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The Tables Are Turned When Black Folks Colonize in ‘The Burden’

The Tables Are Turned When Black Folks Colonize in ‘The Burden’

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When culture vultures apply for citizenship on a new planet colonized by Black people, three judges must decide how to deal with folks who want everything but the burden.

In 2044, immediately following the election of another racist president, a group of wealthy Black people pooled their money together to take all Black people on Earth to a new colony in the Andromeda Galaxy they’ve built called New World Sankofa. In order for non-Black people to gain citizenship they must go through a series of tests; concluding with a formal hearing in front of a tribunal. 

We open on one tribunal hearing featuring a Korean American man named Shawn Park. He’s proven he’s well-versed in Black culture until they learn he’s a perpetual N-Word user. The tribunal judges attempt to reason with Shawn. They attempt to reason with Shawn to no avail; realizing he’s more appropriator than appreciator. A classic culture vulture; wanting everything but the burden. The judges have technology up their robe sleeves, though. 

Think of The Chapelle Show meets Black Mirror in this dark sarcastic biting comedy.

According to Tish Arana, who serves as Executive Producer, Writer, Actor for The Burden, the idea came to her after overhearing one of her husband’s Filipino friends yell, “Nigga!” in an Instagram story. “It wasn’t the first time I’d heard a non-Black person of color using the word. In fact, I once had a conversation with those very friends about the word and why it was forbidden to them. Hearing the same crew of people using the word compounded with the powerlessness I felt in that moment was the impetus for The Burden.”

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For the first time, she understood a writer’s power and wanted to drag those people, thus a revenge fantasy was born. A proper drag wouldn’t be complete without the jokes, though. Taking notes from the great sketch comedies she grew up with, Tish designed The Burden to elicit laughs that hopefully blossom into a substantive dialogue about racism. 

The project is still in its zygote stage seeking funders to start production and later filming and that’s where you come in. Behind this female-driven team includes: campaign director Aisha Lomax, producer Natalie Britton, and producer Kate Hamilton, The Burden is currently raising costs on the crowdfunding site Seed & Spark.

As of today, they have raised $3,085 of their $18,000 goal.

For more information go to their Seed&Spark Page here: https://www.seedandspark.com/fund/theburden#story


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