translations
That Old Black Magic
BY KOFFI KWAHULÉ (CÔTE D'IVOIRE)
2W, 5M
Shorty, an African-American boxer, is the undefeated World Champion. Except Shorty is tired of boxing and would rather be an actor. But leaving the boxing world is not an option. Prisoner of a pact signed in blood through which the black community has made him a symbol of supremacy, Shorty must continue to fight to the very end.
A modern retelling of the myth of Faust, That Old Black Magic paints a picture of a divided America whose racial tensions get played out on a boxing ring.
Commission
This translation was commissioned by The Lark.
Published in the anthology Seven Plays of Koffi Kwahulé: In and Out of Africa.