Written by Dr Luke Bhatia

This semester, we were lucky enough to be joined by the theatre project Actors for Human Rights. Actors for Human Rights is a network of more than 700 professional actors across the UK who are dedicated to drawing public attention to human rights concerns. Students from the Politics Department’s MA Human Rights / Human Rights with Law degree pathways were joined by the theatre group Ice&Fire who run the project. Ice&Fire ran a workshop with students about the UK asylum process and then three local actors performed the piece This Is Who I Am, a performance that focuses on LGBTQ+ refugees and their experiences with the UK asylum system.

The Actors for Human Rights project develops original theatre pieces from documentary evidence and human rights testimonies. Each piece is shaped by real people and the communities with which they work. This Is Who I Am is a performance piece that features verbatim testimonies from LGBTQ+ refugees about their experiences in their own country and on arrival in the UK, addressing the particular challenges they face. The performance is read by special guest performers and speakers. Coinciding with our seminar on Human Rights and International Migration, the testimonies powerfully contextualise the UK asylum process and situation which cause people to flee from their home countries, as well as the human rights concerns associated with these circumstances.

The afternoon began with a workshop, where students were asked to put the various stages of the UK’s asylum process in order. For one group, the task was performed in other languages than English to symbolise the challenges faced by asylum seekers when they engage with the process in the UK. One student commented, “after doing this it shows how little even Master’s law/politics students studying this directly, how little they understand of the system and its implications. It makes this very important.” The emotional engagement that the audience experienced during the performance was visible in the room, with a student remarking, “this was a really powerful workshop and performance and it has been amazing to hear stories that have been told first hand. Thank you for sharing with us, it is so important.”

The Q&A section afterwards not only allowed students to ask about the subjects of the piece, but also the research practices that were undertaken in producing the performance and the ethical issues that had to be taken into consideration. One student said, “I think the speakers were all amazing, so well-spoken and open. I loved how willing people were to answer every question.”

Both myself, and the students who attended the performance, would like to extend our gratitude to Ice&Fire and the Actors for Human Rights project for joining us here in Manchester. We hope to see them again next year!

Other student feedback included:

I think it’s good that you do this at universities, especially for people at degree and post grad level. It means you talk to people who want to work in government (like me) and it’s important we hear this.

A life changing experience – thank you! 

It was really amazing and I’m grateful that you took the time to teach and perform for us. 

I loved the emphasis on privatisation and in-depth conversations around profit and power of these companies.

You’re amazing.