Unknown Rivers

‘I have to draw a new map. I have to be seen. For her. For all of us!’

Since her ordeal five years ago, nineteen-year-old Nene rarely leaves home. Secure within her mum’s embrace, Nene now keeps the outside world securely on the other side of her bedroom window.

But weekly visits from her best friend start to fill the void and on one unexpected day, when Nene is finally beyond the walls of her sanctuary, a long-forgotten spark is powerfully reignited in her, one which will change her direction forever…

A poignant and life-affirming play, Chinonyerem Odimba’s Unknown Rivers is a testament to the extraordinary powers of female friendship - where there’s turmoil, trauma and hardship, there’s also love, bravery and hope, making it possible to go with the flow… and live.

Unknown Rivers premiered at Hampstead Theatre Downstairs, London, in October 2019.

‘A jolting wake-up call of lyrical beauty… Odimba’s writing prowess shines in [the play’s] multi-faceted beauty… a modern-day myth’
- Broadway World