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Teacher, left,??(Angelo Lascelles) tries to woo his former flame, Paula (Shana Hinds) in Looking Back at Sodom. (Pictures compliments the Frank Collymore Hall.)

Lies, deceit, pain and the truth about HIV/AIDS were the key messages which came out when the Ministry of Tourism hosted Looking Back at Sodom, at the Frank Collymore Hall, last Friday night.

The theatrical piece, which featured an eight-member cast of rising Bajan performers, was written and directed by Winston Farrell and co-directed by Cicely Spencer-Cross, as one of the highlights of the Love Safely Week series of activities.??

Madame, left, ??(Leanne Humphrey) gives??Polo (Matthew Murrell) a taste of his own medicine??in the final scene of Looking Back at Sodom.

The play depicted the story of three women: Madam, played by Leanne Humphrey, as a reformed sex worker who welcomed the return of her prodigal daughter Paula, played by Shana Hinds, whose foray into prostitution led to her being HIV positive.?? Paula’s daughter, 18-year-old Yasmin, played by Shakira Ford, completed the triad, which illustrated the cycle of abuse and despair that was only broken when they took charge of their lives and choices.?? However, these changes did not come without ??challenges, in the form of Polo, Madame’s right hand man, played by Matthew Murrell and Angelo Lascelles as the Teacher.

HIV/AIDS Co-ordinator in the Ministry of Tourism, Madge Dalrymple, explained that the play was intended to be an authentic work and she expressed appreciation that the audience took this into account.?? "I thought the crowd response was wonderful because initially people were a bit shocked at the content; but then they realised that this is the real world and we have to portray it accordingly," she remarked.??

Ms. Dalrymple also said that efforts were being made to ensure that Friday night’s performance would not be the end of the road for Looking Back at Sodom.

"We actually had over 300 persons in attendance, so it was an impressive turnout.?? It definitely met my expectations and it is our intention to partner with other entities and take it to the communities and take this message further," she added.??

nekaelia.hutchinson@barbados.gov.bb

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