The title of the play, Crocodile Seeking Refuge, was inspired by an African folk-tale related by Pierre, from the Republic of Congo, one of the refugees whose stories have given rise to this play:

“I wanted to forget the pain, escape the persecution and find justice and protection in a country where human rights are appreciated. I will always remember the terrible moment of my departure, the decision to leave my family in the hope of finding justice. I thought by going into exile I would solve some problems and that my family could follow me, but, unfortunately, I only added pain to my misfortune. I committed the same idiocy as the crocodile that tries to escape from the rain by jumping into the river, not realising that he as fleeing water on land only to find more of it in the river.”

Research and Development

The first stage of research and development of Crocodile Seeking Refuge was a three-month devising process that gave rise to a patchwork of stories and storytelling conventions.

Five clients of the Write to Life Project at the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture were matched up with five actors to relate their experiences before and after seeking refuge in the UK. Fragments of memoir were interwoven with the actors’ responses to meeting their real-life ‘characters’ This process culminated in three work-in-progress performances in front of an invited audience at the Royal Court Theatre, Actors’ Centre and Praxis Refugee Centre.

This developmental stage was charted in a thirty-minute documentary film by film-maker Lennaart van Oldenborgh, and is available for viewing. The film shows encounters between the actors and the ‘real-life’ individuals on whom their characters based, as well as extracts from the workshop rehearsals and commentary from all the participants.

This initial work was then crafted into a full length play which had its first production at the Lyric Hammersmith in October 2005.

Writing that inspired the making of Crocodile Seeking Refuge:

Crocodile Seeking Refuge »
By Pierre-Junior N’Khiembet

Face to Face with my Jailer in Tesco’s »
By Nasrin Parvaz

The Skeletons »
By Qasim Albrisem

A Gift from my Grand Mum »
By Aziz Idris

From the Smallest Village to the Biggest City »
By Sharif Barko