Meet Joe Guy : Interview with Roy Williams

Roy Williams

The issues of race and football are two contentious topics. But what happens when a young black African denies his culture and heritage in order to fit into the macho, blinging, celebrity world of the footie star? So asks acclaimed playwright Roy Williams( whose play Fallout has been adapted for Channel 4 and is currently filming in South London ) in his new work Joe Guy, the rags to riches tale of Joseph Boateng, a 17-year-old from Ghana who comes to the UK to realise his footballing dream but ends up forgetting who he is. The work is a powerful comment on identity, nationality, stardom and the tensions between Africans and Afro-Caribbeans in the UK. Loma-Ann Bonner caught up with him.

What made you want to write about football?
It’s more about one guy abandoning who he is, and what he loses in himself by doing that.
It’s very loosely based on the case four years ago of the footballers who were accused of 'raping' a girl in a hotel room ( the case was eventually dropped. ) I was sad because three of them were black. And I asked myself.. what’s this all about?

What is it all about?
In the play it’s about Joe’s virility. He’s always saying “ I’m a man, I’m a black man, that’s what I do, that’s what black men do”
He’s weighing himself down with stereotypes and images in order to fit in, and it destroys him.

What are the stereotypes of black men?
It’s all about this street talk, “ whassup blood.” That’s the way everybody must speak in black culture in order to be accepted. For me that’s a very interesting area. What does it mean to be a black man today?


And what does it mean?
It’s to be a human being. To do what you can to be a good person. To do the right thing, not let all that baggage weigh you down. All the nonsense and crap.

How did you research the football world?
I didn’t have to do much.  I just read the tabloids, people are always selling stories.

Are you a football fan?
Yes, I support QPR!

Footballers have so much money, is this part of the problem?
Exactly. These are young guys suddenly given 50 grand a week, with WAGS throwing themselves at them.  If I had that in my twenties I can’t say that I wouldn’t have been the same.

The play  examines the different experiences between Africans and Afro-Caribbeans in the UK. What are they?
Actually writing this play I found very little difference. My personal experience is: we had African kids at school,  and there was rivalry between Africans and West Indians.
We used to mock African kids for having darker skin than us. “You’re so black you’re blue, bin bag.” That still goes on.
Now we’re more together,  but that’s only because they’ve got this universal culture that stems from hip hop.

Is that a good or a bad thing?
It can be positive, but it has a lot of negatives, it’s not the be all and end all. It’s not how we should all speak and behave.

Does hip hop contribute to some of the crime amongst black boys and men?
It’s one tiny aspect. Music does promote that attitude and lifestyle.
But other things need to be addressed, like education, responsability, exploitation. We make money out of it, we ‘re exploiting our young people.
We’re not doing enough to say, as corny as it may sound, you’re the next world leaders. Instead we’re making them feel that they’re at the bottom of the food chain.

Do you get involved with encouraging young people to write?
I used to do workshops with young writers. I was at a primary school once a week for a term and  one of the boys, Daniel Kaluuya  is now  writing for Skins. I’m so proud of him.


Joe Guy is at the Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, London, W1D 3NE until 24th November. www.sohotheatre.com

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