Two fingers up to lecturer who said there was ‘no space’ for black writers

A Bristol University theatre graduate who wrote a stinging social media post about being told there “no space” for black writers on her course has seen her response go viral.

Eno Mfon, who produced the critically-acclaimed solo show Check the Label at the Bristol Old Vic earlier this year, posed with two fingers up in her graduation gown in a post attacking her former lecturer which has been shared thousands of times on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

The post said: “When you’re the only black kid on your course and one of the head lecturers tells you there’s no space for black theatre makers on the curriculum so you spend three years learning about Chekhov and Carol Ann Duffy but then realise that you can write your own stuff for lil black girls and so you do that, and sell out the Bristol Old Vic and the lecturer that told you there’s no space for you, pays to watch you perform.”

Mfon’s Check the Label, which explores black identity and shines a light on the practices of skin lightening and hair relaxation, was praised by critics, including Bristol24/7’s Joe Williams who said her recital was “consummate, and her challenging message extremely well delivered”.

He concluded in his February review: “Energetic, funny and compelling, I expect we will see more from her soon.”

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Read more: Review: Check the Label

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When you’re the only black kid on your course and one of the head lecturers tells you there’s no space for black theatre makers on the curriculum so you spend three years learning about Chekhov and Carol Ann Duffy but then realise that you can write your own stuff for lil black girls and so you do that, and sell out the Bristol Old Vic and the lecturer that told you there’s no space for you, pays to watch you perform ????????????#bristolgraduate

A photo posted by eno is one backwards (@byenomfon) on Jul 20, 2016 at 10:09am PDT

The solo show was performed as part of the Old Vic’s 50 Voices for Malcolm X celebration, which marked 50 years of the civil right’s movement as well as the anniversary of Malcolm X’s death.

“Through Check the Label I am attempting to say what many young black girls, including myself, once struggled to articulate,” Mfon explained at the time.

“When I was growing up, I noticed visible changes in some of the women around me. There were little signs that revealed the use of lightening cream.

“I knew how to spot the signs but I never understood the wider implications of this; it was a taboo subject that no one dared to address.”

Dr Catherine Hindson, the head of theatre at the University of Bristol, said before the show that it was “an incredible achievement” for an undergraduate student to have work staged in a professional programme.

Following the recent social media post, she added: “I’ve spoken to Eno about her post and apologised that she had this negative experience.

“I’ve invited her to meet with me in September to talk through and get her feedback on changes we’ve made to the curriculum. She agreed that her experience studying here was on the whole a very positive one, leading to many opportunities to showcase her talents.

“The University has made a strong commitment to increasing diversity in its new strategy and we’ve broadened out the curriculum significantly across the Faculty of Arts.”

Read more: Review: Check the Label