Ayana Baugh
By Sarah Vogelsong
CP Reporter
To local writer Ayana Baugh, the old adage that the pen is mightier than the sword has lost none of its truth over the years. This Sept. 19 and 20, with the performance of her original play “I Am Not Afraid” at the Caroline County Community Center, she’ll pit that pen against the scourge of bullying that afflicts so many students and schools around the country today.
“I wanted to look at preschool and elementary school, because if we can stop them from being bullies (then), maybe they won’t be bullies in middle and high school,” Baugh said.
The play follows the experiences of Loopiethotamus, the “Chihuahua who thinks he is a hippopotamus,” a character first created by Baugh for a series of children’s books that so far has four installments.
Loopiethotamus, or “Loopie T,” is a Chihuahua who has been adopted by a family of hippos. In Loopie’s eyes, he’s a hippo like his parents and siblings, but when he arrives at school for the first time, his classmates disagree, and Loopie finds himself the target of bullying.
The 24-person cast Baugh has assembled includes 12 actors and actresses, eight dancers, and four “liturgical mimes” ranging in age from 6 to 67. About 90 percent of the individuals involved come from Caroline, although a few hail from Spotsylvania, and one even makes the trip down for rehearsals all the way from Arlington.
For Baugh, the subject of bullying strikes a personal chord. Growing up in an environment of domestic abuse, she faced bullying not only at school, but also at home.
“You couldn’t talk unless you were told to talk, and you couldn’t express yourself,” she remembered.
Writing became a lifeline for Baugh when she was 13, providing her with a crucial outlet for expression. Although she started out writing poetry, she soon branched into other genres. She published her first book about Loopie in 2011, through her Grass Pancakes and Water Waffles publishing company, and two more books quickly followed in its wake.
Over the course of visiting schools to talk about her books, Baugh began to notice the prevalence of bullying among students and the negative effects that it was having. And when she viewed those experiences together with the many school shootings that were constantly being reported in the news, she felt that something had to be done.
“We’re losing our kids,” she said. “There has to be a solution.”
Because of her own experiences, she knew that one critical part of that solution was encouraging kids to speak up about what they were facing and feeling.
“These children don’t want to talk because they’re so afraid of what will happen,” she said. “I want kids to know that they can speak.”
With that aim in mind, “I Am Not Afraid” focuses on giving a voice not just to the victims of bullying—but also, importantly, to the bullies themselves. Instead of dismissing bullies as lost causes, “I Am Not Afraid” strives to look closer at why some children go down that road.
“We fail to realize that the bully is a child with a soul and a spirit,” Baugh said. “We don’t know what happens when children go home and close the door. Some of them don’t have a door to close.”
For Baugh, trying to understand those circumstances and approaching individuals with compassion is a key part of any attempt to break the cycle of violence.
“I don’t know if we’re teaching our kids how to forgive,” she said.
It was a message that she said resonated with many of the children involved in the play, who eagerly embraced their roles and frequently made suggestions about what they thought their characters might do or say—an encouraging sign for Baugh, who got to see how her words were affecting children firsthand.
Along the way, a number of members of the community have stepped in to offer aid to the project. Local musician and music producer Jay Johnson wrote the music for the play’s songs. Caroline High School principal Jeff Wick has taken on the role of the narrator. Other individuals donated materials and time to the creation of the set, and the Bowling Green Town Council, the Bowling Green Arts Commission, and the Caroline County Alliance Against Violence all agreed to sponsor the production.
Baugh sees such generosity as evidence of God’s hand at work.
“I’ve been literally on faith with everything,” she said. “I could never create these things myself, the things that have happened…It’s all God. He’s really the director of this whole thing.”
“I Am Not Afraid” will be performed at the Caroline County Community Center Sept. 19 and 20. Tickets are $5 for children aged 5–12 and $7 for ages 13 and up. For more information, see LoopieT.com.
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