We Are Proud To Present Play Summary

We Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as Southwest Africa, From the German Südwestafrika, Between the Years 1884-1915, a mouthful of a title that plainly shows the long history and complexity the performance embodies. As a play about the thought and rigors of sharing someone else’s story, We Are Proud to Present transports the audience from rehearsal in a theater to the planes of southwest Africa. The actors are dressed in everyday clothing, jeans, t shirts, sweatshirts, and sneakers. The stage is filled with props like an enormous ladder, a moveable light fixture, scaffolding to climb, and chairs. Right in front of the stage the area is set up with a table, bench, and a cart with snack and water.

The conflict of the play revolves around how to tell the story of the Herero people and their genocide. One group wants to focus on the presenting the story through the physical artifacts of that time, which happens to be letters only showing the German side of colonialism. The other members of the group argue what really needs to be shown is the stories of the Herero people and while there isn't any physical evidence left, it doesn't mean that their struggle didn't happen and their stories shouldn’t be shared. This dynamic is exemplified by having this clash be between the 3 white group members and the 3 members of color. This struggle of how to tell the story ties in the issues of white supremacy, white fragility, and the idea of alternative histories. With our nation’s current political climate and the recent election of Donald Trump, the themes are extremely relevant and important to convey in this time. Towards the end of the play the examples of racism and mistreatment of the Herero people gradually transforms into slavery in America’s south and the intense racism and brutality black people face. Slipping into this transition and analogy directly calls the audience to realize the historic racism that has defined the United States throughout history. The overall struggle can be seen as an aspect of white supremacy- the only

She explains her emotional ties to the Herero people because while they aren’t her people, they might as well be. Her connection to their story makes it even more important for her to share it, but she has to persuade the others who think that performing as the Herero would simply be improvisation. There is also the overall objective of figuring out how to present the piece. After the actors play out their ideas one after another, each ending in varying arguments, she orders everyone to stay in character and just see where it leads. This results in their longest practice/ brainstorm and leads the group in a direction until Actor 2/Black man decides to get out of character. The tension between these two builds as they both argue for the same story, but he is irritated when she lets the other group members are allowed to act out the same sappy German love letters over and over. Their connected emotional ties to the story bleed through when they are both given the chance to act out a Herero version of a German love letter. In the end of that scene, they share a tender moment for the Herero as well as themselves. Both aggravate each other but also have a common understanding that brings them together. As the show progresses the audience gets to