Queer Arts Commission: Finding Olokun

Finding Olokun‘ is a dark comedy delving into the enduring impacts of colonisation

“If baptism is rebirth, who gets left behind in death.”

Bussa forms a romantic bond with ‘White Jesus’ to escape the challenges of being Black in today’s society, seeking financial gain, freedom from racism, and the Christian promised vision of paradise. However, as he confronts the realities of organised Christianity and its implications on his Black identity, he confronted with whether embracing ‘White Jesus’ invites the very things he wishes to escape from into his eternity.

Now lost in spiritual exile, he encounters Olokun, a powerful Orisha who reveals the strength of Bussa’s heritage and the truth about his identity in the intricate tapestry of life.

‘Finding Olokun‘ is a dark comedy delving into the enduring impacts of colonisation and how this process colonisation has affected the black diaspora’s sense of self, aspirations, relationships, purpose, faith and eternity.

In collaboration with Raze Collective and part of This Is Croydon’s Queer Arts Development Strand. The Commission has been generously supported by Arts Council England and This Is Croydon.

London Borough of Culture is a Mayor of London initiative, with support from Arts Council England and National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Credits

• Written by Danny Bailey
• Directed by Phillippe Cato A Telluric
• Production Sound Design by Xana
• Photography by Alina Kay Kolosova