Okwui Okpokwasili

Okwui Okpokwasili is a Research Fellow at Princeton University’s Lewis Center for the Arts, renowned for her multidisciplinary performance art that explores the interior lives of women of color, particularly African and African American women. Her work intertwines dance, theater, and visual arts, often addressing themes of cultural memory, oppression, and resistance.

Education

• B.A., Yale University, 1996

Research Interests: Drawing from West African griot traditions and contemporary storytelling, her practice investigates how historical trauma and collective resilience manifest in the body. She examines intersectional narratives through hybrid forms of performance, focusing on marginalized voices in the Bronx, Nigeria, and the African diaspora.

Scientific Awards

• Hodder Fellowship at Princeton University (2017–present)

Collaborations and Commissions: She has collaborated with institutions such as Walker Art Center, Danspace Project, and Jacob’s Pillow. Her works, including Bronx Gothic (2014) and Poor People’s TV Room (2017), engage with social justice movements like the Bring Back Our Girls campaign and the 1929 Women’s War in Nigeria.