Mixed Up: ‘If they’re not going to tell stories about us, then we need to get out there

Mixed Up: ‘If they’re not going to tell stories about us, then we need to get out there and do it ourselves’ (Metro UK):[…] ‘What is the mixed-race experience? Because I haven’t seen it out there. ‘I think we, as a generation are defining that now. I think in the next 20 or 30 years, people will grow up and they will have more models to base themselves on, more people who look like them to aspire to.’ Obioma has been playing his part in that. As an original member of the West End’s Hamilton production, he knows what it is to have young black and mixed kids look up to him, to have the experience of telling a story that has historically been closed to people like him. If you don’t know about Hamilton, you should really get to know. It’s the smash-hit musical which retells the story of the founding fathers of America, with an entirely non-white, mostly black, cast. It has been hailed as a groundbreaking show that has made important progress in improving inclusivity in the historically exclusive world of musical theatre. ‘The interesting thing about Hamilton was that it was about asking, actually, who tells your story?’ Obioma explains. ‘The show says to me that the sins of the past are part of what makes us who we are now. So, I don’t know if I would call Hamilton a “black” show, but more a show that wants to be inclusive. ‘One of my bugbears is the term “diversity” – it sounds like you’re reaching around at the back of your spice drawer for something different to the salt and pepper that you always add. ‘In fact, those “diverse” stories have always been there, it’s just about us deciding to tell those stories. That’s what matters. So I would much rather think of Hamilton as an inclusive show, than a diverse show.’ Obioma was raised in London by his Irish mum and Nigerian dad, who came to the city as a child refugee to escape civil war.Growing up in the multicultural melting pot of the capital, Obioma says he didn’t consider his race for the majority of his childhood. Until it literally smacked him in the face. ‘I was visiting family on the outskirts of Dublin and three or four Irish lads came up to me, told me, “this is a white man’s town” and punched me in the face,’ He tells us. ‘I was young at the time, I was still in primary school. We didn’t get into a proper scuff, and I was fine afterwards. It was more the shock factor of – oh, hi, race exists. […]When it comes to identifying with a particular side of his heritage, it’s a pretty impossible choice for Obioma. Both his Irish and Nigerian heritage have had a huge impact on his personal identity. ‘In some kind of statistical anomoly, my mum was an only child in an Irish family, so I didn’t have aunts and uncles on her side. But I did go over to Ireland at least once a year – so I did feel as though I was engaged with that side of my family,’ explains Obioma. ‘My Irish grandmother was with us until I was about 18 or 19. After we lost my grandfather she moved around the corner from us, and we would see her three or four times a week. ‘My parents raised me to appreciate both sides. On Saturday nights we would have dinner with my Irish grandparents, and we would have Sunday lunch with my Nigerian grandparents. The cuisine was different, and the music was different, but the love and the connection was the same. ‘I did Irish dancing and played the tin whistle, as much as I went to Igbo family gatherings.’ […]Stories like Hamilton exist and resonate because there is an audience hungry for non-traditional storytelling and alternative role models. It’s vital we give more non-white people platforms to tell different stories – Obioma thinks it will help inspire the next generation. […] -- source link

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