Journey to the West: A Trilogy on Migration

This trilogy of stage-plays are based on the oral testimonies of migrants to the United Kingdom. The testimonies were collated over a five year period and involved 275 participants in different geographical locations in the United Kingdom. The interviewees ranged in age from 12 to 80. Over 450 hours of interview were recorded on digital video tape. This research was initiated by Verma; and the resulting trilogy was funded jointly by the Arts Council of England, Paul Hamlyn Trust and Barclays New Stages. The trilogy is the first dramatization of the story of three generations of East African Asians and their journeys from India to Africa and eventually to Britain.Part I, 1901: Dhows, Deserts and Dirty Tricks covers the journey of Fateh, Allaudin and Mehta as they leave India to build railroads in East Africa as indentured labourers.Part II, 1968: Rifts, Refugees and Rivers of Blood traces the lives of their descendants, Ranjit, Sita and Liaquat who left Kenya in the exodus in 1968 and in London.In Part III, 2001: Bhangra, Bollywood and British Bulldogs the character Kamaal comes to terms with his life on a journey on the M1.The trilogy was staged in 9 different cities in Britain, performing to an audience of over 7,000 between April and June 2002. It was launched at the Contact Theatre Manchester in April 2002. The trilogy has formed the subject of several published essays, including most recently by Dominic Hingorani in Contemporary Theatre Review, Vol. 14, No.4 November 2004, and Alternatives within the Mainstream: British Black and Asian Theatre (ed. Dimple Godiwala. Cambridge Scholars Press 2006).