Mende Nazer






 

Mende Nazer lost her childhood at age twelve, when she was sold into slavery. It all began one horrific night in 1993, when Arab raiders swept through her Nuba village in the Sudan, burning the buildings, murdering the adults, and kidnapping Mende and thirty other children.

Mende was raped and held prisoner by her captors, and then was sold to a wealthy Arab family who lived in Sudan's capital city, Khartoum. So began her dark years of enslavement. Her Arab owners called her "yebit," an obscene term for a black slave. She was forced to call them "master." She was subjected to appalling physical and mental abuse and neglect. She slept in a shed and ate the family leftovers like a dog. She had no rights, no freedom, and no life of her own.

Seven years after she was seized and sold into slavery, she was sent to work for another master -- a diplomat working in the United Kingdom. In London, despite the huge risk it could have been to her life, Mende managed to make contact with other Sudanese, who took pity on her. In September 2000, she made a dramatic break for freedom.

SLAVE is a story almost beyond belief. It depicts the strength and dignity of the Nuba tribe. It recounts the savage way in which the Nuba and their ancient culture are being destroyed by a secret modern-day trade in slaves. Most of all, it is a remarkable testimonal to one young woman's unbreakable spirit and tremendous courage.

Mende Nazer story at: www.antislavery.org

Mende Nazer's full story, Slave, written by Mende Nazer and Damien Lewis, is published by Virago in the United Kingdom and is also available in the United States, Germany, Italy and Spain.

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Introduction:
Tony Benn

Singers
Rosemary Ashe
Sally Burgess
Charlie Dore
Johnnie Fiori
Fiona MacDonald
The Manchester
Lesbian & Gay Chorus
Nasrin Parvaz
Annette Reis-Dunne
Andrea Roberts
Peter Straker

Writers
Stella Duffy
Leslie Forbes
David Harsent
Ben Mellor
Shelley Silas
Lemn Sissay

Actors
Janie Dee
Sam Ellis
John Guerrasio
Loveday Smith
Will Strange
Two’s Company
Rupert Wickham
Dan Willis
Chris and Olly

Musicians
Julian Littman (MD)
Neal Thornton

Directors
London: Caroline Clegg
Nepal: Hazel Roy

Special Guests
Mende Nazer
Julie Nicholson


Trafalgar Studios



www.feelgoodtheatre.co.uk

Event sponsors & supporters:
The Stage Door Foundation
Dave Kirkwood Studio
J. S. Dutton

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