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King Musu celebrates African heritage and culture

King Musu takes to New Westminster’s Anvil Theatre stage during Black History Month.
Theresa McManus
Theresa McManus
king-musu-javier-r-sotres
King Musu comes to Anvil Centre in New Westminster Feb. 6 to 8.Contributed/Javier R Sotres

A newly formed theatre company is bringing a celebration of African heritage and culture to the local stage.

King Musu employs the “African Total Theatre” form – a blend of African storytelling, music, dance, and drama – and promises audiences a memorable, interactive experience. Featuring a predominantly African cast, King Musu aims to delivers an enriching experience for Metro Vancouver audiences during Black History Month 2025.

“We originally ran King Musu as part of my PhD studies on African receptions of Greek Theatre at the University of British Columbia,” explained Stephen Yaw Oppong, artistic director of the Akofena Afro-Theatre Society. “This was the first time King Musu had run outside of Ghana. With our offering at UBC, we received such an encouraging response; we then decided to take King Musu, along with the cast and crew, to the Anvil Theatre.”

King Musu, an African theatre adaptation of Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, is presented by the newly formed Akofena Afro-Theatre Society and Time Will Tell Arts Society,

“King Musu, written by Ernest Kwasi Amponsah and directed by Stephen Yaw Oppong, tells the story of Etnasa, an African kingdom enjoying peace and prosperity until calamity strikes,” said a synopsis of the play. “In King Musu’s insatiable quest to uncover the root cause of this calamity, hidden truths about the inescapable will of the gods come to light.”

King Musu runs Thursday, Feb. 6 to Saturday, Feb. 8, at the Anvil Theatre, 777 Columbia St., New Westminster. Performances begin at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets for this production, which celebrates African heritage and culture, are available online. Tickets are $29 for adults, $19 for students and seniors, and $15 for children under 12 years.

Note: Audience discretion is advised as King Musu contains mature themes, including verbal and physical abuse.

In 2024, Oppong launched the Akofena Afro-Theatre Society, which is dedicated to bringing African and Black theatre and performance traditions to educate, entertain, and inform British Columbian audiences. Time Will Tell Arts Society is a registered not-for-profit performing arts society that promotes multicultural artistic expression from traditional, neo-traditional and original sources.