The Meaning of Zong by Giles Terera
2 Apr – 7 May 2022

Bristol Old Vic

The Meaning of Zong by Giles Terera
The Meaning of Zong by Giles Terera

Dream the impossible: a story of one man’s belief in the value of humanity, and his fight to defend it. 

Two hundred years ago, Olaudah Equiano read the harrowing reports of a massacre aboard the slave ship Zong, where 132 Africans were thrown overboard. Joining forces with anti-slavery campaigner Granville Sharp to publicly condemn these actions, he helped set in motion events that led to the abolition movement in the UK.

But Olaudah’s mission goes beyond the courtroom. Having bought his own freedom, he now faces a personal battle to rediscover his past and accept his true self.

Giles Terera’s boldly inventive debut play The Meaning of Zong is a story of our time, celebrating the power of the human spirit against adversity, and the journey of our past to understand our place in the world. Performed by an ensemble cast, it serves as an inspiration for how individual and collective action can drive unimaginable change. 

NEED TO KNOW: The Meaning of Zong by Giles Terera is at the Bristol Old Vic from 2 April to 7 May 2022. | Interview with Giles Terera, Death of England | Nick Hern Books releases Hamilton and Me