It’s a concept understood in diverse ways. At its heart it exposes contemporary racialised disadvantages and connects them to historical processes of colonialism.

This headphone verbatim ‘work in progress’ show captures campus conversations about how SOAS is seeking to challenge its founding imperial purpose and deliver its vision to decolonise the education sector.

Students on global campuses have ignited the demand to decolonise the physical space, the curriculum and institutional memory in a fight against intersectional oppression. Behind the sensational headlines, lie deeply personal and political lived experiences that go beyond the call to remove statues, repatriate artefacts and diversify reading lists.

Verbatim theatre brings to the stage compelling stories into one conversation and invites us to listen deeply. Exploring themes that range from representation and reparation to reflexivity in pedagogy, voices from the SOAS community are striving for transformative action. But can the legacies and traumas of the past be addressed within the pillars of institutions?

An insightful and timely examination of the threads that connect us and the urgent need to unravel them and come together.

‘They speak French because they’re French. We speak French because we’re colonised’

‘When you give people history, You give them value. You’re saying, you matter. The world was constructed because you were in it and people like you’

Collaborating artists: Sudha Bhuchar, Suman Bhuchar, Neela Doležalová & Kristine Landon-Smith

Directed by Kristine Landon-Smith

Performance Times:

Thursday 7 February at 6pm (Priority given to SOAS community)

Friday 8 February at 7pm.

Running Time 1 hour, followed by a panel discussion on both evenings.

The event is free but registration essential.