watford and Bristol, for instance. Some research has been put into place at the Watershed cinema, in Bristol too, to look at how to represent climate change and justice. 

Tell us about some of your extraordinary partners as well.

We’re very honoured to have Olivette Otele with us, the UK's first Black female History Professor, a world-renowned expert on colonial and postcolonial history, listed in 100 Great Black Britons. She is unveiled as a new Patron. It says a lot about our journey too, I believe, including the journey of people outside of the arts. We’re reaching out to British African Heritage experts, for them to be celebrated as well. We feel hugely lucky she said yes. With her, we’ll be looking at the British canon next year. We’ll also be working with Watford’s Museum for a ‘Museum Late’ night for members of the public and readings by Black poets and playwrights. Finally, Robert Awosusi is appointed as tiata fahodzi's Developing Talent Producer in a brand new role. 

What does it mean for you to take on this role?

I’m very new to the job and to the company. So, I want to learn what artists need and want from us. My take is that you don’t have to be excellent, or to be able to solve the world’s problems, to be given a platform to express yourself. You should be able to be as experimental as you want. And we should provide the help and support to artists to firm out their work. This pressure to be perfect is forced, so is the idea of ‘black excellence’, and this role is an occasion for me to put this in practice. 

Tell us a bit more about yourself too.

I started my career as a writer in Bristol. I used to take theatre trips with school then realised I had a real passion for the stage. I wrote my first play with an evening workshop at the Bristol Old Vic. The play was put on at the theatre’s studio, which was amazing. Then I had to leave theatre, for about eight years, because I didn’t feel it was for me, or that I could do some writing only. But I did keep on writing, and thus I was learning my craft, I believe, learning about creating characters, about theatre writing, and cultivating my voice. I kept on while being a single parent too, and of course I couldn’t network in the bar after the shows; I always needed more time, and always had a second job. Then finally, I was able to focus on the writing more recently. And I was always campaigning for theatre, building the skills for a theatre role. 

Then this job came up. I didn’t imagine I’d get it; it was a complete shock when it was offered to me, but it’s delightful. It really opened up my mind, and I’m looking at building a meaningful and trustful connection with people and artists, and to support them. It’s a lot of work, but artistic directors are not often writers, so that in itself says a lot, and it’s important to me to make the artists some of the leaders. I’m glad I’m doing it.