No es país para negras by Silvia Albert Sopale

Afro-Spanish actress and playwright Silvia Albert Sopale presents her play “No es País para Negras,” an exploration of race and identity, at the Logan Center for the Arts in Chicago.

Directed by Carolina Torres Topaga, the production explores the intersection of race, gender, and identity, focusing on the marginalization of Afro-descendant women in Spain. The play addresses systemic racism and social exclusion, providing a critical commentary on the struggles faced by Black women in contemporary Spanish society.

The performance examines the complexities of Afro-Spanish identity and challenges dominant cultural narratives, offering a space for reflection on personal and collective experiences of Black women. Albert Sopale’s writing and acting bring these issues to the forefront, encouraging the audience to engage with the realities of racial and gender-based discrimination.

Following the performance, a post-play colloquium will be held with Jennifer Aniede, a scholar and commentator on race, culture, and social justice. Aniede will lead a discussion with the cast and director, delving into the play’s themes, the role of theatre in social change, and the significance of Afro-Spanish identity in the broader cultural context. This conversation provides an opportunity for deeper engagement with the topics presented in the performance.

No es país para negras

No es País para Negras is a solo performance written and performed by Silvia Albert Sopale that explores the personal and collective experience of growing up Black in Spain. Written in the first person, the play draws on the actress’s own life story to examine issues such as racism, the sexualization of Black women, and the complex construction of identity.

With a staging that incorporates stones, shadows, projections, fabric, and a suitcase, the performance unfolds through a series of evocative images and narrative fragments. Each object takes on symbolic significance —stones forming shapes that suggest homes, doors, or barriers— while projections and shifting scenes transport the audience across geographies and temporalities. The story moves between childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, reflecting the inner journey of a woman who seeks to define herself in a society that often denies her place within it.

The play raises critical questions about belonging and national identity, such as “What does it mean to be Afro-Spanish?” Through a balance of humor, insight, and emotional depth, No es País para Negras confronts the silence around race and gives voice to a reality often ignored.

Silvia Albert Sopale

Silvia Albert Sopale is the Spring 2025 KJC Chair and a Spanish Afrodescendant actress, writer, and cultural organizer. Born in San Sebastián, Spain, she currently lives in Barcelona and performs in both Spanish and Catalan. She is a member of the Academy of Performing Arts of Spain and the founder and director of Periferia Cimarronas, the first Black theater in Spain. Additionally, she founded Hibiscus, the Association of Afro-Spanish and Afrodescendants, and directs the Black Barcelona Festival. She also established Tinta Negra, a collective that advocates for racial diversity in the performing arts, and is a member of t.i.c.t.a.c. (Workshop for Critical Transfeminist Antiracist Combative Interventions). Her notable works include: No es país para negras (2014), BLACKFACE y otras vergüenzas (2019), Parad de pararme (2021), Cuentos desde la Periferia (2023), Mahmud y no solo Mahmud (2023), and Lotö, Un ritual de emancipación corporal (2024).