Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
What happens when a revolution's greatest leaders begin to fear the very people they helped to liberate?
This is the third workshop exploring C.L.R. James' remarkable play The Black Jacobins based on Haiti's successful slave revolt. In it, inspiring actors from Talawa Theatre Company read two pivotal scenes that reveal both the strength of revolutionary women and the corrupting dangers of political power.
In the first reading from Act 2 Scene 1, the formidable Marie-Jeanne is confronted by Jean-Jacques Dessalines after he assumes she has been sleeping with the French commander in preference to him. She humbles him when she reveals she has been risking her life as a spy for the revolution, exposing both his jealousy and his failure to recognise her courage, intelligence and political commitment.
The second reading from Act 2 Scene 4 examines one of the play's greatest tragedies. Toussaint L'Ouverture signs the death warrant of his own adopted nephew, Moïse, despite recognising that Moïse has become the authentic voice of the people. For C.L.R. James, Moïse represents the revolutionary impulse that refuses compromise—a figure who reflects James' own belief that genuine freedom must ultimately be secured by ordinary people rather than political elites.
Together, these scenes explore enduring questions about leadership, loyalty, revolution and the price of holding onto power.
This workshop forms part of a series of filmed events inspired by Rachel Douglas' acclaimed book The Black Jacobins: CLR James and the Drama of History and informed by the work of historian and archaeologist Peggy Brunache, whose research focuses on slavery and the Haitian Revolution.
Produced by 30 WORLDwrite volunteers, this project is a collaboration between Talawa Theatre Company, Glasgow University and WORLDwrite, supported by the Creative and Social Futures Fund. It brings together young filmmakers, actors, historians, academics and members of the Haitian and Caribbean diaspora to explore one of history's most extraordinary revolutions.
This workshop features:
• Michael Buffong – Talawa Director
Actors
• Anyebe Godwin
• Ivan Oyik
• Jude Akuwudike
• Karl Collins
• Phoebe McIntosh
Subscribe to WORLDbytes for more workshops, performances and documentaries exploring history, theatre, politics and ideas.
What happens when a revolution's greatest leaders begin to fear the very people they helped to liberate?
This is the third workshop exploring C.L.R. James' remarkable play The Black Jacobins based on Haiti's successful slave revolt. In it, inspiring actors from Talawa Theatre Company read two pivotal scenes that reveal both the strength of revolutionary women and the corrupting dangers of political power.
In the first reading from Act 2 Scene 1, the formidable Marie-Jeanne is confronted by Jean-Jacques Dessalines after he assumes she has been sleeping with the French commander in preference to him. She humbles him when she reveals she has been risking her life as a spy for the revolution, exposing both his jealousy and his failure to recognise her courage, intelligence and political commitment.
The second reading from Act 2 Scene 4 examines one of the play's greatest tragedies. Toussaint L'Ouverture signs the death warrant of his own adopted nephew, Moïse, despite recognising that Moïse has become the authentic voice of the people. For C.L.R. James, Moïse represents the revolutionary impulse that refuses compromise—a figure who reflects James' own belief that genuine freedom must ultimately be secured by ordinary people rather than political elites.
Together, these scenes explore enduring questions about leadership, loyalty, revolution and the price of holding onto power.
This workshop forms part of a series of filmed events inspired by Rachel Douglas' acclaimed book The Black Jacobins: CLR James and the Drama of History and informed by the work of historian and archaeologist Peggy Brunache, whose research focuses on slavery and the Haitian Revolution.
Produced by 30 WORLDwrite volunteers, this project is a collaboration between Talawa Theatre Company, Glasgow University and WORLDwrite, supported by the Creative and Social Futures Fund. It brings together young filmmakers, actors, historians, academics and members of the Haitian and Caribbean diaspora to explore one of history's most extraordinary revolutions.
This workshop features:
• Michael Buffong – Talawa Director
Actors
• Anyebe Godwin
• Ivan Oyik
• Jude Akuwudike
• Karl Collins
• Phoebe McIntosh
Subscribe to WORLDbytes for more workshops, performances and documentaries exploring history, theatre, politics and ideas.
