John Rwothomack, author and actor, bases his remarkable mime play Far Gone on his experience of growing up in a village community in Northern Uganda at a time of considerable political insecurity and unrest.
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Far Gone
While recent history in Uganda was dominated by changes of political regime and aggressive rebel groups, it was the people living in country areas who were most vulnerable to attack and their young children to abduction.
The writer recalls an occasion, at eight years old, when he was nearly kidnapped by a rebel group, the Lord's Resistance Army, led by the notorious and sadistic Joseph Koney. Had he been taken, he would have been beaten into submission, half starved, become a witness of extreme brutality and murder and ultimately, in order to survive, become just as violent as the men who were threatening him.
All of the characters in the story, notably the young boy, Okumu, his brother Okello, the Commandant and Sprinkler, the executioner, are represented by one performer, John Rwothomack, in a combination of vigorous and emotive mime and the words or screams or commands of the main figures.
John's performance is brilliant, unforgettable, legendary, and he is so immersed in his storytelling that he carries us with him into this horrifying, brutal, controlling world where we live the horror through him. This is an experience that I have rarely had in the theatre but one that is deeply moving when it occurs and only arises when the actor or the action takes us beyond what we immediately perceive on stage to deep reflection on life, the world we live in, the cruelty inherent in mankind and the limit of human courage in adversity.
In reality, the treatment of the abducted children is horrific. The boys are terrified by death threats, bullied and beaten into submission until they realise that the only way to survive is to become like their captors. They are then taught to fire a gun and to kill on command. The treatment of girls is equally appalling. They are raped and given to brutal men as 'wives' and shot if they are caught running away.
Press reviews & feedback:
“Captivating and Powerful” — The Guardian
“Harrowing immersive and Enchanting” — The Cape Robyn
“This play is not about me, the boy who was lucky enough to escape. It is for the hundreds of thousands who were not. For the generations to come, who will suffer for many years to come from the trauma inflicted on them by the LRA.” – John Rwothomack
