Liberation

Inspired by true events in Black British history, LIBERATION is a powerful new play from Ntombizodwa Nyoni tracing the private lives of activists who fought to liberate Africa.

To liberate anyone, you must first overthrow
what you fear within yourself, Nkrumah.
(Beat) It was never going to happen over one
week in Manchester. (Beat) It is your life’s
work. (Beat) It is a marathon.

It’s 15 October 1945, Manchester. Africa’s freedom and future is in the hands of her descendants at the Fifth Pan-African Congress at Chorlton-on-Medlock Town Hall. Emerging African & Caribbean activists and scholars offer new radical ideas of liberation. However, the organiser, Trinidadian activist George Padmore is unsure who to pass the baton to. Kwame Nkrumah is fuelled by an idealistic desire to become the first Black president of the Gold Coast. Resourceful Jamaican social worker Alma La Badie is grappling with who must be sacrificed for the cause. And what of the revered Amy Ashwood-Garvey how does she ensure the voices of Black women are heard? With generational shifts and gender politics added to a swirling mix of power dynamics, Liberation asks timeless questions about revolution, freedom, and what it means to be an activist.

This edition of Liberation commissioned by the Royal Exchange Theatre was published to coincide with the world premiere produced by Royal Exchange Theatre and Factory International Manchester in June 2025.