Adura Onashile’s Hela intertwines genetic identity, social responsibility and current ethical debates about human tissue research and ownership. The artiste spoke to Karan Bhardwaj
The stage inside the British Council’s theatre premise appeared like a small medical room. Blackboard, stature, wooden cabinet, case and five stools were all we found as the technical team struggled to fit the three projectors in place. It was not some medical class being set up. The British Council was gearing up for the much-awaited debut of international play in Delhi titled Hela. For medically-inclined people, Hela is a cell that laid a foundation for 21st biological sciences, polio vaccination and is also a workhorse for the ongoing cancer research. But the play tells you the human story of this milepost. In 1951, doctors at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, USA, took out cells from the body of Henrietta lacks without her permission. The cancer patient died eventually but she and her family never knew about their contribution to the medical sciences. Inspired by the book titled The Immortal life of Henrietta lacks by Rebecca Skloot, the play talks about ethics, equality and ownership of our own DNA.
The play is a solo act of Adura Onashile directed by Graham Eatough and was performed to packed house in Mumbai. “One of my friends recommended the book. I was amazed that I didn’t know Henrietta’s story which is behind some of the miraculous discoveries of medical science. So I drafted a rough play based on the book and also called Graham to help me. There’s a strong appetite of individual and personal stories of heroism, sacrifice and valour,” said Onashile.
Hela is an all consuming story, intertwining genetic identity, social responsibility and current ethical debates about human tissue research and ownership. “I am not anti-science. It has worked wonders for one and all. But it should not happen at the cost of humans,” said the artiste.
Onashile and Graham took over two years to draft the complex story. They would perform in front of the audience and take their feedback. The play also comments on morality of corporations. “It is so highly dramatic because there’s a conflict between science and humanity. On one hand, it is a great story of scientific achievements while on the other hand there is discrimination, ethical abuse, lack of understanding and sensitivity towards human bodies. With a primary focus on the Henrietta and her family, the play raises several questions and is open to interpretations. Although it is a one-woman show, we have tried to use resources of modern theatre productions including projections, multimedia, music, and heightened physicality to tell the story as vividly as possible,” said Graham.
Before the show opens, the actor also narrates the story and initiates conversation with the audience in the end. “The audience in Mumbai was so well-informed. They knew everything about the book and had several questions,” said the director, who after shows in Delhi will move to Bengaluru. Hela was also staged at Edinburgh Fringe 2013.