Human Nurture by Ryan Calais Cameron - ★★★☆☆
When Harry and Ranaku (née Roger) are separated, everything changes. The reality of their differences is brought to light and Ranaku wants to help Harry understand who he truly is, not who he was forced to be.
It’s Harry’s 18th birthday, and he is in his new flat ready to embark on his journey of adulthood when his best friend and brother appear at the door. The boys spend time reminiscing on how far they have come, walking the audience through a range of experiences from their childhood. There is a strong bond between both characters that at a point transcends the colour of their skin, the situations they find themselves in and the place in which they live.
As the play unfolds however we begin to see the cracks in the bond that the boys have. Harry has a warped understanding of his privilege and though Ranaku wants to help him understand, he first has to fight through the box that Harry longs to place him in and the perception he has of him.
Human Nurture carefully explores the wide spectrum in the UK’s social class system through race, privilege, allyship and brotherhood. It looks at the dynamic of black people (boys) who grow up in predominantly white areas and the journey of self-discovery they go on when they leave those spaces, whilst shedding light on the denied privilege that some white people (men) fail to see.
Through great use of music and movement, Human Nurture is friendly, yet direct in shedding light to the topic of class and privilege, better yet the racism that occurs for every group of black people.
