Gendering Taboos: 10 Short Plays by African Women

Ten short plays by African women tackling taboo topics on identity, gender, sexualities, family relations and power.

Ten new short plays by African women tackling taboo topics on identity, gender, sexualities, family relations and power.

Following the international success of Contemporary Plays by African Women, this new collection is the next step in the African Women Playwright Network (AWPN) both showcasing and encouraging the development of new work.

Consisting of the ten winners of the AWPN's international writing competition, this collection is centered around the theme of 'Tackling Taboo Topics in African Female Writing', originally performed as staged readings at the AWPN Festival hosted by the University of Ghana in 2022. Selected from 75 submissions from nine African countries, these plays speak to contemporary and pressing issues, illuminating lived experiences of African women that are common but seldom discussed.

An important resource for schools and universities looking to diversify and decolonise curricula and engage with short works for practical classes, performances and auditions from a range of various cultures, Gendering Taboos is also an invaluable tool for programmers looking for new work and scholars working specifically in areas of gender and dramatic criticism.