Literature students stage plays tonight

Belizeans with a taste for contemporary English literature are tonight invited to see two plays being staged at the Mexican Institute of Co-operation and Culture. The first, by Caryl Churchill, examines sexual liberation and colonialism. Amado Chan, lecturer at U.B.’s Arts and Science Department, says tonight’s performance is part of his course in Post-Colonial literature.

Amada Chan, Lecturer, U.B.

“The first part is set in colonial Africa and then Caryl Churchill moves her second part into a different century, a new century, kind of like the recent century. It’s based on a different lifestyle, a sense of liberation, no repression, whereas in colonial Africa, you have women serving subservient roles. In the new century sexually liberated women, performing any kind of sexual activity that they would like to be involved in. so it’s like a kind of like a sexual liberation, not just a colonial liberation.”

“The second one is “The Island”. That’s an Africa play set in jail, kind of in a time when the repressive regime is against freedom of movement. So we have these characters in jail going through kind of a discussion, a philosophical, political discussion and some contemporary issues arise.”

Ann-Marie Williams

“I think this is a first for the university to have the students bring their work out in the public. Why such a move?”

Amado Chan

“Well last year we tried Derek Walcott’s “Dream on Monkey Mountain” and it was a very intimate sort of staging, but this year we are challenging our students to make the connection with the community, so that goes along with the mission of the university.”

The public is asked to be seated by 7:15 as the curtain goes up tonight at 7:30.