Less complicated than the long-winded title may suggest, this play focuses on just two characters - a Rwandan refugee and a failing British writer.
Set in a London refugee hostel, I have before me a remarkable document given to me by a young lady from Rwanda examines the relationship between the pair and how their differing interpretations of self, truth and writing affect their interaction.
Juliette comes to London following the horrific Rwandan genocide of 1994, which saw her country lose 800,000 people - among them her own family.
Wishing to articulate the horrors that she witnessed, she writes a detailed account with a view to getting it published and exposing the real story of the terrors that took place.
Her only problem is that her account is written in her native tongue.
Writer Simon wants to help Juliette but, once translated, her account reads as nothing more than a catalogue of events, all as she experienced them, without drive or introspection. This is, it becomes clear, the way she sees things - it is what happened, plain and simple.
Simon's attitude to his art is challenged as he attempts to explain to Juliette why her work cannot be published in its basic form. It becomes obvious that their disagreement goes beyond personal opinion and into realms more profound than he could imagine.
Persuading Juliette to use her descriptive powers to re-write the book revives painful memories for her, raising demons that must be exorcised.
The combination of Simon, a supposedly 'wise' man in his mid-40s, and the young, feisty Juliette brings an element of humour to the at times harrowing piece, creating a believable friendship between two unlikely companions.
Playwright Sonja Linden was working for the Medical Foundation For The Care Of Victims Of Torture when she met a young Rwandan refugee who turned to writing in an attempt to come to terms with her ordeal.
"What started out as a testimonial act, the writing out of her family's experience of genocide, became, in addition, an act of healing," Linden says.
"It meant confronting and expressing with full force the negative emotions that overwhelmed her in the years following the genocide."
Coming as part of Brighton Black History Month, I Have Before Me... shows how the reality of the the genocide in Rwanda remains raw to those who suffered it, as they are left with memories as tormenting as the experience itself.
Starts: 7pm, Tickets: £8.50/£6, Tel: 01273 647100
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article