MIF25: Liberation at the Royal Exchange Theatre
Kristy Stott, Theatre Editor
Happening as part of this summer’s Manchester International Festival, the Royal Exchange Theatre will stage Liberation – a powerful new play rooted in the city’s radical past. This eagerly anticipated world premiere transports audiences back to 1945 Manchester, when African and Caribbean delegates gathered at Chorlton-on-Medlock Town Hall for the historic Fifth Pan-African Congress – a moment that helped ignite the fight for African independence and reshape the postwar world.
Written by acclaimed playwright Ntombizodwa Nyoni and directed by Monique Touko, winner of the 2022 Stage Debut Award for Best Director, Liberation is a compelling political drama that places personal conflict at the heart of revolution.
Set against a backdrop of seismic political change, the story follows a new wave of African and Caribbean thinkers as they push bold visions for the future. However, Trinidadian activist George Padmore is unsure who should lead the next phase of the fight. Kwame Nkrumah dreams of becoming the first Black president of the Gold Coast; Jamaican social worker Alma La Badie wrestles with the personal cost of revolution; and trailblazer Amy Ashwood Garvey fights to ensure Black women’s voices are heard.
Presented by Factory International and the Royal Exchange Theatre, Liberation takes audiences behind the scenes of the activists who fought to free Africa from colonial rule – revealing their struggles, triumphs and lasting impact. With an original score by Ife Ogunjobi of the Brit Award-winning Ezra Collective, the production promises powerful performances, radical thinking and a sharp focus on a moment when the future of the world was up for grabs. Urgent, moving and still deeply relevant 80 years later – this is a story that demands to be told.
Alongside the production, a free exhibition in the Royal Exchange’s Great Hall – curated with the Race, Roots & Resistance Collective – explores the legacy of the 1945 Congress through archival material and community voices.
Bold, thought-provoking and full of heart, Liberation is set to be one of MIF25’s standout shows.
