Jali: noun: a West African historian, storyteller, praise singer, poet, or musician.

Oliver Twist: a charismatic comedian and performer refusing to be defined by his turbulent past.

In this one-person show that is as delicately told as it is captivating, Oliver uses his exceptional storytelling abilities to reflect on his time as a refugee and to unpack what his life looks like now.

After fleeing the Rwandan civil war at the age of four, Oliver spent his childhood in Malawi, first in a refugee camp, and later in the city where his mother and father started a small convenience store. After acceptance into the Australian government’s refugee intake, the family arrived in Ipswich in 2014 to begin a new life.

Using personal anecdotes, drama and humour as a powerful antidote to trauma JALI is a vibrant and emotional journey that patiently proves there is light at the end of the tunnel.

60 minute performance, parental guidance recommended - contains haze and smoke effects and references to violence

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Rwandan-born Aussie Oliver Twist is a comic, playwright and actor who makes his own opportunities after a childhood watching his parents do the same.

After fleeing the Rwandan civil war at the age of four, Oliver spent his childhood in Malawi, first in a refugee camp, and later in the city where his mother and father started a small convenience store. After acceptance into the Australian government’s refugee intake, the family arrived in Ipswich in 2014 to begin a new life.

Then 18, Oliver already knew he was funny, and now he was in a country where comedy clubs and open mic sessions allowed him to prove it. He started taking the stage in Queensland, becoming a regular at the Sit Down Comedy Club in Brisbane and Based Comedy on the Gold Coast.

In 2017 he entered the RAW Comedy competition, and made it to the national finals in Melbourne. That was the year he decided to make the move to Sydney, and to begin telling stories in a new way. Within a week of his arrival he had written the one-man play JALI (meaning historian or storyteller), telling the tale of his family’s journey.

As a comic, Oliver has been chosen as support for the likes of Kevin Hart, Wil Anderson, Tiffany Haddish and Becky Lucas. He’s a regular at the Sydney Comedy Store and has performed on the Sydney Comedy Festival Gala and on the festival’s roadshow. Most recently, Oliver had a sell-out series of his new show, Griot, at Darwin Festival.

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