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- Refugee Boy: themes and context
Refugee Boy: themes and context
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Refugee Boy asks audiences to see asylum seekers as real people, not statistics.
Context
Ethiopia and Eritrea fought a border war from 1998 to 2000.
In Britain around 2000, asylum seekers were often treated with suspicion and described negatively in parts of the media.
Benjamin Zephaniah, a poet of Jamaican heritage, wrote the novel to challenge those attitudes. Lemn Sissay, who grew up in care himself, adapted it.
In Britain around 2000, asylum seekers were often treated with suspicion and described negatively in parts of the media.
Benjamin Zephaniah, a poet of Jamaican heritage, wrote the novel to challenge those attitudes. Lemn Sissay, who grew up in care himself, adapted it.
Key themes
Identity and belonging: Alem belongs fully to neither country and must find a place in Britain.
Family: his birth family, his foster family and friends.
The asylum system: slow, confusing and frightening.
Kindness and prejudice: some people help; others are hostile.
Family: his birth family, his foster family and friends.
The asylum system: slow, confusing and frightening.
Kindness and prejudice: some people help; others are hostile.
Dramatic methods
The play moves quickly between places: Ethiopia, the children's home, the foster home and courtrooms.
It uses Alem's memories and dreams to show the past he has lost.
It uses Alem's memories and dreams to show the past he has lost.
Why is Alem's polite, educated character important to the play's message?
- Some people stereotyped asylum seekers negatively.
- Alem is gentle, intelligent and grateful.
- This challenges stereotypes and builds sympathy.
Answer: He challenges negative stereotypes about refugees and makes audiences sympathise.
Context: Ethiopia-Eritrea war (1998 to 2000), hostile attitudes to asylum seekers, Zephaniah's novel (2001), Sissay's adaptation (2013). Themes: identity, family, the asylum system, kindness and prejudice.
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