About the Book A passionate memoir-monologue that weaves lyrical storytelling with untiring protest. Book Synopsis When a woman receives an unexpected letter from the British Passport Office, she is forced to confront an old mystery: why does her South African passport not carry her first name? Armed with the wisdom of favourite 90s TV shows, she sets out on a journey that will take her back to the turmoil of Mobutus Congo, growing up in post-Apartheid South Africa, moving to Ireland, and finding love in a hostile England. As her journey becomes inextricably linked with the tides of global history, how far will she go to unravel the truth? By turns wickedly funny and strikingly lyrical, Benedict Lombes Lava is an explosive debut play that will turn the way you see the world on its axis. It premiered at the Bush Theatre, London, in July 2021, performed by Ronke Adkoluejo and directed by Anthony Simpson-Pike. Review Quotes [A] red-hot eruption of a monologue. -- Time Out A captivating, continent-spanning one-woman show... encompass[es] light comedy with heavy truths. -- Guardian A monologue about diaspora, identity and belonging, [ Lava ] seethes with rage and pain, and glows with joy, a celebration of black strength and excellence, as much as an unflinching social and historical reckoning. Lombes writing has a sinewy poeticism and warm, effortless wit... A legacy of trauma -- slavery, colonial exploitation, apartheid -- collides with intimate personal experience, producing a narrative of volcanic force... the play is always pulsingly impassioned. Brilliant, blistering theatre. -- The Times About the Author Benedict Lombe is a British Congolese writer and theatre-maker based in London. Her debut play Lava was premiered by the Bush Theatre, London, in 2021.