The story of the 12-year-old captured by pillaging horsemen in Sudan

Daniel Nelson

A book, Slave, changed Caroline Clegg’s life 20 years ago. She’s still hoping the play of the book of the real story of the 12-year-old girl captured by rraiding Mujahidin in the Nuba mountains of Sudan will open more eyes.

“The book moved me so much  that I wanted to take action,” the director recalls.

“Like everyone else I thought slavery had ended 200 years ago,” she says. “But when people hear about modern slavery, the scales fall from their eyes.” 

Clegg helped adapt Mende Nazer’s appalling, inspirational story for the stage, and has been involved with all its performances, including the current production at Riverside Studios.

“The impact of Mende’s story is enormous because it’s so personal, so human, but it represents a global story.” It makes audiences think, she adds; the intimacy of theatre makes it real.

Nazer, who, after being sold into slavery in Khartoum, was trafficked to the UK in 2000,, finally escaped and fought for and won asylum, has always said she wants to use her voice to help other people.

The need, sadly, is great because the situation in Sudan, and in the Nuba Mountains where she was abducted, is horrific and desperate.

Sadly, too, today there are said to be more slaves in the world than at the time of the Transatlantic Slave Trade: an estimated 50 million.

Clegg says that although Nubian culture is celebrated in the play, it is being “annihilated”.

She admits this is a difficult time to get bums on theatre seats; money is short “and if people have any spare money they want to see comedies or musicals.” This outing needs a handkerchief, but it’s “a feast of storytelling, music and dance [and] celebrates Mende’s indomitable spirit.”

It’s brought to life by an international cast, two of whom were in the original production in 2010. One of them originally played Nazer’s brother, now he plays her father. Others include actors from Sudan, Zimbabwe and Lebanon.

Slave, and the Mende Nazer Foundation, have had considerable impact in raising money and spending it on projects in Nubia; it played a significant role in the introduction of Britain’s Modern Slavery Act in 2015.

Now 43, Nazer lives in the US and works as nurse, She and Clegg are good friends. Clegg describes her friend as “the most remarkable woman I know.”

+ Slave: A Question of Freedom is at the Riverside Studios on 30 October to 9 November. Info: https://riversidestudios.co.uk/see-and-do/slave-a-question-of-freedom-132489/

+ 7 November, Experts By Experience, symposium with Dr Ruth Van Dyke from the Bakhita Centre for Research on Slavery Exploitation and Abuse and Dr Rubina Jasani from the Humanitarian and Conflict  Response Unit at The University of Manchester + women from Women Asylum Seekers Together, 12 – 1.15pm then post-show Q&A, free to ticket holders or £5 for non-ticket holders