To be Black. to be a Woman. Can Dramatherapy help Black Women to Discover Their True Self despite Racial and Gender Oppression?

Abstract

This article is part of an arts-based, auto-ethnographic report that focuses on the complexities of Black women's identity, in relation to my own journey of self-discovery when navigating societal racism and sexism. The body of work documents my process as I devised a 30-minute solo performance, while the rehearsal process highlights assimilation similarities between Hans Christian Anderson's The Little Mermaid and the experiences faced by Black women. This revelation opened new dramatic possibilities for me to create four characters based on the negative roles ascribed to Black women in Western society. Moreover, role theory has been applied to promote psychological healing, while the dramatic metaphor acts as a container. Embodiment and role are central to dramatherapeutic practice; by exploring ourselves through role, we can understand the roles and masks we adopt, through either choice or obligation. Throughout history, Black women are said to experience harsher societal and cultural pressures, including disproportionately high levels of racism. Prolonged racial chastisement through Western external and culture-based messages can negatively inform identity and sense of self. This can lead to mental health issues caused by internalised racism, defined as integrating as true the negative stereotypes perpetuated by white-dominant society.