Oliver Twist

Oliver Twist's Biography

Oliver Twist was four years old when he and his family fled the aftermath of genocide in Rwanda for Malawi. What followed was a 14-year long journey to freedom, which culminated in Twist moving to Australia where he began creating shows for stage.

Refusing to be defined by a turbulent past, comedian and performer Oliver Twist reflects on his time as a refugee while carefully unpacking his present-day experiences. Delicately told and impossible to forget, his one-person shows proves that exceptional hilarious storytelling can be a powerful antidote to traumatic experiences.

Oliver has turned the turmoil he and his family endured into a thrilling adventure of a hero's journey. A natural born storyteller, propelled from the cold alleys of a Malawian refugee camp to the warm spotlight of the Australian stage, he vividly describes what it’s like to leave your homeland behind and to have to wait your whole childhood for life to begin.

Powerful, heartbreaking and full of humour, Jali, Oliver’s memoir, marks the arrival of a dazzling new voice.

A writer and an actor. He has toured Australia and abroad with his critically acclaimed shows Jali and Griot, and appeared on SBS, the ABC, STAN and The Project. As a comic, he has been chosen to open for the best national and international acts. His work has been lauded full of talent both by critics and by audiences, gaining him award nominations for my work.

Speaking Topics Include

Gratitude, Overcoming Hardship, Asylum Seekers, Family, and much more.