Bhasker Patel and Nusrath Tapadar in Camdenwalla [Harry Elletson]

CAMDENWALLA is a fascinating dive into the history of the Camden Monitoring Project, a community-led organisation founded in the 1990s to document racist violence in north London and provide safe transport for local Bengalis facing harassment.

Founded as a response to several racist murders, among them Altab Ali, Richard Everitt and Stephen Lawrence, the organisation operated at a time when such attacks were routinely dismissed by a police force that couldn’t be trusted to help. Their base was in the same building that houses CPT today.

Drawing on conversations with Camden’s Bangladeshi community, Johnny Khan’s drama feels timely despite its period setting. How much really has changed?

The modest office is run by Muhammad (Bhasker Patel). The action unfolds over one night in 1994, when his 16-year-old niece Alima (Nusrath Tapadar) arrives bearing food.

As they banter, the phone never stops ringing. Muhammad logs and files everything from verbal abuse to physical assault, arranging safe transport for each caller. Every so often Tapadar steps out of character to voice their frantic pleas in Bengali, a device that pulls us into the action.

Uncle and niece argue over what constitutes activism, and how best to respond to racism.

Some groups, Alina knows, are ready to fight back and meet violence with violence.

At just an hour, the play might have benefited from focusing less on the intergenerational dynamic between Muhammad and Alima and more on the wider political stakes.

Developed through archival research and testimony from residents in the Drummond Street area, Camdenwalla is admirably thorough, and well-acted. Khan’s gentle production simmers, though never quite ignites.

Until July 4
cptheatre.co.uk/