Interview: Lula Mebrahtu, ‘OommoO: I Am A Walking Universe’
Ahead of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2024, we’re chatting with a range of creatives who will be heading to the city over August to find out more about their shows. Today we’re chatting with Lula Mebrahtu about ‘OommoO: I Am A Walking Universe’.
Can you tell us a bit about you and your career so far?
I am an artist/storyteller at the intersection of art, music and tech. I don't believe in monogamy in art as such I have worked as a musician, sound designer, actor across screen and stage. I made my debut as a writer in 2023 with the premiere of OommoO - I Am One Of Many Many Of One. which was described as 'one of the most original offerings at the fringe'. (QR)
What is your show about?
The show is about the trials and tribulation of what it means to be a women presented through the lens of the girl next door who just happens to be Eritrean/Ethiopian.
What was the inspiration for OommoO: I Am A Walking Universe and what’s the development process been to get to this stage?
It is a very personal story. A doctor once told me that the cause of my fibroids and why they were likely to return post an operation was, I had 'the Black Women Curse'. So... I went on a journey to find out who cursed me, how, why and why. Only to find out that this was not an isolated incident, other doctors across the UK are saying the same thing, verbatim to Black women. And whilst I thought this was a black women issue, I realised the problem goes deeper then that. I started speak to people about their experiences of uterine health which seems to have started with their periods and the results are alarming.
As women, what we have excepted as the norm because we haven't spent enough time challenging our statuesque gave birth to this show.
What made you want to take OommoO: I Am A Walking Universe to the Fringe?
OommoO is a modular series, following its premiere at Summerhall last year and this 'episode' I was invited to present the sequel. I promised my audience that I would return this year and here I am :-)
Apart from seeing OommoO: I Am A Walking Universe, what’s your top tip for anybody heading for Edinburgh this summer?
Support independent productions and don't be swayed by reviews, they are bias.
Why should people book OommoO: I Am A Walking Universe?
It is the story of all of us, asking questions that are not being asked, presented in a way that you have never seen before. It is funny, heartwarming and very original. I guarantee you have never seen anything like it before. Plus... the music is great :-)
When and where can people see OommoO: I Am A Walking Universe?
August 1st - 26th @13.40, Summerhall
