NPR: There are over 21 million refugees around the world, according to the United Nations, and the musical A Man of Good Hope tells the story of one of them: Somali refugee Asad Abdullahi. Several years ago, author Jonny Steinberg interviewed Abdullahi in a rough and tumble township outside Cape Town, South Africa. He was working on a book about South African history.
2 comments:
This is a very important show, especially given what is happening in the United States right now. I think one of the most powerful things about it is that it is a real story and it is giving a voice to Abdullahi’s experience. That is a lot stronger than having it be about a theoretical refugee, especially if that theoretically story wasn’t written with someone who has been a refugee involved in the writing process. I really hope that this musical gets people to think and understanding immigration in a more complex and empathetic way. I think putting an actual story and face to what to some people is just numbers of people can do that. I just hope that people who haven’t thought much about what it means to be a refugee/ people who are against immigration come see this musical. There is value in it either way, but I hope it doesn’t just end up preaching to the choir.
There’s a school of thought which says that any work of art, no matter what the intent was, gives a message about the time and place it was created. I personally believe that to be true. But sometimes what the world needs is a work that’s a little more intentional, and a little more pointed. Something that gets even the most non-artist types thinking about the world around them. And I think that is maybe what our world needs right now. “Man of Good Hope” seems like a good place to start. Not only is a tale of illegal immigration increasingly relevant, but so are the hardships of struggling against xenophobia and racism. But the most important part of the creation of “Man of Good Hope” was the moment where the creative team realized they were a part of the problem. It was their communities, their neighborhoods acting so terribly. And they chose to show that. Recognizing the problem is the first step to solving it. I hope we get many more productions like this one in the coming years. We are going to need them.
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