Rosca Onya: War zones, gangs, prison, music
When Rosca Onya was nine, he came to London as a refugee. His native country of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) had descended into civil war. He and his brothers and sisters spent four years living in refugee camps, separated from their parents. The family was eventually reunited in the UK.And although it was a safer place than he had previously lived, London was no sanctuary for the youngster.He, his seven siblings and his mum and dad all squashed into a two-bedroom flat.He was picked on at school in Plumstead because he spoke no English, and home was made difficult by a father traumatised by his years of military detention, which he took out on his children.Afraid at home and at school, young Rosca found solace in the streets.
"People made fun, but I had a group of older kids who used to look after me. "I got that sense of belonging that I was looking for, I didn't have any friends, so hanging around with the kids on the estate gave me a sense of belonging and I used to feel that they treated me well, so I latched onto that."We used to play football and they would buy me chicken and chips, and there would be a car pulling up and I would be asked to drop something into a car and that was it".He didn't understand at the time that he was being groomed by a gang, and the errands he did for the older children on the estate made him an accomplice in drug dealing.
By the age of 17 he'd been arrested, charged with possession of a gun, convicted and sentenced to a four-year Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) - an indefinite sentence which has since been abolished. That four-year minimum term became 10 years in jail. In that time he was transferred to 16 different prisons. "I've been to Belmarsh, Isis (Young Offenders Institution)."They just kept moving me around. The one I stayed at for the longest is Grendon - a therapeutic jail."
And it was there that Onya met his mentor, the young man who would change his life - Jack Merritt. Together, they successfully advocated for Onya's release, and after that they gave talks and speeches about prison reform. But in November 2019, Mr Merritt, a Cambridge graduate working to rehabilitate prisoners through the Learning Together programme, was a victim of the London Bridge stabbings.He was killed during one of his prison rehabilitation conferences, at the hands of terrorist Usman Khan.Onya, who had been on his way to the conference when it happened, said: "It had a massive impact for everyone who was involved, mentally, physically. "I wasn't in a good place for a long time."
"Jack Merritt brought me understanding and peace and faith in humanity. In a nutshell that's what he brought to me, and love. "He didn't see an ex-this or ex-that - he just saw a human being that he wanted to connect with, and wanted to help."Onya's first musical success came with a tribute to Mr Merritt, released on the anniversary of his death.The track Jack included the lyrics: The changes Jack wanted now happening fast,His name is the future and a bit of the past,He lives on strong with the lessons he taught,He lives on strong in every thought.
Now 34, Onya uses music to heal."If you'd seen what I've seen through these eyes" he raps, referring to the DRC, but equally applicable to his lifetime of struggle.World Heart Beat, a recording studio in Vauxhall, is dedicated to nurturing young talent. He has only been with his current band for a matter of weeks, but they are very much in tune with one another, blending rap, and afro-soul.
He is also working towards helping young people who might find themselves in difficulty.He said he donates money from the proceeds of his shows to charities that "bring in young people and take them off the streets and give them opportunities."His advice to those youngsters is: "Don't quit. "Don't give up on yourself, don't go latching onto things that wouldn't serve you or get you in trouble later on, just keep focused and just do you. "Just keep going, and doing you."
Onya said his struggles and losses have not been easy to deal with. "For me, prison taught me resilience and perseverance, especially not knowing when you're going home. "And you're going in front of people and they're saying next next year, and then you're eight years in. "For me prison taught me resilience."I believe that people do deserve a second chance. And I believe that we should really tap into young people and elevate them, because there's so much bad stuff happening out there."I just want to do my little bit, if I take three or four people with me, then I've done my job."
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