Venus

By Suzan-Lori Parks

Moderator: Cleavon Meabon IV

Venus is a semi-biographical play about Saartjie Baartman, a member of a freak show label called the “Hottentot Venus”. Set around 1810, it concerns Baartman’s origins as a member of the Khoi-San people of South Africa and her move to Paris and London, where she was exhibited for her extremely large buttocks. Her “act,” in which she was exposed to voyeuristic members of the European public, became an enduring and problematic source of caricature of women of African descent, especially during the Victorian era. The drama touches little on the historical context of Venus’ life, capturing instead the strange social conditions that made her life and exploitation possible. he play exposes the racial stereotypes and clichés that characterized the Victorian era and parodies the concept of the sideshow carnival that capitalizes on exoticism, questioning whether Baartman had agency over her life path. 

About the Playwright

Suzan-Lori Parks is an American playwright, screenwriter, musician and novelist. Her play Topdog/Underdog won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2002; Parks was the first African-American woman to receive the award for drama. She was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2023. Wikipedia

About the Moderator

Cleavon Meabon IV is an artist and creative with a passion for justice and storytelling.