'What you telling me, you look sweet still. How old are you? Ah what, 13? Shout me when you're 18, beautiful.' Some of them don't even want to wait, they just ask for my snap.
The Body Remembers follows Karima, an Arab teenager in Lewisham suffering from the impacts of sexual assault. As she struggles to comprehend what has happened, Karima takes us on her journey, questioning how age, race and class affects her safety, sharing the challenges of her traditional father, whilst unveiling the insidious world that normalises blaming the victim.
Revealing the darkness in the concealed corners of Lewisham, poetry and storytelling combine in this raw performance written and performed by Rofeda Bougaga. The Body Remembers forces us to confront the predatory danger young girls experience growing up. By using fiction, the artist’s lived experience alongside shared stories from women in the borough, this performance refuses to shy away from the big questions: who is responsible, and who can make a change?
Writer and Performer: Rofeda Bougaga
Director: Amber Ruby
Creative Producer: Roisin Feeny
Writing Mentor and Dramaturg: Eva Edo
Tobi King Bakare and this theatre deserve a shout-out for such a young, diverse audience. There is so much talk about audiences being full of over 60s and why, why can’t theatres get the crowds in to reflect society in general? Well, I’m happy to say that on a rainy Thursday evening, the theatre was completely full.
Caiti Grove on Before I Go in CPT's Spring 2023 season London Theatre Reviews
