Danai Gurira is an actress and playwright best known for her roles in The Walking Dead and Black Panther. Her play, Familiar, was released in 2015. From the first few pages, it's clear that her Zimbabwean background will have a strong influence on the tone, cadence, and feeling of this play.
This play takes place in one setting. Donald and Marvelous are immigrants from Zimbabwe, and they are going to be having dinner with one of their daughters who will be marrying a white man. Throughout the course of the play, there is a tug-of-war between maintaining the traditions of Zimbabwean culture and neglecting those traditions and assimilating to American culture. This is the normal plight for immigrants who move to new countries. Usually, the children of those immigrants have less of the original culture and as generations go on, it gets less and less. This may be avoided if the parents do a lot of work to instill a level of pride and also take the kids back "home."
In this play, the relationships between mother and daughter are examined as well as father and daughter. We also see the relationships between aunties and nieces as well. Family dynamics are complicated in any culture.
(They embrace with love and warmth that is allowed between an aunt and a niece who do not have the baggage of a mother and a daughter.)
This play had a few moments that illustrated these sentiments perfectly. We've included more below.
Donald: Of course the child doesn't decide on those things
(in reference to the children not speaking their native tongue)
Marvelous: OH MY GOD! Our Ancestors ARE DEAD!!
Anne: But they don't want our customs to die also!
(in reference to some of the pre-wedding ceremonies that Anne wants to do but Marvelous does not)
Donald: Ya, Where...where, not a lot gets said. Nothing actually. The thing you need to say, you never say.
(on his relationship with his wife)
Tendi: There are little white boys running their daddies' firms who are much younger and less accomplished than I am.
(On becoming a partner at her father's long firm)
Anne: We are losing our people, our children! Our blood! Our roots!
(Anne's monologue about why the roora ceremony is so important for them.