Alem's Abandonment
Arrival in England
Early in the play Alem and his father, Mr Kelo, are staying at Mr Hardwick’s small hotel in London. For Alem, this appears to be a holiday — a rare treat from a loving father. The audience watches their warm, affectionate relationship: Mr Kelo tells Alem stories, reassures him, and creates a sense of normality. But there are hints of something darker. Mr Kelo is restless, emotional, and seems to be saying goodbye without saying the word.
Sissay builds dramatic tension through these early scenes. The audience senses what Alem does not — that this trip is not what it seems. This creates dramatic irony, as we understand Mr Kelo’s pain before Alem does. Every kind gesture from the father takes on a double meaning: he is not just being a good parent, he is preparing to leave his son.
Mr Kelo brings Alem to England under the pretence of a holiday. His true purpose is to leave Alem in Britain where he will be safe from the conflict, even though this means abandoning his own son. This act of love is also an act of devastating loss.
The Letter
The turning point of the opening scenes comes when Alem wakes to find his father gone. In his place is a letter. The letter explains that Mr Kelo has returned to Africa, that Alem is not safe there, and that he must stay in England. This is the moment that transforms Alem from a boy on holiday into a lone child asylum seeker. The shift is sudden and brutal.
On stage, this scene is devastating because the audience has been watching Mr Kelo’s emotional struggle. We understand his sacrifice. But for Alem, it is a betrayal — the person he trusts most in the world has vanished. Sissay uses the physical absence of the father on stage to represent the emotional void Alem now faces. The hotel room, which felt warm and safe with two people in it, suddenly feels cold and empty.
The letter serves multiple dramatic functions. First, it delivers exposition — the audience learns why Alem is in England and what dangers exist at home. Second, it reveals Mr Kelo’s inner conflict: he writes with love and anguish, showing that leaving Alem is the hardest thing he has ever done. Third, it becomes a physical prop that Alem returns to throughout the play, a tangible connection to his father. The letter is Alem’s only link to his previous life and his only proof that he was loved.
Alem Alone: Culture Shock
After his father’s departure, Alem must navigate an entirely unfamiliar world. He does not fully understand the language, the customs, or the systems. The hotel staff are not unkind, but they are not equipped to deal with an abandoned child. Alem is eventually taken into the care of social services and the social services system begins the process of finding him a place to stay.
Sissay presents Alem’s culture shock through small, telling details. The food is unfamiliar. The weather is cold and grey. People speak quickly and use expressions Alem does not understand. These details are not played for comedy — they emphasise Alem’s vulnerability and isolation. Everything that was familiar has been stripped away, and Alem must rebuild his understanding of the world from scratch.
Alem’s experience of culture shock in England is presented through concrete, everyday details — unfamiliar food, cold weather, confusing language — that make his isolation vivid and relatable for the audience. Sissay avoids sentimentality, letting the reality speak for itself.
Mr Kelo’s Sacrifice
One of the most complex ideas in these opening scenes is the nature of Mr Kelo’s decision. He abandons his son out of love. This paradox — that abandonment can be an act of devotion — is central to the play’s emotional power. Mr Kelo knows that Alem’s life is in danger if he returns to East Africa. By leaving him in England, he gives Alem the chance of safety, even though it means destroying the one relationship that gives Alem security.
In performance, this scene often produces the strongest audience reaction. The audience is positioned to understand both perspectives simultaneously: Alem’s sense of betrayal and Mr Kelo’s agonising sacrifice. Sissay does not tell the audience what to feel — instead, he presents the situation and lets the conflicting emotions coexist.
Sissay uses several techniques to build empathy. The father-son relationship is established through warm, naturalistic dialogue before the abandonment, so the audience feels the loss. Dramatic irony ensures the audience understands the stakes before Alem does. The physical staging — an empty room, a letter on a pillow — uses visual storytelling to convey isolation without words. Direct address may be used to let Alem speak his confusion and fear directly to the audience, breaking the fourth wall and drawing us into his experience.
The Emotional Arc of the Opening Scenes
The opening scenes take Alem from security to total vulnerability in a compressed timeframe. The emotional arc moves from warmth (the father-son bond), through unease (the audience sensing something is wrong), to shock (the discovery of the letter), to isolation (Alem alone in a foreign country). This structure is deliberate — Sissay mirrors the experience of real refugees, whose lives can be transformed in a single moment. The audience is forced to confront how quickly everything can be taken away.