Osoyegbon: a conversation with lead artist Gloria Patrick

Gloria has a big laugh – the kind that fills the room, even with a screen between us. Her infectious, celebratory smile spreads to everyone in the (virtual) space we share, as we reflect on the project that brought us together – now live, and finally reaching the ears it was always meant for. Osoyegbon is a project that sheds light on the brutality of human trafficking and the ways it intertwines with modern slavery and, too often, child abuse. But it’s also more than that: it’s the true story of Gloria, a story that she entrusted Fuel to help tell in the shape of a short audio play. It’s the story of a decade-long creative relationship – one marked by learning, challenges, trust, and transformation. A story that began in a rehearsal room, weathered a pandemic, and emerged in a changed world.

Back in 2012, Kate McGrath, Fuel’s Artistic Director and CEO, met Gloria during a work-in-progress performance of a piece at Ovalhouse in London. The piece was the result of an eight-day theatre workshop led by writer and director Caryne Chapman Clark, in partnership with The Poppy Project, offered to self-selected survivors of trafficking. That workshop marked the beginning of what would become the Marginal Voices Theatre Project. 

That first encounter led to Fuel commissioning a 10-minute performance from one of the participants as part of Phenomenal People, a celebration of women’s stories and the women who inspired them. When the project was remounted in 2014, Gloria contributed a version of her story under the title Letters to Oprah. From there, the collaboration deepened, eventually evolving into a solo performance – first shared as a work-in-progress at the Edinburgh International Festival in 2019, now with a new name: Osoyegbon. 

One day during rehearsal, Gloria remembered her Esan name, the name she was given at birth. Osoyegbon. She hadn’t thought about that name for many, many years. It was given to her by her grandmother, and it means: “I am not a slave.” 

“Up until that moment,” Gloria said, “I had never taken on board the enormity of the name I’d been blessed with. It was an epiphany.” 

Coming out of the pandemic, Gloria was more committed than ever to share her story as a force for change. It needed to reach as many young people as possible – especially girls the age she was when trafficking first sank its claws into her. But it also had to reach the adults, those who can and must step in when abuse happens right under their noses. And it had to be told in a format that felt safe – one that could carry the weight of the story into classrooms and living rooms without overwhelming. 

These were the guiding principles that shaped the next chapter of the project: a long exploration of the right format to hold such a story. We first tested animation, working with the brilliant team at ARC Studio – a direction we couldn’t fully pursue due to escalating costs, though it gifted us a powerful visual language we’ve repurposed for the Creative Learning Toolkit that accompanies the piece.  

So, we regrouped. And once again, we adapted. 

The result is a brief audio play – co-created over years, adapted by Abi Daré and voiced by Akiya Henry – both incredible artists who have been part of this project’s creative journey from early on. 

I asked Gloria how it feels to see her story released into the world in this way. 

“I am excited – we won! All those demons that were coming after me – they are gone. We won! Lots of tears, happiness, and dancing. It’s more than winning the lottery.” 

Gloria is clear about what she wants this project to do in the world: 

“I want this to help. To give clear guidance on how to help, how to relate. How to connect with someone who’s shy, or feels ashamed, or guilty – and doesn’t have the tools to ask for help. I want people to know how to bring someone like that to the starting line – so they can find the people who will support them.” 

And what does she want to claim back? What myth or stereotype would she dismantle, if she could? 

“The right to my appearance. That’s what I want back.
What was inflicted on me – it now labels me. If I wear something I like, something that makes me feel good about myself, ‘sexy’ even, I get called names. It hurts.
Because I was enslaved into doing a certain job, some people think they’re justified in judging how I look now. But I can’t let that stop me anymore.
This is the next thing I’m going to change. I’m done with it.” 

For Gloria, Osoyegbon is not the end – it is a beginning. 

“Osoyegbon is just one of the many stories that form my life. I want to develop more stories, bring more stories to life. I want to take this project to Africa, to Nigeria. I want to spread the message there. I’d like to join forces with other women who have been abused and get their stories out too.”

Osoyegbon is now live and available to listen to on multiple platforms: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and Fuel Digital – Fuel’s digital streaming platform.  

by Marina Sacco, Fuel’s Senior Engagement Producer