About Honor Ford-Smith
About the article
This is a digitised version of an article from The Cayman Compass's print archive. Occasionally, the digitisation process introduces transcription errors, or other problems.
See the article in its original context from September 1998.
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Born in 1951 in Montreal to a Jamaican family, she grew up and was educated in Jamaica, leaving to study theatre in the U.S. and England. Returning to Jamaica, she worked for several years at the Jamaica School of Drama teaching and acting under the direction of Jamaican poet/playwright Dennis Scott (late professor of writing). Ford-Smith, who created roles such as Katie in Fallen Angel and the Devil Concubine and as Agnes in the world Premier of Agnes of God has been described as "thrilling" (the Daily Gleaner.)
In 1977, with 13 women employed as street cleaners in a government special employment programme, Ford-Smith founded Sistren which was to become the highly successful, internationally known Jamaican feminist theatre company. Her work with Sistren combined a tough realism with Caribbean popular cultural images, orality and social history. Sistren was hailed as boldly innovative, forging a new politically engaged aesthetic. The company burst onto the Caribbean Theatre scene with Bellywoman Bangarang a commentary on mothering and teenage sexuality. Described as "breakthrough in theatre" (The Star). Mervyn Morris, well-known Jamaican critic and scholar, described it as a real achievement, a fascinating piece of theatrical cross fertilisation. Bellywoman Bangarang combines literal authenticity with a highly trained theatrical intelligence.
The play shocked audiences with its frank portrayal of rape and domestic violence and put the issues squarely on the table as social problems in the post-colonial state. It was awarded a gold medal in the island's theatrical competition and took first place in an OAS cultural competition.
Throughout the eighties, Ford-Smith's work with Sistren appeared in festivals in Europe (LIFT, London; Stagedoor, Holland; Assitej, Munchen) and North America (The Public theatre, New York; Women in Theatre, Boston) as well as the Caribbean. By 1986, Sistren had won several awards for its work in Jamaica and abroad and had expanded to become a highly effective organisation of women's advocacy, producing plays, a magazine, and screen printed images of women. A research unit contributed to the work of organising sister groups through educational workshops with women locally and regionally.
Ford-Smith's first book "Lionheart Gal: Life stories of Jamaican Women" (Women's Press, London; Sister vision Press, Toronto) with the women of Sistren was an invaluable record of local history retaining the emotional depth of works of the imagination. Critics called it "an inspiration" (City Limits, London), "Absorbing, refreshing and stimulating" (Sunday Express Trinidad).
Alice Walker wrote "These sistren dare to present themselves just as they are the sounds of their days and their souls interact." The book leapt on UK bestseller lists following Walker's The Colour Purple.
Ford-smith co-founded the Caribbean Association for Feminist Research and Action in 1984. She was awarded the prestigious Musgrave Medal by the Institute of Jamaica for Arts and letters in 1987 for her work in drama. Other artists to receive the medal include choreographer Garth Fagan and writer/performer the Hon. Louise Bennett Coverley). In 1987 she was also honoured for her work with women. Apart from her poetry which has appeared in several anthologies she has written several critical articles on Caribbean culture, women's history and theatre. She left Sistren in 1989 and has held fellowships from the Bunting Institute at Radcliffe College/Harvard University, Amherst College, Rockefeller Study Centre at Bellagio, Italy. Her critical work has appeared in many journals. She also received support from the Toronto Arts and the Canada Council for My Mother's Last Dance.
This year she was writer in residence at theatre Passe Murraille, one of Toronto's theatres.
