Review: The World Premiere of Natasha Mumba's COPPERBELT at the National Arts Centre

Last night, the National Arts Centre proudly hosted the world premiere of Copperbelt, the debut play of Zambian-Canadian playwright, Natasha Mumba, directed by Nina Lee Aquino and co-produced by the NAC and Soulpepper Theatre.

Copperbelt follows Eden (Mumba), a Toronto-based junior operations manager at an international mining firm. She has big ideas for her company, but trying to prove herself to the big bosses has been difficult.

When her dad (Kapembwa Wanjelani) suddenly becomes ill, Eden travels back to her family home in Zambia where she must confront the issues from her former life - those that she moved to Canada to escape.

The people in Eden's life are full of contradictions. Her boyfriend, Peter (Rick Roberts), kept their relationship under wraps for two years, but is then hurt when Eden is reluctant for him to meet her family in Zambia.

Eden's family is probably not as Peter imagines anyway. Her family is wealthy; her father having built his own fortune through mining in Zambia's Copperbelt. He is also a hard man. He has high expectations for Eden, his eldest child, and although it is clear he is proud of her, he makes her and her siblings feel diminished and lacking. 

Eden's mother (Warona Setshwaelo) exudes matriarchal strength but allows herself to be undermined by her husband for the sake of the Kasuba family name.

Eden's brother and sister have found different ways of dealing with their past. Her sister, Lombe (Makambe K. Simamba) is an influencer, showing her followers what a life of luxury in Zambia looks like, while her husband, 

Dalitso (Kondwani Elliott Zulu) has immersed himself in her father's business, in an effort to prove his worth to the family and to Lombe. 

Eden's brother Musolo (Eric Miracle), however, grounds himself in reality, searching for contentment instead of riches.

Despite the distances between them and their many, many differences, the Kasuba family is bound not only by blood, but by love.

Eden is a hybrid of those around her. Brave and determined, she left Zambia and settled in Canada to escape her father's clutches. Although she outwardly exudes confidence, a sliver of self doubt remains buried within. Although Eden wants to forge her own path and become successful on merit, the sad truth is that power and respect don't come easily for a young, Black woman in Toronto.

Copperbelt is a vibrant family portrait that tackles inner power struggles and what it means to leave a legacy. Mumba deliberately chooses to write about a wealthy family to combat tired Western stereotypes that suggest all African people live in poverty, without discounting them entirely. Despite legitimately harsh realities for many Africans, Copperbelt reminds the audience that, just like in Western countries, Zambia has a diverse population, culture, and social class.

The set is wonderfully inventive and detail oriented, with set pieces gliding smoothly across the stage, also serving as symbols for movement through time and the different aspects of Eden's life that run in parallel, sometimes converging in the middle, and that ultimately forces Eden to choose a side. The dinner scene was beautifully executed, perfectly capturing the essence of an animated family gathering. The actors are so convincing in their roles that it truly feels like we are peering through a window into their characters' lives.

The ending scene is visually stunning and leaves the audience with food for thought. Large framed double copper doors open for Eden as she makes her choice for the future. She pauses to glance back towards the audience before passing through. Often in life when one door opens, another must close. Perhaps in that moment, Eden wonders if she has made the right decision. But life is full of risks and if we measure our lives by what we have learned, we must be brave enough to take those risks and turn them into opportunities.