Kofi's story - an educational talk

Kofi’s Story — Kent Opera's real-life dramatisation of a young man caught up in knife crime — premiered at an event hosted by The Prince’s Trust just before Christmas 2023.

The enactment of the true story, which was directed and recorded by film student Neve Conlan, was the culmination of our 2023 campaign “Lives Not Knives” to fight weapons with words.

Our campaign objective was twofold – to work directly with young people who were at risk, and to utilise their experiences in a way that would inform others.

Holding regular knife crime-related workshops throughout the year, we worked one-to-one with young people who were involved — or in danger of being involved —  in knife crime. Whilst supporting and helping them to find a positive way forward, Kent Opera captures their stories, which we craft into performative narratives.

Kofi’s Story (previewed here) is our first dramatisation of a true story. As we work to create more this year with our 2024 Campaign “Bluntly Put”, we are keen to share Kofi’s experience with a wider audience to educate others on the dangers of carrying a weapon.