Eric Ngalle Charles is a long way from home. Born in Buea in Cameroon, he wasn't always known as Eric - he went by the name of Mosre Mo Ngwa in his homeland, his maternal grandfather's name which loosely translates to 'Dog of Dawn'.
Today, the 43-year-old poet, author and playwright calls Ely, Cardiff home. His arrival to Wales was "serendipitous" he laughed, a happier happenstance in a traumatic life that saw Eric flee Cameroon aged just 17 fearing for his life. For all the trauma that he's survived, Eric has a warm open nature that invites people in to his world and a lyrical voice that occasional sways towards a thick animated Cameroonian accent as he describes certain events.
He smiles knowingly, laughs often and has an intense gaze as he listens to every question. None of his answers are flippant. In fact, they are the very opposite as he recounts stories of escaping his father's family, becoming a victim of human trafficking and ending up with a one-way student visa to Russia instead of Belgium. He came to Wales on a Zimbabwean passport obtained on the black market and which declared him to be in his sixties.
