See that's the problem with this family innit, we never wanna talk real about Ife.'

In the wake of the sudden death of their eldest son, Ife, one family is forced to confront the traumas they've long tried to bury. As the sun beats down on their cramped North London flat, and the head of the family arrives from Ethiopia for the funeral, tensions rise, cultures clash and past betrayals are unearthed.

A tense, funny and explosive drama exploring what it means to belong, and what happens when a family's secrets shake its foundations.

House of Ife premiered at the Bush Theatre, London, in April 2022, directed by Artistic Director Lynette Linton.

Beru Tessema is an Ethiopian-British writer based in London. His stage play, Exile in North Weezy, was shortlisted for the prestigious Papatango Playwriting Prize 2020. He began his relationship with the Bush on their Emerging Writers' Group, and House of Ife was written on commission.