A 90-minute multilingual poetry-musical titled ‘Apwoh Misa: Marching On’ will be staged at Shilpee Theatre on March 28, bringing together poetry, music and spoken-word narratives created under the Apwoh Misa project.

Created by poet and performer Ujjwala Maharjan, the production features musical performances by Sarada Dongol on percussion, Shanti Nepali on vocals and guitar, and Yaju Acharya on flute.

The performance marks the culmination of five years of artistic exploration under Maharjan’s feminist poetry and music project, Apwoh Misa. In the Newah language (Nepal Bhasa), ‘Apwoh Misa’ translates to “women who are too much,” a phrase often used to police women’s voices, bodies and freedoms.

The project has been developed collaboratively with predominantly women and queer artists. Through multilingual songs and musical monologues, it seeks to reclaim women’s narratives and challenge misogynistic language and cultural norms in the Nepali context.

In ‘Apwoh Misa: Marching On’, Maharjan brings together songs and musical monologues from the project alongside new and previously written poetry and spoken-word narratives. The performance combines these elements into a part-theatrical presentation that explores what it means to be labelled “too much.”

The evening will also feature the premiere of the music video for the project’s title track, directed by rap artist and visual storyteller Suskihanna Gurung.

A post-show session will follow the performance, allowing audiences to meet the artists and continue conversations around the themes raised in the production.

Maharjan said the event is being organised as an all-women performance under the Apwoh Misa project.

“I’m really excited to be organising an all-women event of ‘Apwoh Misa(s)’—women who are labelled too much just for following their artistic dreams,” she said. “Organising the event has been a DIY project without sponsors, but with friends helping out.”

She added that the team is “nervous but excited” about presenting the work and is also in talks with additional women collaborators, with the possibility of surprise performances during the event.

Apwoh Misa: Marching On

Where: Shilpee Theatre, Kathmandu 

When: March 28

Time: 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm

Entry: Rs800 to Rs1,500