About

The Emancipation of Ms Lovely

Written & Performed by Ngozi Paul

Dramaturged & Directed by d’bi.young anitafrika

(Summerworks 2015 Production)

Following three generations of Caribbean-Canadian women, we meet Lovely at different stages of development and pivotal moments/ages in her life as they relate to her understanding of herself, especially with the awakening of sexual identity.

Her relationship with her body, men and sex becomes a trap she cannot seem to escape – The play attempts to mirror these personal stories with historical content and to place them in a cultural and pop-cultural context.

Evoking the spirit of Sarah Baartman (The Venus Hottentot) as homage for the historical image of black women’s sexuality, Lovely’s confusion, anger, cynicism and heartache resonate with Sarah’s experience, creating an echo effect. All of this coupled with the reexamination of Dark Matter and Blackness come together to be the story of Lovely’s emancipation. We imagine that Lovely wakes up to the fact that she has the power to break the cycle and become free, and rejects the image of herself that she’s been buying into, finding self love and emancipation.