Abyssinia: Ethiopian playwright Banna Desta releases an audio drama set in the Aksumite Empire.

Playwright Banna Desta brings an often-overlooked ancient African civilization to life in his latest work – a compelling audio drama about a rising tyrant queen and her abominable twin sons.

“As well as wanting the audience to be entertained – because the play is good fun – I wanted to add another dimension to people’s understanding of Africa,” Desta tells the BBC.

“I wanted to write about a time when the continent was not affected by colonialism and there were thriving societies,” she says.

The Abyssinian settlement dates back to the 5th century in the Aksumite Empire, also known as the Kingdom of Aksum.

Aksum was a rich and influential kingdom that at its height extended into what is now northern Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, southern Saudi Arabia and western Yemen. It lasted for about 1000 years from about 100BC to AD960.

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

It is at the heart of the trade network between India and the Mediterranean and its ships controlled the Red Sea trade through the port of Adulus and the inland routes to northeast 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 like Aksum has been completely left out of the picture. Ethiopia is the cradle of civilization – and yet I feel like it’s never included in our understanding of world history,” Desta says. are

He chose this part of the world and this period of history because of his personal connections. She was born in America to a mother from Tigray in northern Ethiopia and a father from Eritrea – the same region that was at the heart of the old Aksumite Empire.

“Continuity really just wanted to learn more about the colonial era – and I thought a wonderful place to start was my own heritage and ancestry.”

The Abyssinians, released by Audible and directed by Sharifa Al, is Desta’s first audio play. It is a tragi-comedy that combines historical fact with the author’s imagination.

Desta says the play is also “really about the ways people maintain their humanity in times of immense change.”

It tells the story of a kingdom at the crossroads of history.

Queen Eudit must decide which of her twin sons – Caleb or Negus – should succeed her, even as she contends with social and economic upheaval and conflicting beliefs about religion and rights. has been There is also romance.

“Queen Yudt is… complex, dignified, cunning, raw, sensual and compelling,” says Daniel DeWyler – the BAFTA-nominated film star who played the role.

The character of Yodit was heavily inspired by the real Queen Yodit – or Judith – who ruled at a different time than the play.

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

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

“I thought he was a good jumping off point for that kind of role,” Desta says.

“I think often the roles of female leaders are so ‘over the top’ – and I love the idea of ​​a woman being a tyrant in this period of history.”

Author 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 spectrum of human emotions – the private feelings of the characters, the things they struggle with as human beings that have nothing to do with their public roles,” she tells the BBC.

Queen Yodit was a character that Desta felt didn’t have much love in his life.

“A lot of his reactions to the world are coming from a place of not being liked as a peer and not necessarily having a place or being a leader,” Desta says. What is the choice?”

Another female character written to break stereotypes is Makada, played by Arcima Thomas of Bridgerton spin-off Queen Charlotte fame.

He is sent to work as a servant in the royal household to pay off his father’s debts. But she is also someone who “can think for herself, think bigger than her place in life and is a global thinker”.

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

Queen Yodit, in particular, is fond of dropping a snide comment right in the middle of a serious moment.

The production features an original Ethio-jazz score by Ethiopian-American composers DA Mikonen and Andrew Orkin and features Ethiopian-born multi-instrumentalist Kibrom Berhane.

“The score parallels and complements the tone of the play, because I feel like a lot of Ethiopian music has that ancient quality, and then jazz has this kind of contemporary spin,” Desta says.

Tony winner Andre DeShields called Living in Abyssinia “an opportunity to return to our ancient culture” and an example of “the power of art to change lives.”

It was very important to Desta that black actors play the roles.

The cast also includes Zainab Jah, who won Best Actress at Africa’s leading film festival Fespaco in 2021 for Farewell Affairs.

Chakodi Ioji, who began his acting career in Britain with the Royal Shakespeare Company, 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’s not the case for a lot of beginning playwrights, so I’m especially grateful.”

Desta’s next goal is to bring The Negroes to the stage with the same cast.