“DESCENT”

Full-Length Play​

100 Minutes, 6W, 2M

After nearly ten years of not being in contact with her family, Yemaya returns to her Nigerian roots with her White boyfriend, Jordan, in tow, determined to seek the blessing of her formidable grandmother, Yemonja, before they can take the next step in their relationship. But the meeting forces the family to confront painful truths about their past that include the weight of ancestral choices that still reverberate through generations. As Yemaya and Jordan navigate the complexities of family and tradition, they must grapple with the legacy of a history that neither of them can escape. Once the wrongdoings of the past have been unearthed, it is only a matter of time before the wrongdoings of the present are brought to light, and questions of historical and familial responsibility are put to the test. In this exploration, the reality that cycles are perpetuated and trauma passed down through the generations becomes inescapable.