In a nutshell: Justina Kehinde Ogunseitan
Emerging theatre director Justina Kehinde (2011) discusses her work in the world of theatre, including her first original play, UMUADA
Hello Justina! Please tell us, in a nutshell, what you’ve been up to in the past couple of years.
Since graduating I have worked for the British Council in French Guiana as an English language assistant before joining the UK’s leading African Women’s advocacy and campaigns organisation, FORWARD. As a programme assistant I designed and managed a £2.5 million Comic Relief funded programme that focused on developing young women across the UK and East Africa to become leaders and advocates against sexual and gender based violence.
At the same time, in September 2017, I was selected out of 150 applicants for the Damsel Productions Directorial Development scheme. Under the mentorship of Paulette Randall MBE I successfully directed a scratch of my first original play, UMUADA, which debuted at the Bunker Theatre in November before transferring for a headline run at the King’s Head Theatre in July 2018.
Over the last six months I have completed an actor training course, featured in an independent film and been successfully accepted onto a Musical Theatre diploma course.
So, a lot’s been happening.
Describe UMUADA. What are the main themes of the play and why did you want to tell this story?
UMUADA is an exploration of mental health, migration and motherhood in the urban African diaspora. Meaning ‘first-born daughters’ in Igbo, UMUADA explores the innate and often unacknowledged process of un-becoming that first generation migrant women are forced to experience — and, moreover, survive — if their husbands, children and communities are to thrive.
It revolves around a mother, Anwu, who has recently retired. With her husband building the family home in Nigeria, her daughters decide to prepare a birthday party for her, but on the eve of the event their brother has a mental health breakdown. Mental health within the black community is often shrouded in silence, yet it is a poignant issue because it intersects with our socio-economic, racial and psychological struggles, many of which are exacerbated through the disruption of diaspora, the dislocation of migration and, when it comes to women, the strain of motherhood.
Although my generation has an understanding of mental health, many people from my parents’ generation do not have the necessary language to articulate or express such a concept, let alone the space to explore it or to heal. The play explores those moments of inarticulation and provides the opportunity for dialogue. Belonging and home are two other very important themes, both in terms of the tension experienced when growing up in the diaspora, but also because belonging and acceptance provide physical and mental security and — when destabilised — have a huge impact on one’s health and identity.
Although UMUADA tackles some very pertinent themes, it is also a very witty and funny play. I think that balance rings true to life.
Will UMUADA be showing again?
We had a fantastic response from the public and a number of theatres have shown interest in seeing the completed script. This version was only 45 minutes long, so my plan is to invest in research and development and extend the play into a full-length production. Then, hopefully, it will be on again — ideally for a longer run.
Are you working on any new plays?
I’m always thinking of stories to tell. I have a few in mind, which explore the general themes of identity and space, but you’ll have to wait and see!
Share three personal highlights of working in theatre.
Theatre has the potential to evoke compassion and nuanced reflection. My greatest highlight was probably the audience response to UMUADA — seeing people laugh and cry and, at the end of the show, ring their mothers. It’s not often that fiction can have that much impact. In close second was me directing Sophiatown in Cambridge and filling the ADC with a capella songs in isiZulu and Setswana. My third highlight was directing For Colored Girls [Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow is Enuf]: it was my directorial debut and the first all-black, all-female production on a Cambridge stage. It was a beautiful moment.
What are some of the challenges of your job?
Funding a production is a reoccurring challenge which impacts your ability to work full-time in this industry. Finding your creative team, the people you vibe with who have the skills you need and the drive, is equally hard, but mainly it’s about opportunities. I’ve had to create a lot of my own opportunities, and while that’s developed me immensely it’s also exhausting and isolating.
Who inspires you?
I’m inspired by people like Issa Rae and Ava Duvernay. Issa began by producing the web series Awkward Black Girl which I used to watch in my first year of university and now has a prime time show on HBO, and Ava is one of the leading film directors in Hollywood and has championed other women to the point where she only has female directors on her own prime time show, Queen Sugar. Both of them have taught me (from afar) the importance of vision and hustle but also keeping the ladder down for those coming behind, all the while creating work that explores the complexity of the black human experience in a way that is both entertaining and nuanced.
Quick-fire Q&A
Favourite book/movie?
The Lord of the Rings trilogy — both the books and films.
Describe yourself in three words.
Innovative; curious; thoughtful.
One place in the world you’ve always wanted to visit and why?
Botswana, because I’ve met some lovely people from there and heard it’s a beautiful place.
Morning person or night person?
A weird mix of both! I’m more productive in the mornings but find it hard to sleep before midnight.
What do you want to be remembered for?
As someone who told stories that edified, challenged and inspired.
Find out more about Justina’s work on her website: www.justinakehinde.com
