African Snow is a play about the collision between two very different lives. First there's Oloudah Equiano. Abducted from Nigeria at the age of 10 Oloudah was sold into slavery and given the name Gustavus Vassa (after a Swedish king). Eventually he was able to buy his own freedom and wrote his autobiography. His book was instrumental in changing public opinion, and involving William Wilberforce in the abolition movement. Then there's John Newton. Newton was a clergyman, a well respected preacher and best known today as the writer of the hymn Amazing Grace. But in his youth he was press ganged into the Navy, and later got involved in the slave trade, becoming a captain of slave ships. It was Newton who convinced William Wilberforce to stay in politics rather than join the church. In turn Wilberforce convinced Newton to add his voice to the abolition movement and testify to the Privy Council. Roger Alborough plays the role of John Newton in African Snow. "The premise of the play puts together these two people to create a dialogue about this tension, about Newton's guilt and the pain and savagery that Equiano suffered. "It's a wonderful conflict, if such a thing is possible, it scores right down to the very core of himself. He was presenting himself to the world as he was known, as a great orator, this wonderfully humane man who created so much hope in the lives of others. "But at the core he still had to atone and balance his life with the terrible brutalities of the industry he was involved with." | "You can never understand what it's like to be in the hold of a ship. I've never had to sleep, eat and function in my own faeces" | | Israel Oyelumade |
Israel Oyelumade plays Oloudah Equiano. He says that although the play is based on a series of fictional meetings, the three men would have known each other. "What the writer Murray Watts has done is take historic fact, put it together and make a 'what if'. What if we take the letters of Newton, which are in his book, and the heart of Equiano, which is in his book, and we put them together with the writings of Wilberforce. "Wilberforce certainly met Equiano because part of his argument before the Privy Council contained the speech of Oloudah Equiano, and John Newton testified. Newton and Equiano would have met because they were in the same circles." Israel says trying to understand the character of Equiano hasn't always been easy, despite having things in common. "We're from the same place, even though I was born here my family comes from tribal royalty in Nigeria. I understand the notion of family and respect, my family are still together. "But you can never understand what it's like to be in the hold of a ship. I've never had to sleep, eat and function in my own faeces. Equiano's autobiography is an amazing book, and I've had to read that over and over again." This play is the first co-production between York Theatre Royal and Riding Lights Theatre Company. It's also going to be touring the country, and is already attracting a lot of interest.  | | A model of the African Snow set |
Director Paul Burbridge says the partnership between the two theatre companies has proved very helpful. "A lot of the creative side has come from Riding Lights. We've commissioned the play and I've worked on it as a director with our resident designer Shaun Cavanagh on the concept behind the production. The Theatre Royal have brough their facilities and technical expertise. They'll house the start of the production, before Riding Lights take it on tour." There are of course other productions about slavery and the abolition of the slave trade. Where many of them will focus on Wilbeforce African Snow concentrates on Equiano as the catalyst for change. In fact, with such a strong historical focus on Wilberforce, Israel Oyelumade believes that Oloudah Equiano has been neglected as one of the strongest African role models this country has ever seen. "We're talking today about role models, we're seeing news about gang culture growing in London and people shooting one another. It's said that these kids don't have role models, but actually they do. The trouble is history has put them on the sidelines or rubbed them out. "So we're saying Equiano is a role model. Let's tell people who he was, what he stood for. Let's give these kids a reason to champion him. Because I'm playing the role of Equiano at such an important time I've been made an ambassador for the Princes Trust. It's great because they're really good at helping youths rebuild their lives in practical ways. They need positive role models. And that's how important this play is." African Snow is at York Theatre Royal from 30th March until 21st April before touring to Mold, Birmingham, London, Hull, Bristol and Brighton. | 
