14
Drum: PROFILES
“I grew up in a time when black people were called
inferior and I did all I could to contradict that
stereotype. But much of what I did was reactionary.
It was only when I got older, and discovered the
work of Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X and Public
Enemy, that I realised it was less about reacting and
more about contributing to the community. Uplifting
the race and working from the inside out. I was
practically walked into manhood with Malcolm X
holding my right hand and Public Enemy my left.”
“The overwhelming majority of black people have
given me tremendous encouragement and nothing
but good vibes. Young black men come up to me a
lot and say, “Respect dread! I like what you’re
saying, and the way you say it.”
“I realised it was less about
reacting and more about
contributing...”
“In fact, agents are often phoning me up to ask who
does my publicity. The truth is no one; I don’t chase
or hunt publicity. I only deal with what comes in,
and do it to the best of my ability.”
Perhaps this, and tracing his genealogy back to
Ghana: that explains the name change, from Ian to
Kwame. But why the reinvention? Is there a Kwame
master plan?
“No, I didn’t know I’d be where I am now. My plan
has always been just to fulfil my potential. I work for
the best, but plan for the worst. I never feel like I’ve
arrived.” Although he confesses to being humbled by
his experience working at the National.
Nicholas Hytner, the National’s Artistic Director,
came into post with a clear remit for the theatre to
serve the 'interlocking communities' in Britain.
Kwame found himself in the right place at the right
time. His first play for Hytner, Elmina’s Kitchen was
a runaway success. On the subject of his plays, he
states that he wants to write theatre from his
‘cultural lens’, which serves everyone. “There’s still a
myriad of black experiences that I want to bring to
the stage.”
We all know that the black community often has
expectations of what a black person who’s ‘made it’
should, and shouldn’t, be doing. How does he deal
with that?
This clearly means a lot to him, but he acknowledges
that there is always a share of ‘player haters’ that
come with the territory. “It could look as if I’m the
‘it’ Negro’ but I don’t chase publicity, I don’t even
have a publicity agent.
So what lies ahead in 2005? His play Fix Up finished
its run at the National Theatre in March 2005. For
those who missed it first time round, there will be
another production of Elmina’s Kitchen (which
incidentally has already opened in America) that will
tour the country, with Kwame in the lead role. He
will continue to be a father, to his three children,
write articles, present for the Culture Show and
continue to write plays.
No one can argue that Kwame’s list of achievements
are long and impressive. Are we witnessing a black
artist raising the bar, in terms of talent and
achievement? Only time will tell. Maybe the secret
to his success lies in a story he told me about a
‘brother’ who saw Elmina’s Kitchen and hated it.
Kwame heard about this through a friend, and told
the friend to give the ‘brother’ his email. The
‘brother’ proceeded to vent his anger and frustration
in a long email to Kwame.
On receiving the email, Kwame thanked him for the
feedback. Then told him to use that same fuel and
anger to go out and do something positive. Something that would ‘uplift the race’, in the same way
that he's trying to, and his mother before him. This
ability to make something positive out of the negative
will take Kwame Kwei-Armah a long way.