Inspired by True Events

Inspired by the historic struggle of the Kurdish people and his time in Iraqi Kurdistan, ex-British diplomat Chris Bowers brings his play Safe Haven to the Arcola Theatre, directed by Mark Gieser. Having served as HMG Consul General in Kurdistan, Bowers' first hand experience of the hardships faced by the Kurds has led him to bring this story to the stage, recounting a humanitarian mission in 1991 to prevent mass bloodshed of the fleeing Kurds.

 What Is It About?

Set in the months following the First Gulf War, Safe Haven follows the desperate peril of millions of Kurdish civilians to the cold and remote mountains of northern Iraq, as they try to escape a violent crackdown. In London, helped by a Kurd in exile, two officials race to persuade the British government to take decisive action to prevent a mass genocide, in an action that would come to be known as Operation Safe Haven.