23 July 2016 (released)
26 July 2016
'Now We Are Here' has been created by refugee writers as part of the Horizons season at the Young Vic. It is the story of four LGBT refugees and their experience upon arriving in the UK.
The simpler the production, the more the writing is exposed and the performers have nowhere to hide. These did not need to. Our imagination and masterful storytelling was all that was required.
The first half consists of three verbatim pieces written by Desmod Jolly, Michael Mugishangyezi and Mir Ahmed, brought to life respectively by Gary Beadle, Jonathan Linginston and Manish Gandhi in collaboration with spoken word artist Deanna Rodger. The stories are beautifully woven together and I particularly loved how they all quietly reacted to one another, seemingly supporting and empathising with each others’ stories.
There is nothing more compelling than a story told by those who have lived through it. Without a hint of self-pity, we are taken through Michael’s homelessness and destitution. In one instance a well meaning volunteer offers him ten pounds for a cinema ticket to broaden his cultural horizon when all he needs is money for food. Desmond leaves Jamaica to escape persecution for being gay, and again finds himself with little when her arrives in the UK until his salvation arrived with a cancer diagnosis. At last he is looked after. And Mir, from a wealthy Pakistani family is violently committed to an asylum to cure him if his homosexuality.
The casual references to parts of London we all know jolts us into realising that this is happening under our very noses and reminds us, that when someone is out on the street, for whatever reason, there is a story behind them, one that we are lucky enough to not have lived. Each pieces highlight the dehumanisation of a person on the street seeking shelter and sustenance. Everyone has a story, a reason to be there. No one chooses to be homeless.
The second half is an original monologue by Tamara McFarlane performed passionately and intensely by Golda Rosheuvel. She paints a vivid picture of love’s young dream, something we either long to have or have become too cynical to remember. She falls in love with her friend, a girl. She is deliriously happy. Yet she is terrified after she sees a young gay boy violently murdered by a baying crowd. She stifles her love and when she finds herself in Islington, revels incredulously in the openness of London. Something we take very much for granted.
It is absolutely paramount that more of these stories are told so that we are not desensitised by dehumanising statistics and relentless news reports. Most of the men, women and children are fleeing their homelands because their situations are untenable. These beautifully told stories with humour and wit are just the tip of the iceberg.
Photo credit: Helen Murray
