The Fork In The Road

In 1995, Benson's village was attacked by rebels who were slaughtering rival tribes and warring with the Congolese army. Separated from his parents and siblings, he risked his life to escape, finally arriving in Kyangwali refugee camp in 1997.

Everything he’d come through led him to aspire to a better future not just for himself but the refugee community around him.  He survived many bouts of malaria and near-starvation, and throughout he studied and achieved qualifications. He firmly believed that education was the route to freedom and a better future.

‘Benson talked often of the pain he felt on witnessing such great sadness in his life. He never speaks in a piteous or dramatic way. He has a look that to an outsider may seem blank but when you know him you see it is a look of knowing and understanding of pain beyond words, beyond all comprehension. It knows no words, no comforting expression. It is a sharing of a love that is so profound it brings a sorrowful aching to your heart. He tells me that this is learning to cry with no sound; learning to cry with no tears.’

Through a project in Kyangwali Refugee Camp I got to know Benson. He had struggled to find his voice for many years both literally and metaphorically following the intense trauma he had been through.

Working with Applied Theatre techniques we developed a one-man show where Benson told his story through a range of performance techniques and exploratory approaches. The final product included technology, dance, song and storytelling.

Benson went on to perform this remarkable and powerful production to sell out audiences in the UK.