Bush theatre, London
The conflicts of not fully knowing your family’s language are to the fore in writer and actor Tania Nwachukwu’s play
Plants are central to Tania Nwachukwu’s play about cultural displacement. Tasha (played by Nwachukwu) is a British Nigerian woman, overworked and overwhelmed by her life in north-west London, who is struggling to keep her greenery alive. For generations, Igbo women have had a history of growing plants: the gap between Tasha and her relatives feels expansive. But this production – an artistic expression of her isolation – doesn’t sting with enough force.
“I feel like my tongue fails me,” she says, talking about the distress of not being able to speak Igbo and communicate fluidly with her dying grandmother. I understand the frustration and guilt of not sharing a language with close relatives, too. However, the script is swollen out with filler material. There’s excessive talk of emails and a throwaway mention of Tasha’s big brother, but not enough interrogation of the sense of loss that not learning your family’s language can bring.
The Kola Nut Does Not Speak English is at the Bush theatre, London, until 17 December.
