HER ROYALNESS Comes to MAAFA

The year is 1645 and the Portuguese and Dutch colonizers have come to have a turf war in the kingdom of Ndongo, a country that is not theirs to begin with. Queen Nzinga-a natural born fighter, educated under the Portuguese and toughened by the injustices in her past, will not be blackmailed, threatened or tricked into submitting her people into slavery. Instead, she rallies the Nzinga warriors and is able to stave off the cunning Portuguese through not only physical strength, but intellectual competency as well.

Now in its 25th year, MAAFA was first performed in New York City back in 1994 at St. Paul's Community Baptist Church. The play was a way for Rev. Dr. Johnny Ray Youngblood to help his congregation properly mourn the tragedy that was slavery. Using the motto "The only way out is back through it," Reverend Youngblood took it upon himself to dig deep and analyze African American history in a way that the education system and mainstream media doesn't. Instead of glossing over the painful and catastrophic aspects of slavery, MAAFA allows audiences to face their heartbreak head on with the goal of having them go through a cathartic experience and hopefully begin the tough but rewarding journey of healing. MAAFA opened in Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church in 1995.

"Her Royalness" was written by award winning writer Kenya Cagle with Vicky Lamb. The play was directed by Michele Hawkins and will feature choreography from Naeemah Brown and Jamel Gaines. The musical director is Martin Christy. This year's production will take place at Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church located at 212 Tompkins Ave inBrooklyn, from Feb. 27 to Feb. 29. Tickets are available for $20 and can be purchased at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/maafa-her-royalness-tickets-79491574439?aff=ebdssbdestsearch.

Or you can contact Celeste Jones at 718 388-3900.

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