This is the first year that 4 Brown Girls Who Write have showcased at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and they better keep coming back.
Leaves you with the feeling of eating warm gajar ka halwa.
There's a visceral quality to the performance, an emotion that arises not necessarily through the words written but the occasion itself. It is a safe space. It is a gathering of like-minded people who are craving words through the medium of poetry - not comedy, not theatre.
Not to mention these four women are South Asian, imparting stories unheard in the mainstream, with titles such as "Hometown Hypocrisy" (about Southall, West London) and "I am a Temple". Each of the four women have such distinctive identities, they remind me of the Spice Girls and will, undoubtedly, develop the same cult-like following. Their admiration for eachother is infectious - clutching eachother by the waist as they, in turn, take to the floor. Here are four women sharing stories of culture, tradition, generational trauma from the South Asian looking glass and we as an audience couldn't get enough of it. Particuarly as someone with Asian heritage, it is a narrative I have been yearning to hear, and pleased it's come sooner rather than later.
Alongside their poetry they welcome special guests, including talended spoken word artist Tanaka Fuego, comedian Kemah Bob and Sanah Ahsan, who is not only performing poetry but also presenting Channel 4 documentries. Each of the seven performers add a valuable point of difference to the show, which leaves you with the feeling of eating warm gajar ka halwa.
There is no doubt 4 Brown Girls Who Write will grow from this experience and next year take the element of performance to new heights. There is so much scope to experiment, visually and sonically, that their act will only accelerate to new heights year-on-year.
