Ethiopian playwright Bana Desta releases an audio drama set in the Axum Empire

Playwright Bana Desta has brought an often-neglected ancient African civilization to life in his latest work, a gripping audio drama about an increasingly tyrannical queen and her treacherous twin sons.

“As well as wanting the audience to have fun – because the play is fun – I wanted to add another dimension to people's understanding of Africa,” Desta told the BBC.

“I wanted to write about a time when the continent was untouched by colonialism and there were thriving societies,” she says.

The Abyssinians developed in the 5th century in the Axumian Empire, also known as the Kingdom of Axum.

Axum was a wealthy and powerful monarchy that at its height encompassed present-day northern Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, southern Saudi Arabia, and western Yemen. It lasted almost 1,000 years, from approximately 100 BC. n. is. to 960 sl. n. is.

It was where Christianity first came to Africa and the continent's first coins were minted.

It lay at the heart of a trade network between India and the Mediterranean, and its ships controlled the Red Sea trade via the port of Adulis and the inland routes of North-East Africa.

In the third century it was considered one of the four great powers of the world, along with Persia, Rome and China.

“I feel that Axum is completely left out of this picture. Ethiopia is a cradle of civilization – and yet I feel it has never been included in our understanding of world history,” says Desta.

She chose this part of the world and this period of history because of her personal connections. She was born in the US to a mother from Tigray in northern Ethiopia and a father from Eritrea – the same areas that were at the heart of the old Axum Empire.

“The impetus was really just wanting to learn more about a pre-colonial era – and I thought a great place to start would be my own heritage and ancestral lineage.”

The Abyssinians, published by Audible and directed by Shariffa Al, is Desta's first audio feature. It is a tragicomedy that mixes historical facts with the author's imagination.

The play is “really also about the ways in which people hold on to their humanity in times of tremendous change,” Desta says.

It tells the story of a monarchy at a crossroads in history.

Queen Jodith must decide which of her twin sons – Caleb or Negus – should succeed her on the throne, just as she struggles with social and economic upheaval and clashing beliefs about religion and rights. There is also romance.

“Queen Yodith is…complex, regal, cunning, raw, sensual and captivating,” says Daniel Deadweiler, the Bafta-nominated film star who played the role.

The character of Jodith is somewhat inspired by the real Queen Jodith – or Judith – who reigned at a different time to the period in which the play is set.

She is a figure shrouded in mystery due to the lack of historical records and conflicting folklore about who she was.

Some see her as dictatorial and instrumental in the fall of Axum, says Desta, who traveled to Ethiopia as part of her research for the play.

“I thought she was a good starting point for this type of character,” Desta says.

“I think a lot of times female lead characters have to be so 'on point' – and I love the idea of ​​a woman being a tyrant in this period of history.”

Writer James Baldwin once said that artists are “emotional or spiritual historians”—and those words resonated deeply with Desta as he wrote the play.

“I wanted to explore the full range of human emotions – the personal feelings of the characters, the things they struggle with as human beings that have nothing to do with their societal roles,” she tells the BBC.

Queen Jodith was a character that Desta thought didn't have much love in her life.

“A lot of her reactions to the world come from not being valued as a partner and not necessarily feeling like she has a place or that she's chosen to be a leader,” Desta says.

Another female character written to break stereotypes is Makeda, played by Arsema Thomas of Bridgerton fame, Queen Charlotte.

She is sent to work as a maid in the royal family to pay off her father's debts. But she is also someone “who can think for herself, can think beyond her station in life and is a global thinker.”

Although set in an ancient world, the dialogue and dry humor in The Abyssinians make it feel modern and relevant.

Queen Jodith especially likes to drop a sarcastic comment right in the middle of a serious moment.

The production features original Ethiopian jazz music by DA Mekonnen, an Ethiopian-American musician, and Andrew Orkin – and features Ethiopian-born multi-instrumentalist Kibrom Birhane.

“The score parallels and complements the tone of the piece,” says Desta, “because I feel like a lot of Ethiopian music has this ancient quality, and jazz is this kind of modern music.”

Tony winner Andre de Shields described his involvement in The Abyssinians as “an opportunity to return to ancient culture” and an illustration of “the power of art to transform life”.

It was extremely important to Desta that actors from the black diaspora play the characters.

The cast also includes Zainab Jha, who in 2021 won Best Actress for Goodbye Love at Fespaco, Africa's premier film festival.

Chukwudi Iwuji, who began his acting career with the Royal Shakespeare Company in the UK, and Philip James Brannon, best known for his Broadway roles and the film Contagion, also star.

“The talent was amazing,” Desta says, “I know that doesn't really happen for a lot of early playwrights, so I'm especially grateful.”

Desta's next goal is to get The Abyssinians on stage with the same cast, she hopes.