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 Hackney, a high-crime borough of London notorious as ôMurder Rowö from its gang-related high homicide rate. Deli runs a run-down restaurant called ôElminaÆs Kitchen.ö Other significant characters in the play are Dougie, DeliÆs brother who is due to be released from prison; Anastasia, a women who takes a job as waitress due to her attraction to Deli; and Digger, a ruthless small-time gangster who recruits new members among the younger generation.
Dougie is due to be released from pr...