Hello and Welcome
Transformation is forged at the margins, not manufactured at the centre.
I like to call my chosen art form, theatre, the playground of dangerous ideas. It has that spatial dimension, the tangible feel of a citizens’ arena and the panorama of human thought. All forms of art, in their specific way, have the ability to act as spaces for contested ideas, where opposing forces collide and the outer limits of the truth can be put into play, possibilities pursued, and consequences revealed.
Over the years I have come to the conclusion that theatre and art in general cannot itself change the world, but in the words of the radical playwright David Edgar “playmakers…may discover ways of contributing…to the work of those who can”. It is those radical agents of change, the audiences and participants in our work, that Dervish values above all else.
Dervish seeks to bring to stages the worldviews of the dispossessed and marginalised. It operates as a collective - bringing together the most innovative and diverse creators to collaborate on an equal basis.
Dervish Productions was launched in 2016 by myself and co-founder and producer Isobel Hawson, with the mission of ‘amplifying voices from the edge’. Its inaugural production was The Crows Plucked Your Sinews, a one woman show with music and visuals starring Yusra Warsama and musician Abdelkader Saadoun. The play examined the connection between the historical British occupation and colonisation of Somalia and the life of a young Somali woman born and raised in London today. The play was a success and toured twice, the second time with a debut acting performance by Aisha Mohammed.
Dervish’s new production Quiet Rebels, due to tour later this year, brings together companies Vital Xposure, Dervish Productions and Soul City Arts, with filmmaker Stephen Rudder, composer Awate and movement director Jeanefer Jean-Charles. Myself and co-playwright/director Julie McNamara have spent the last two years collecting the extraordinary stories of white working-class women who, during the 1940s, 50s and 60s crossed the colour line to marry men of the Windrush generation. The play gives voice to these women, who faced their own struggles against hostility and prejudice. In many ways they laid the foundations of today’s multi-cultural society we too often take for granted. As the celebrated educationalist Heidi Safia Mirza has written:
“White women, like my Mother, who married black men – those so-called ‘dark strangers’ – are the silent heroes of this generation. They were true pioneers, those who crossed over in another way. They too have a story to tell of racism and transcendence, of love and care for their dark-skinned children. My Mother protected her children’s identity and made me understand both sides to my heritage…Their story of mothering work to shape a new generation of ‘dual heritage’ children is one that is largely forgotten in the post-colonial story of diaspora and displacement.”
As well as showcasing Dervish’s theatre productions, I intend for this site to be a platform for writings, discussions and debates in the intersection between culture, politics and history. I will be posting my own writings on these issues as well as that of guest contributors.
Hassan Mahamdallie
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