Irish play on British colonialism hits home in west Africa

On a humid evening in Dakar, an Irish jig echoes through Senegal’s air-conditioned national theatre.

- Caitlin Kelly DAKAR

The breathy, woody sound of the west African Fula flute brings a different cadence to the traditional tune. Actors dance across the stage, their peasant costumes stitched from African fabrics.

The dialogue is in French, the playwright is Irish and the players are Senegalese. Set in 1833, Brian Friel’s Translations - one of Ireland’s most celebrated modern plays - follows British soldiers sent to Donegal to translate Gaelic placenames into English.

The encounters between villagers and soldiers become a way to explore colonial power, language and identity. It is a story that resonated deeply with the cast in Senegal. “I was surprised to learn that Ireland, a European country, had also experienced colonisation,” said David Diémé, who plays the Irish translator, Owen.

Staged by the Dakar-based theatre company Brrr Production in late September, the play’s debut is being followed by a tour of schools and universities across the capital before opening to the public early next year.

Since its 1980 premiere in Derry, Translations has been reimagined across the world, from performances in apartheid South Africa to Māori and Ukrainian productions.