The End of Diaspora

Zain commissioned and co-directed The End of Diaspora written and performed by Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan.  The sold out show was performed at Free Word Centre on 22nd November 2019 and featured music by award-winning jazz musician, Sarathy Korwar.  

“Experience this brand new performance piece by Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan on a world beyond origins.

Diaspora is Whitechapel, Bradford, Southall, Wilmslow Road and Alum Rock; diaspora is the memes we share, the turns of phrases we use, the languages we speak and don’t speak.

At a time when nation states throughout the West are struggling to make sense of their diasporic populations and defining them as ‘other’, where the rhetoric of ‘go back to where you came from’ echoes across the globe, this explosive new performance piece from poet Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khoon reminds us that diasporas are irrevocably rooted in – and inseparable from – the places that we live in.

Using poetry, visuals and sound art from Sarathy Korwar to explore the languages of diaspora, this funny, unapologetic and life-affirming new work will carry you beyond ideas of ‘origins’ and in-between cultures to celebrate the richness of our present environment and the potential of the here and now.”  

With sincere thanks to Clare Callan, Benedict Lombe, Alex Solo, Free Word front of house staff and Roma Backhouse.  

You can watch an excerpt of the show on YouTube here: