What are the themes of your play?
Blaxit Means Blaxit explores the complexity around the idea of home as well as themes of belonging, acceptance, alienation, cultural/family duty and the path to happiness.
Why did you write it and why now?
After a conversation with my Great Uncle, he shared he never intended to stay in the UK long term and always dreamt of going back to Barbados after his experiences here were so far from what was promised. He never made it back to Barbados due to various reasons. This conversation happened right after the Far-Right English Nationalist riots in the summer of 2025. I thought of the irony, of England being advertised as an ideal home, a place where many Black Caribbean people could thrive and succeed yet in 2025 decades after my Great Uncle came here, worked relentlessly to build this country we were both facing hostility and sense of fear in a place that is meant to be home. Yet in the wider context of the world the UK is still presented as one of most ideal nations to live in. My younger sister had mentioned wanting to move out of the UK and she wasn’t alone in this. An article by The Voice shared that there had been an increase in young Black Caribbean Britons wanting to leave the UK for a better life. I then discovered the Exodus Collective that showed people successfully doing this. I started to think about what ‘Blaxiting’ would look like for myself, I am from Caribbean descent and have always felt a connection to the islands I come from, but I had not grown up there, everything I had known was in the UK. There was also a sense of guilt my grandparents worked hard to make sure I had opportunities they never experienced, and ‘Blaxiting’ felt like it would be turning my back on that. But I questioned why do we feel the need to fight for acceptance in place that has not always been welcoming, what happens when we don’t, what does another pathway look like, what challenges would that bring and how would it change the way we experience life, what we prioritise and what belonging, safety and happiness truly looks and feels like?
Given the current socio-political climate, it felt urgent for me to write a play that considered a new way of understanding ourselves as individuals and as part of the Caribbean diaspora living in the UK. I wanted to explore how we reconcile these aspects of our identity, how those who came before us, those of us here today and those in the future impact this. It was important for me to show that yes while our experiences do involve systematic struggle it doesn’t have to define us because we are more than that and deserve to live our lives free from it.
Which playwrights are you influenced by and why?
I really love Una Marson’s poems and plays. Her ability to be vulnerable, highlight the hypocrisies in society and still champion for Caribbean culture, identity and uplift Black women through the themes and experiences she covers but also in terms of form and language she used. Her work is so powerful and so rooted in nuance and authenticity, she doesn’t homogenise Black Caribbean experiences, she shows every aspect of them and advocates for Black women. You cannot put her or her work into a box; she explores so many different styles and ways of presenting her work. Even though there are decades between us and many differences in our experiences when I read her work it feels like she just gets it but also opens my eyes to new perspectives which causes a lot of self-reflection. This has deeply inspired why I write, the ways I do it and what I want people to feel when engaging with it.
I am also inspired by the work of Nicôle Lecky and Debris Stevenson. I love the use of rhythm, poetics and music to tell contemporary stories in both Poet in Da Corner and Superhoe. I grew up reading Trish Cooke’s work and got to see her adaption of Alterations. I admire her dedication to empowering and centring Black women. Michaela Coel is another inspirational writer who does this. All these writers and many more have encouraged me to be bold, experimental and confident in allowing cultural experiences and practices to influence writing.
What do you hope to achieve as a playwright?
As a playwright I hope to tell stories that are rooted in authenticity, nuance and empathy. It is extremely important for me to use my writing as a vehicle to explore socio-political concepts and experiences in experimental, accessible and expansive ways. I want those who can relate to the stories I tell to feel seen, heard, respected and empowered as well also open audiences up to new ways of seeing themselves, others and the world we inhabit. Most importantly I want to disrupt the status quo on what Black stories look like and how they are presented.