Liberation

Ntombizodwa NyonI

Royal Exchange and Factory International/Manchester International Festival

Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester

June 27-July 26, 2025; 2 hrs 20 mins

Eamonn Walker as George Padmore and Eric Kofi Abrefa (right) as Kwame Nkrumah in Liberation at the Royal Exchange. All pics: Isha Shah Photography

Commissioned by Manchester International Festival in collaboration with the city's Royal Exchange Theatre, Liberation by Ntombizodwa Nyoni is a powerful piece set in Manchester 80 years ago.

In two hours the play gives us history and its international significance, as well as personal struggles and triumphs. It also rewards the audience with questions about the interplay of personal and political life, love, loyalty, power, betrayal, justice and equality - as relevant now as then.

On October 15, 1945, African political activists seeking liberation from their colonial masters met to hold the Fifth Pan-African Congress at Manchester's Chorlton-on-Medlock Town Hall.

The time was right, as was the place: after World War II, the fight against Fascism's tyranny and oppression had been won, enhancing the justice of the claims of anti-colonialism movements across the world - claims that many in Manchester were willing to support. Decisions made at this meeting were influential in the creation and liberation of many of the African states we know today.

The play's scenes shift from powerful speeches on the stage of the political conference to music, dancing and flirtation in Manchester’s bars and restaurants. As an audience member, at times I wanted to applaud the speeches; at others, to get up and dance.

The conference delegates we see are, or rather were, real people. They knew each another, at least by reputation, and many went on to acquire international reputations leading their newly-freed countries.

Liberation's cast is, appropriately, superb. Leonie Elliott plays Jamaican activist Alma la Badie with a fierce determination and glimpses of an underlying vulnerability. She is fascinating to watch, as is Pamela Nomvete as powerhouse Amy Ashwood-Garvey. This is a compelling performance of a determined and brilliant campaigner, whose negative experiences in life both effectively energised and occasionally undermined her achievements.

Two future leaders featured among the delegates. The first president of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah, is played by Eric Kofi Abrefa, convincing as a young man at an influential, formative stage of his life. Jomo Kenyatta, prime minister and president of Kenya for 15 years, is played with considerable verve by Tondrrai Munyevu.

Eamonn Walker plays the Trinidadian leader and organiser of the conference, George Padmore. His speeches are powerful, delivered with great authority by a serious politician who sees the reality - that the end of World War II has brought about a real possibility that his aims might be achieved, just as he is possibly of an age to step back from the limelight to allow others to lead.

All the cast is strong; it is delightful to see Oldham-raised Nicola Stephenson on the Manchester stage, for example.

Director Monique Touko and the creative team enhance the impressive script as the scenes move from the conference stage to Manchester‘s bars and restaurants. The opening information, introducing the characters, is entertainingly and informatively managed, with echoes of modernity in set, sound and activity. Paul Wills’s relatively simple set design makes the most of the theatre-in-the-round space, enhanced with modern technology.

The music is often thrilling, with contributions from Ife Ogunjobi of the Brit Award-winning Ezra Collective.

Before heading out to see the performance I wondered if I needed some background. I was aware that the conference had taken place in Manchester in 1945, and I recognised a few names among the participants, but little else. I assumed the programme would give me some background, which turned out to be particularly sparse. The show would benefit from the inclusion of more information, even though the introduction to delegates is superbly and excitingly handled.

The show runs beyond the end date of MIF, so I’m planning to revisit; there are so many layers within the play it is certainly worth a second look - and it’s great to see a serious piece of theatre that happens also to be so much fun.

More info and tickets here