"Pieces of Me" is an autobiographical play performed by Bo Petersen that exposes the devastating emotional cost of living secretly as a mixed-race family under the vicious racist apartheid regime and the legacy it bore.
Her performance on Wednesday, May 27 is part of the second annual Kroc Institute Strategic Peacebuilding Academy, to take place May 26-30 and whose theme this year is 'Modes of Healing.' The Academy is a thematically driven, multi-day intensive experience for peace practitioners, scholars, and those working in policy communities around the globe. Takeaways for participants include skills-building, networking and best practices related to strategic peacebuilding.
Petersen's father, Benjamin “Benny” Johannes Petersen, made a fateful decision in 1944 that would change his life forever. After meeting and falling in love with Petersen's mother, who was White, Benny decided to pass as White. Until then, he had been classified by the South African Government as "Colored." A Colored person was a person of mixed European ("White") and African ("Black"), Indigenous (KhoiSan) or Asian ancestry, as officially defined by the South African government from 1950 to 1991.
Petersen’s parents had five children and were happily married for 62 years. They lived as a White family. Her father never told her mother or any of their children about his true identity. It was a secret that, if uncovered, would have had dire consequences for all of them. Her father could have faced 10 years' imprisonment, his marriage would have been annulled and his children taken away, reclassified and made wards of the State.
"Pieces of Me" explores how her father's torturous decision to pass as White has shaped Petersen's life. The play captures universal themes of exclusion, threat, and silences experienced by marginalized people throughout the world.
Laurie Nathan will moderate the audience Q&A after the performance, which is recommended for ages 13 and up. This is a free but ticketed event. Tickets will only be distributed one hour prior to the performance.
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Originally published at kroc.nd.edu.