We Need New Stories
Fifth Word presents a new podcast series and touring exhibition
In collaboration with Nottingham Libraries and The Space.
WE NEED NEW STORIES- PODCAST SERIES
This is a series of 9 short new audio stories inspired by oral history interviews of Zimbabwean-born residents living in Nottingham.
Everyone featured in the oral histories were interviewed on camera in October 2022 by young people from the African diaspora. The resulting stories have been dramatised by playwright Zodwa Nyoni and recorded by actors.
You can view the original oral history interviews on each of the episode pages here, and in person at Nottingham Local Studies Library. The series also contains a bonus episode featuring an interview between playwright Zodwa Nyoni and director Anastasia Osei-Kuffour about the making of these audio stories.
All episodes are available for free on major listening platforms. Some stories contain sensitive subject matter including references to violence and racism.
This project has been supported by the National Lottery’s Heritage Fund, Nottingham Playhouse and The Space.
All Episodes
Listen to each episode directly on its page, download to your device or subscribe using your favourite service. Transcripts of each podcast are available on each Episode page.
Available here
Introduction
Episode 1.
Episode 3.
Episode 4.
Episode 7.
Episode 8.
Episode 9.
Episode 10
Touring Exhibition
WE NEED NEW STORIES
Touring Exhibition
April-July 2023
Touring to the following Nottingham Libraries and all theatre venues on the We Need New Names tour.
24 April-8 June: St Anns Library St Ann’s Valley Centre 2 Livingstone Road, Nottingham NG3 3GG
9 – 22 June: The Dale Centre’s Library 206 Sneinton Dl, Nottingham NG2 4HJ
12 – 24 June: Bulwell Riverside Library Main St, Bulwell, Nottingham NG6 8QJ
26 June – 10 July: Strelley Road Library Strelley Road, Nottingham, NG8 3BJ
Admission Free
An interactive pop-up exhibition exploring migrant stories from Zimbabwean-born Nottingham residents, curated by Saziso Phiri and the young people who took part in We Need New Stories.
Featuring audio dramas, a gallery of portrait images and personal ephemera, the exhibition provides a snapshot of lived experiences of migrating to the UK from Zimbabwe from different generational viewpoints.
The exhibition will tour a select number of Nottingham Libraries and will be on tour nationally at theatre venues to accompany the We Need New Names touring production over April-June 2023.
ABOUT WE NEED NEW STORIES
In partnership with Nottingham City Libraries and funded by the National Lottery’s Heritage Fund, “We Need New Stories” is an intergenerational oral history project that runs alongside our new touring production of ‘We Need New Names’ by Mufaro Makubika, based on the book by NoViolet Bulawayo.
“We Need New Stories” saw us work with young people of African heritage in the Nottingham area from Autumn 2022 onwards. After undertaking training in oral history, photography, film-making and audio skills, the young people interviewed first-generation Zimbabwean migrants in Nottingham, using their new skills to gather the interviewees’ personal stories of migration. Professional playwright Zodwa Nyoni then dramatised these interviews into a series of audio plays. The audio plays are now available for free online.
Young people received first-hand experience of working in a creative environment and took portrait photographs of the interviewees under the guidance of a professional photographer. They shadowed professional directors, actors and sound designers during the recording process of the interviews and the audio dramas created from them. As well as being released online, the final audio dramas will be showcased in a pop-up touring exhibition that accompanies the tour of WE NEED NEW NAMES, along with a range of photography, and personal ephemera from the people that were interviewed.
The recorded interviews and accompanying material will be stored in Nottingham City Libraries archive so that future generations can access them; and will be made available online via Fifth Word’s and Nottingham Libraries websites. The project will help to share personal migrant experiences and will celebrate the integral contribution of people from the African diaspora to Nottingham’s social heritage.
MAKING THE SERIES
