Ibrahima Balde denied entry to the UK

The theatre said: ‘We’re extremely disappointed that the UK Home Office has denied renowned writer Ibrahima Balde a visa to visit the UK to attend the upcoming performances at Jermyn Street Theatre of Little Brother, a play adapted from his PEN Award-winning memoir of the same name.

Little Brother tells Ibrahima’s story of leaving his home in Guinea to find his younger brother who is trying to make his way to Europe. His book has become a source of inspiration across the world and led to him meeting with Pope Francis. It has been met with critical acclaim, translated into 13 languages, and read by countless people around the globe who have been drawn to a deeply personal narrative that gives voice to the often-nameless people behind the headlines about migration.

The refusal of a visa to a writer of such magnitude denies UK audiences an important cultural connection, and it is a decision which cannot be removed from the current political conversations around migration and the political rhetoric that surround them.

Jermyn Street Theatre urges the Home Office to reconsider this decision and allow him entry into the country to attend the premiere of a play based upon his story.’

Scribe was incredibly proud to publish Little Brother by Ibrahima Balde (with Amets Arzallus Antia and translated by Timberlake Wertenbaker) in 2021, and we're deeply concerned that such a significant writer has been denied a visa to the UK at the moment where his story — one shared by many migrants entering Europe — is due to be introduced to a new audience. We urge the Home Office to reconsider this decision and allow Ibrahima to attend the premiere of the state adaptation of his memoir. 

UPDATE 16/05 — After this news was widely reported, the Home Office reversed their decision: https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/theatre/home-office-jermyn-street-theatre-ibrahima-balde-b1228238.html