‘Exodus: Asia, Africa, Europe’ is a compelling narrative that draws inspiration from the real-life experiences of Indian migrants who resettled in Uganda only to be forcibly expelled by Idi Amin in 1972, eventually finding refuge in England.
At its heart of the play, lies the captivating tale of Jiji and her daughter Reema, as they navigate their lives in the United Kingdom, haunted by the absence of Jiji's husband who vanished in Uganda amidst the chaos. The mystery surrounding his fate leaves Jiji clinging onto hope, uncertain whether he is still alive. While Jiji reminisces about her profound journey from India to the shores of Africa, the story delves into the lives of Jiji and Reema during the 1970s in the UK, exploring the challenges and triumphs they encounter along the way.
In a conversation with Asian Voice, producer Lata Desai shared that the inspiration and the idea behind bringing this story of the Exodus to the stage was a heritage project called ‘Gujarati Yatra – Journey of a people’. Desai worked on this project with oral historian Rolf Killius and the project explored the journey of the Gujarati diaspora from India to Africa and then Britain through oral history interviews of numerous people who had made this journey.
“These personal stories were so powerful that they had to be told in a creative way and hence the idea of incorporating these testimonies in a play came to life. It is inspired by real-life journey of people across the oceans - their regrets, tears, joys and aspirations”, she said.
Lata and her team met more than 50 people who were part of the exodus and decided to create the upcoming production as a retelling of their stories through a fictional. She explains that “there is a general amnesia in the school curriculum where this history is hardly told. Hence, we decided to create this production to retell their stories through a fictional play.”
She feels that the representation of South Asian diaspora is not adequate in terms of the story-telling in theatre plays and stories like the ‘Exodus’ help wider communities understand the hardships of the diaspora.
Funded by Arts Council England with Mukul Ahmed at the helm, the play is written by Raminder Kaur while oral historian, Rolf Killius has helped make it an authentic experience. The play will take the stage on 18th June at Rich Mix.
