Silvanos is originally from Zimbabwe and now lives in Leigh. An activist, writer and actor, who trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London, he returned to Zimbabwe and set up a theatre company.
He produced theatre that challenged the political regime and raised awareness of human rights issues.
In September 2016, he was arrested and tortured for hours and was freed following an international social media campaign for his release.
Silvanos has now been granted asylum in the UK, with the support of the University of Manchester and the artist protection fund. This is his story.
Silvanos
I was in high school in Zimbabwe when I started to practice drama. The HIV and AIDS crisis was at its height and I got involved in a community drama group to raise awareness of these issues. I was selected to receive a bursary for drama which meant I could continue to study at A Level.
After school I joined a professional theatre company and we toured Asia and Europe for two years and I secured a place at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London.
Following my training, I returned to Zimbabwe. I could see the problems in my home community had worsened. There was corruption, an economic meltdown, and an increasingly ruthless political regime. There was only one TV station and 6 radio stations, which were all aligned and run by the same people, all giving the government’s messages.
I could have decided to live with it all but I could feel the community’s pain and I knew I was someone who could do something about it, I had to be part of the change I desired. I started to bring information to people using drama.
I first began getting arrested around 2004. I was arrested on stage, arrested at home. In 2008, I was charged with treason and kept in leg irons and chains for 14 days until a judge dismissed the charges.
September 2016 was the height of it all. I had spoken with other activists and there was a rumour that the central intelligence agency were looking for me.
I had noticed cars following me. A friend from high school, Itai Dzamara, had become a journalist and had written about issues in Zimbabwe. He had been abducted and never seen again so I knew that this could happen.
One night there was a bang on the door, and I knew what was happening. Guns were being fired in the air and people were breaking down my door. I tried to get my wife and kids into one room, and I managed to send out a quick message on a WhatsApp group to say what was happening.
The next 4 hours were the worst of my life. I was taken and held and tortured and beaten into a semi paralysis. I didn’t have the answers to the questions they were asking so they continued with the torture. At the same time my WhatsApp message had reached fellow activists and they were raising awareness of my disappearance on social media. It started to become breaking news.
The BBC picked up the story and ran with it. I didn’t know this and thought I would never be seen again like my friend from high school. Suddenly everything stopped and I was being carried out and put into a car. My face was covered but I could see lights, so I knew we were heading towards a city.
I was injected with something that made me pass out and when I woke up, I was lying on the ground outside. I had no idea where I was. The people who found me called the local MP. Luckily, he was an opposition MP and so wanted to help me. He got me to hospital, and I was there for 16 days and had to have several operations.
The University of Manchester knew of my work and had heard the story. With the help of the artist protection fund they helped to get me to the UK and supported me with my application for asylum.
I had to leave my family in Zimbabwe so I arranged to move them to another city until I could bring them to the UK.
I stayed in University accommodation in Manchester at first, but I wanted a quieter environment for my family. I like Leigh. It’s a place where the kids can be happy going to school. It feels like we can finally settle down.
In the UK you are lucky that you are free to share your views on social media. It feels liberating. I feel like a different person. I do miss the theatre work. I have ideas and I know I would like to do what I do best and try to enlighten others about human rights through drama.
I have been welcomed here and I know I will contribute a lot to this community.
If you would like to share your story, get in touch by emailing pr@wigan.gov.uk.