The Herero genocide is considered one of the first genocides of the 20th century, yet the event is rarely discussed. The show, “We Are Proud To Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as Southwest Africa, From the German Südwestafrika, Between the Years 1884–1915” (often shortened to “We Are Proud to Present…”) written by Jackie Sibblies Drury, is determined to change that.

Syracuse University’s Department of Drama’s production of “We Are Proud to Present…,” directed by Gilbert McCauley, follows six actors who come together in a rehearsal room to tell the story of the Herero genocide, at the hands of German colonizers. The production, performed at the Syracuse Stage/Drama Theater Complex, opens Saturday.

In the show, history is introduced by its actors in the form of a presentation that’s meant to tell the story of the Herero people, as well as show how different players respond to the events ensuing.

The performance’s structure differs from that of a typical play. Amanda McCormick, who plays Actor 5/Sarah, said the show takes place in three worlds: “the process of creating the presentation, the presentation itself and a mixture of the two labeled ‘processtation.’”

The unusual structure takes the audience on a ride through these three worlds, McCormick said, by going through the history of the genocide while showing how the actors struggle with that responsibility of telling that story.

German colonization of Africa began in the late 17th century and continued through the 1900s. In 1883, Germany purchased a stretch of land in South West Africa that is now known as Namibia. The Herero people who inhabited this land were soon subject to slave labor, forced to give up their land to the colonists. In 1904, the Herero people rose in revolt against the Germans, the result of which was a genocide that led to the murder of 65,000 Hereros.

While the show presents information about the historical event, it also discusses the social implications behind it.

Brittany Adebumola, a senior in Syracuse University’s department of drama, stars as Actor 6/Black Woman in “We Are Proud to Present.” Haley Robertson | Feature Editor

The content of the presentation is something not taught in American schools — which is often the case with the majority of histories of people of color, said Alison Whitwell, the show’s dramaturg.

“In terms of education, the show only begins there,” she said. “Where it ends up is more investigation into privilege, empathy, and what ‘whiteness’ and ‘blackness’ means in America.”

Cast member Alex Giganti said that, with such heavy topics being discussed, putting the production together could be problematic, at times.

“Even though the process has been great, the material has been fairly difficult, which we all knew coming into it,” Giganti said. “The playwright demands that all of the actors go to very difficult emotional places, which challenges all of us.”

The purpose of the show, Giganti said, is much more than a history lesson. “We Are Proud To Present…,” Giganti added, offers an opportunity to begin a conversation about why certain stories are not told, as well as who has the right to tell them.

“(The show) asks questions of cultural and racial identity, and how Americans navigate telling stories about topics that we haven’t fully come to terms with ourselves,” Giganti said. “The play asks us to consider how we can tell stories that we don’t fully understand.”

Published on February 20, 2019 at 9:09 pm