Nigerian-American playwright Mfoniso Udofia tackles personal questions in "The Grove"
Mfoniso Udofia is a local playwright who grew up in Southbridge, Massachusetts, but her family immigrated to America from Nigeria. As a queer Nigerian, she was assimilating herself to both America and her own culture. Her background lays the groundwork for her most recent play called "The Grove."
It's play two of a nine-play cycle that follows generations of Ufot family over the course of 100 years. It spans from 1978 to 2078. In "The Grove", the main protagonist is also queer and Nigerian. Their family came to America and moved to Worcester.
"This play is tackling questions that I had in my life, which is why it is going to feel so personal, but nothing that is happening on this stage actually happened in real life. The questions though are burning for me," said Udofia.
Udofia went to Wellesley College to become a lawyer, but instead fell in love with acting and playwrighting after a classmate asked her one simple question. Does this give you joy in life?
"The answer was, 'No,' so I started exploring," said Udofia.
Ufot Family Cycle
While the Ufot Family Cycle of plays consists of nine stories, each is meant to stand on its own, meaning you don't need to see them from the start.
"If you see them all together you will get an even bigger story on the cost of building inside of this country," explains Udofia. "Each play is going to tackle a specific question inside that African dreaming that Nigerian dreaming for me."
Her hope is that the audience comes away with a great perspective about our neighbors.
"I hope that they leave with an understanding that there are so many different kinds of people that are out there, and maybe living in the houses next to them," said Udofia. "I do think the plays are asking us how we love, and are we doing the best we can in those love scenarios, or can we do better?"
Adjusting to new culture
She says growing up as a Nigerian in America can be difficult because Nigerian culture focuses on the "we," while American culture focuses on the "I." She says it can be hard to figure out what makes you unique or special, when you have always focused on the collective of the people around you.
"What does it mean to self-individuate when you're from a collectivist culture?" said Udofia.
"The Grove" is the second of the nine plays to hit the stage, and it comes during Black History Month. It's a time she says she celebrates every day.
"I live in this body every single day, and I celebrate inside this body every single day, and for me it is a joy to be Black, Nigerian and the woman that I am. Every single day and that is a joy, that is a rebellion and that is a celebration," said Udofia. "Know that March is my Black History Month, and May, and June, so is July, because it is a beautiful thing to hold this identity."
