Njambi McGrath started the show by advising a group of four people in the front row to leave as it would be a very sweary show for the two young children in the group. That could have hindered the show from the start, as throwing out people in a room that is not full to start with, can limit the energy, but Njambi is an experienced performer who was able to inject it back in.
Accidental Coconut uses teaching about the history of the British empire, with specific emphasis on its occupation of Kenya, Njambi’s country of origin, to illustrate why it makes no sense to be called a coconut, as in the slur used to mean someone is brown on the outside and white on the inside.
It’s a difficult show to deliver to a majority white audience or British people, whose history lessons paint the British empire as a positive era of national history, but Njambi does well, keeping the audience with her. She delivers a history lesson from a personal perspective, by centring it on the experiences of her parents and grandparents and what the presence of the British in Kenya did to them. She compares and contrasts it to the current times, by centring this on her own experiences and development.
Accidental Coconut is an important show for a historical understanding of the effect colonialism had on the occupied countries. A history lesson that doesn’t feel heavy to get through as it is done with sprinkles of comedy. I for one, think those two young kids in the front row would have benefited from sitting through it.
★★★
Njambi McGrath: Accidental Coconut is at Just the Tonic at 16:05 until 23rd August. For tickets and more information click here!
Funny Women are at the Edinburgh Fringe with five shows, from 19th – 23rd August, a Funny Women Awards 2019 semi-final, a Stand Up to Stand Out workshop and a Meet Up. Come find us!
There’s still time to nominate a women-led show for the 2019 Funny Women Awards’ Best Show Category! The show with the most nominations will be picked! Nominate a show you have seen or your own show by 31st August here!
