Njambi McGrath is warm and welcoming, just like the Kenya of her childhood. Stunning vistas, terrifying wildlife, and frequently defined in relation to the colonialists that invaded and wrote the history painting the invaders not as the savages – these are complicated relationships with gaslit histories that McGrath is educating us on, charmingly but firmly.
It’s at odds that such hidden dark histories, regarding the relationships between African colonials and colonists, are served with a smile. There is a lot that is important, that McGrath has researched and kindly imparts with statistics, dates, and dots with witty and funny metaphors. But it’s a flood of information whose weight sits oddly with a palatable delivery. Any one of the dozen or so heavy-hitting facts or political relationships could carry an entire show, and the abundance leaves a punch-drunk impact that dazes somewhat.
Alongside the larger picture is her own history; telling engaging tales of being othered as a middle child, mocked for her accent at school, and cruelly thwarted in her ambitions to become first a singer and later a model. Most entertaining is her relationship with her mother-in-law, with subtle clashes, casual racism and passive aggression easily recognisable in a British setting, and it is in this personal material that her comedic talents comes through most clearly.
McGrath is OutKast in many places, forced to plough her own pathway, and in so doing now delivering histories that really should already be commonly known and taught – not shamefully ignored.
Gilded Balloon Teviot – Turret, 15:00, 4-27 August 2023 (except 14th)
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/njambi-mcgrath-outkast
