A PLAY about Lord Leverhulme’s involvement with palm oil plantations is coming to the Gladstone Theatre in Port Sunlight.
Directed by a local Wirral actor, Christopher Lee-Power, Finding Lever – Sunlight of Congo, follows the story of a school trip to a museum which opens the door to the past meeting the present.
The performance examines how in 1911, after signing an agreement with the Belgium government, Lord Lever established palm oil plantations.
Christopher Lee-Power told the Globe: “There is a lot of news about retrospectively looking at force labour, especially in the Congo and Lord Lever's involvement.
“There is a lot of misleading news as well. Finding Lever takes a subtle look at the way we view history and racism.”
Christopher’s charity, The Power Foundation for Young People, which enables young people in Wirral to access the arts, has been commissioned to write and perform the play which involves a multi-cultural cast.
Christopher added: “We brought in a local black writer called Kai Jolley to write the play, Finding Lever-Sunlight of Congo.
“With the help of our producer Rupert Hull, production manager Pauline Power, we have worked hard on finding a brilliant multicultural cast and will have a fantastic musical score.
“We're not here to lecture but to educate and inform through an evening of entertainment.
“Hopefully it will send the audience away with both a smile on their face but also a different perspective on how one might look at the importance of the past and teach the coming generations how to live their lives without prejudice.”
The play premieres on April 27 at 7.30pm at the Gladstone Theatre in Port Sunlight.
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