Contemporary British Drama
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British actor, singer, and playwright Kwame Kwei-ArmahÆs ElminaÆs Kitchen is a play that illustrates the generational struggle of West Indians to survive in a dominantly white culture in LondonÆs crime-ridden borough of Hackney. In the play, three generations of West Indian males illustrate the difficulty in keeping away from crime and trying to survive in a predominantly white and prejudiced society. Clifton is the father of Deli and the grandfather of Ashley, DeliÆs son. DeliÆs brother, Dougie, is in jail but dies before his release date. When Clifton arrives from the West Indies at the funeral in Hackney, where Deli runs a West Indian restaurant named ôElminaÆs Kitchen,ö we see how each generation has failed in its responsibility to the next in the fight for survival. As Thomas Jefferson Byrd, who plays Digger, the tough gangster who seeks new recruits from the younger generation, says of ElminaÆs Kitchen, ôItÆs raw and thatÆs the way life is sometimes. We worry about losing our children. ThatÆs our commonalityàThis play makes us look at what we can do to save themö (Olesker 2). This analysis will provide critical reviews of ElminaÆs Kitchen along with my own critique of Kwei-ArmahÆs play. There are many issues which impact the lives of West Indian Britons Deli, and ex-boxer who represses his hostility and frustration, and his son Ashley, whose materialism attracts him to the gangster lifestyle. The two live in Hackn
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crime and refers to Deli as a ôSissy niggerö (Kwei-Armah 51). Such lures are an easy out for young West Indians living in a society where options are limited and role models like Digger are common enough. In her review of the play, Jayne Blanchard argues that, ôElminaÆs Kitchen is a frank cautionary tale about the sins of the fathers haunting the sonsö (1).
We see that many of the characters in this play are actually in hiding. They are in hiding from pain, failed dreams, broken relationships, and broken promises. The fatherÆs sins do revisit the lives of their sons, but those sons continue to engage in sins that will impact the lives of their own children. Because of this, Deli keeps his opinions and feelings to himself for the most part. Because of this, Clifton is a pontificating man who refuses to accept his role in the outcomes of his childrenÆs lives. Ashley is a young man enamored with the materialism of the dominant culture, he yearns for a BMW, but he desires a way to overcome the barriers he faces in such an environment and due to racism. For men like Digger, he is the perfect prey. However, we see that even Digger is puffed-up to be more than he is, perhaps his own defense mechanism because of knowing inside
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1529
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)
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