Event

A women-led vigilante organisation, The Black Widows is on the prowl. They joined forces after the murder of a young woman rocked their community.

Written by the students and lecturer of the Production II Course in Theatre Arts, Baddesse seeks to support efforts towards the eradication of Gender-based Violence (GBV) and Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) in T&T.

Don’t miss this Department of Creative and Festival Arts (DCFA) play happening on April 5 to 7 and April 12 to 14 at 8pm nightly and 6pm on Sundays at the DCFA, Gordon Street, St. Augustine.

General Admission: $100; Tertiary students with ID: $75; Secondary School students: $50. For more information, please visit DCFA’s Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/UWI.DCFA/ or email dcfa@sta.uwi.edu or call 272-DCFA (3232).

About the Play

Written by the students and lecturer of the Production II Course in Theatre Arts, Baddesse seeks to support efforts towards the eradication of Gender-based Violence (GBV) and Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) in T&T. The core information re GBV was drawn from a 2017 UN Women sponsored research on GBV in T&T. The play tells the story of the rise of a fictitious, women-led, vigilante organization called ‘The Black Widows’ which was initially triggered by the murder of a young woman. Following retaliation by the woman’s sister against the alleged killer, women band together, to stand up for themselves and return violence for violence. The organisation becomes nationally known and gets support from community members and a local TV host. In this highly intriguing presentation, the audience will play a crucial role, as there are interactive elements which offer opportunities for dialogue.

“The play is asking "What if? What if the unchecked issues continue to go unchecked and what if women decide to answer violence with violence? It attempts to break certain rules regarding the audience and how they experience a theatre production. It also attempts to facilitate dialogue, which is needed in approaching these sensitive issues.” “Does the unchecked suffering and death caused by GBV in T&T warrant such extreme action? There is a clear understanding that the traditional safe spaces for girls and women - the school, the church, the home - to name a few, are no longer safe. If the Caribbean society is deemed a patriarchy which endangers women, with T&T being infused with this cultural, hegemonic, DNA, then, as in the case of The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense in the United States during the latter half of the 20th Century, women need to take extreme measures to defend themselves and eradicate VAWG.”