Special cinema screenings of Hannah Lavery’s artistic response to the death of Sheku Bayoh in 2015 in Kirkcaldy are to be shown in January.
Kino Cinema in Leven will screen Lament for Sheku Bayoh on January 17 and the Cameo Cinema in Edinburgh will screen it on January 24, followed by a free stream online.
The screenings have been programmed to coincide with the ongoing public inquiry into Sheku Bayoh’s death and will be followed by a Q&A with Hannah and the Bayoh family lawyer, Aamer Anwar.
Why was it created?
Lament for Sheku Bayoh was originally created as a National Theatre of Scotland, Edinburgh International Festival and Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh co-production.
Written and directed by acclaimed spoken word artist and theatre-maker Hannah Lavery, Lament for Sheku Bayoh – as featured and reviewed in The Courier – was originally commissioned and presented as a rehearsed reading by the Lyceum Theatre.
It was supported by the Edinburgh International Festival as part of the 2019 International Festival’s You Are Here strand.
Inspired by the death of 31-year-old Sheku Bayoh in police custody on the streets of his hometown, Kirkcaldy on May 3, 2015, Hannah described it as “an artistic response to this tragedy, an expression of grief for the loss of the human behind the headlines and a non-apologetic reflection on identity and racism in Scotland today”.
In November 2020 Lament for Sheku Bayoh was performed live on the Lyceum stage and streamed to audiences at home, and returned to the Lyceum stage with a live audience during the Edinburgh International Festival 2021.
Lament for Sheku Bayoh is performed by Saskia Ashdown, Patricia Panther, and Courtney Stoddart.
The production features music from Beldina Odenyo, AKA Heir of the Cursed.
Family’s campaign
After Sheku Bayoh lost his life in 2015, his family launched a campaign seeking justice and answers about the manner of his death.
In 2019 it was announced that a judge-led inquiry into the case would be held, with a view to establishing the circumstances behind the case.
In 2020 it was announced that the remit for the inquiry would include examining whether Mr Bayoh’s “actual or perceived race” had played any part in his death.
The Sheku Bayoh Inquiry, chaired by Lord Bracadale, continues to this day.
Search for answers
The family have talked about the ongoing pain they have suffered without answers.
A resource pack, launching the National Theatre of Scotland’s new education portal, aims to support teachers in “facilitating positive, constructive conversations around the themes of the play”.
It explores “the wider social, historical and political aspects of Scottish identity and enriching the pupil experience of the production”.
What does the writer think?
Hannah Lavery said previously; “I hope that Lament for Sheku Bayoh will be the beginning of a journey for audiences; that it will leave them with questions that they want answered and that it will give them an energy to pursue a better Scotland.
“And for some of us it will be an opportunity to be seen and heard and to have an experience and a knowledge of this country shared.
“I think it’s important for us to be able to talk about Scotland in an honest way, and to not turn our head away from the things that might feel uncomfortable or challenge the idea we have of ourselves.
“It’s important for us all to see Sheku Bayou as a human being- hugely loved, full of promise and with dreams for his future- and to take a moment to really mourn his loss.”
REVIEW: Lament for Sheku Bayoh holds up a mirror to Scotland’s relationship with racism
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