Greenham Ugandan Asian drama to be aired on BBC radio

AN upcoming new radio production commemorates 50 years since Idi Amin brutally evicted Uganda’s Asian population, many of whom arrived here in Newbury with nothing but a suitcase and £50.

Reading-based RABBLE Theatre are commemorating 50 years since the arrival of 1,600 Ugandan Asians to Greenham Common this month.

The radio play, The Newcomers, is a true story, co-written between one of the refugees, Pragna Hay who now lives in Headley, and Beth Flintoff, RABBLE’s associate writer and former outreach director at The Watermill, who grew up in Newbury.

Episodes will be aired daily at 9.50am from Monday, October 24 until 28, with a full one-hour omnibus edition at 2pm on October 30.

The Newcomers is produced in collaboration with BBC Radio Berkshire and will be available on BBC Sounds and broadcast on BBC Radio Berkshire.

It’s a relevant, beautiful piece that does justice to those effected by the story.

“Beth and I have been discussing a play for four years now,” said Pragna. “Initially it was to be a stage play, however Covid came along and we decided to do an audio play.

“It’s the first play to be written about life at a resettlement camp and highlights some of the issues encountered.

“I have attended some of the recordings and listening to the actors has been quite emotional.

“It’s is a play about how one family manages to leave Uganda physically unharmed, but mentally traumatised and the head of the family becomes stateless and the heartache and uncertainty that caused.

“It tells of the strength and resilience we all found when we were displaced and had start over in a new land penniless.

“I am delighted to have worked with Beth on this play and she has done an amazing job! I have merely added some of the lived experience to the play by co-writing it it with Beth.”

mong a brilliant cast is Bhasker Patel (Rishi Sharma in Emmerdale, who plays Mansukh), who has vivid memories of his childhood in Uganda.

“Although my mother and four sisters left Uganda with me before the horrific events depicted in this brilliant play, I still have vivid memories of my family home in Lugazi,” he said.

“It is a special place held very dear to me and I am so pleased that RABBLE have chosen to commemorate the events and the brave people who were affected.

“It’s a special project that I’m delighted to be a part of.”

The Newcomers follows the story of the Patels, a hard-working family of integrity, split from their father, evicted from their Ugandan home and rushed to Greenham. They arrive with nothing but a suitcase each and £50, forced to start over, amid mixed reaction from the local population. Told through the eyes of 15-year-old Jyoti, The Newcomers is a tale of cruelty, bravery, resilience and hope.

“I cannot even begin to comprehend what my parents and thousands of other Ugandan Asians went through during those dark days of uncertainty,” says Pragna. “The heartache and the trauma of packing their whole lives into one small case and landing penniless into an unknown country.

“But what I do know is that in learning about our ancestors we can see patterns of overcoming failure and surviving hard times. I am only here because they were there.

“I hope this play can shine a light into the dimly lit hallways of the past.”

Pragna Hay arrived in the UK from Uganda as a refugee in 1972, staying at Greenham Common refugee camp.

Like many of her Ugandan Asian contemporaries, has an entrepreneurial spirit, running multiple businesses, qualifying as a microbiologist and serving as a board member of various companies. She established Uprooted 50 Years Ago to organise exhibitions and events that commemorate 50 years since the expulsion.

Pragna’s co-writer Beth Flintoff (http://bethflintoff.com), RABBLE’s associate writer, also lives locally and is deeply passionate about the story.

“Pragna and I have known each other for years and it was before the pandemic that she first approached me wanting to tell her story. Working with her and listening to the stories of other Ugandan Asians who experienced the trauma of being expelled from their homes is an experience I will never forget. It’s 50 years since this happened, but the subject matter is just as relevant today.”

The play is directed by Duncan McLarty, editor of BBC Radio Berkshire.

RABBLE executive director Dani Davies said: “We are delighted to be developing this important project. The contributions that the Ugandan Asian community have made to UK life are as amazing as their story is. It’s a privilege to be involved.”

www.rabbletheatre.com

TRISH LEE