The United Federation of Cocoa Butter



Consider.  You can drive up a drive you can walk up a walk but you can’t street up a street.  Discuss. Driving in London can drive me nuts. But then driving me nuts (my nuts?)  is enough to drive me nuts.  It’s not an image to hang on.   I pleaded with the Southbank  centre’s car park attendant to pay him more money but he wasn’t having any of it.  He said my mortgage was enough payment for parking.  Nice man.  

I meet with The Director  of two of my plays who is now The Artistic Director of The National Theatre of Wales,   John McGrath and my project manager  the exec producer of Artsadmin Gill Lloyd who’s a originally from Wales.  I start to feel intimidated and insist on both of them  addressing me as  Doctor Sissay now that I am a doctor..   They refuse.   After a two hour meeting  we part. I stay behind in the office  to arrange the wall with projects in  2010.  After a good four hours alone working  there  on organisation I leave. Above the door of the office are my words:

UFCB:  UNITED FEDERATION OF
COCOA BUTTER. Join Now.

I  just googled it and no one’s done  it. It’s a great name for a club night.  I give the parking attendant my mortgage  and  race over to the  Lillian Bayliss Studio  at Saddlers Wells Theatre   to see the  Riz Ahmed’s work in progress,  Microscope .   Riz Ahmed  (Riz MC) is an artist who stands alone amongst his peers,   an
original and in that sense not unlike Nitin Sawhney himself.  He has similar integrity. Riz  explores  truth, says the unsaid in ways that startle and excite:  in ways unimagined with the eye of a true artist.   I went  alone but  knew so many people in the audience it was like being at home.  Theatre is home.     The
Theatre/Dance/Music piece  is a work in progress and  thoroughly enjoyable.  I feel honoured to see it at its early stages. Geddit. Early STAGES. Theatre. Stage. . Stagey Stagey Stage. Ahem.  I’ll get me quote. I’ll get me coat.


1 thought on “The United Federation of Cocoa Butter

  1. Sounds exciting, complex and challenging as is the human race – And you put it so well into your own words. You go Cocoa Butter! Like a good lathering for the brain….food for thought, that is.

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