WEST BANK: AL KASABE PALESTINIAN THEATRE GROUP PERFORM SKETCHES "ALIVE FROM PALESTINE- STORIES UNDER OCCUPATION"

Record ID: 391437

  • Title: WEST BANK: AL KASABE PALESTINIAN THEATRE GROUP PERFORM SKETCHES "ALIVE FROM PALESTINE- STORIES UNDER OCCUPATION"
  • Date: 24th June 2001
  • Summary: RAMALLAH, WEST BANK (JUNE 24, 2001) (REUTERS) VARIOUS, AL-KASABE ACTORS HIDDEN UNDERNEATH PILES OF NEWSPAPERS (2 SHOTS)
  • Embargoed: 9th July 2001 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: RAMALLAH, WEST BANK
  • City:
  • Country: Palestinian Territories
  • Topics: Conflict,Entertainment,General,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA7HU8MOJU23P1WGKSMVY0E74I2
  • Story Text: A group of Palestinian theatre performers has found an artistic response to the violence which has dominated their lives for almost nine months. Through various theatrical sketches, the Al-Kasabe theatre group projects the events of the Palestinian uprising in Alive From Palestine: Stories Under Occupation.
    Overshadowed by nine months of violence, the Al-Kasabe theatre group has transformed the events of the Intifada into an art, by performing monologues depicted from Palestinians daily experiences of the uprising.
    Through various theatrical sketches, dances and songs, the Al-Kasabe performers began reflecting the revolt by giving different perspectives on how the on-going violence has affected the lives of ordinary people.
    The general director of the Al-Kasabe theatre, George Ibrahim sees that the performance, which is called Alive From Palestine: Stories Under Occupation, is a theatrical representation of events, stemmed out of personal experiences reflected on stage.
    The actors are part of the Palestinian people, so what we are doing these days is to see things and make the reflection on stage -- feel things and make the reflection on stage, he said.
    The selection of monologues, all of which are written by the performers themselves, are a direct response to development of events of the uprising.
    Haunted by Israeli imposed blockades, violence and political developments, each week actors would perform an evening of monologues, unloading their opposition to Israeli measures.
    One of the main themes of performance is the issue of media coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
    Twenty-four-year old Palestinian director of Alive in Palestine: Stories Under Occupation, Nizar Zubi stated that the events of the uprising have truned Palestinians into mere newspaper items.
    Zubi utilised the usage of piles of newspapers as part of the theatre design to illustrate how newspapers have had channeled Palestinians interests towards media outlets.
    According to Zubi, the performance also attempts to show that, while the media has transformed the conflict into another news item, the deteriorating situation is affecting ordinary human beings.
    Being reduced into an article had to have the other direction of, from an article into a human being said Zubi.
    While the monologues performed are mainly political, the performance, which will be presented in London at the Royal Court this week, intends to show that the three million Palestinians living under the Israeli occupation care about other issues; art. But an art of a politically loaded nature.
    "I can be on the stage and this is very important for me.
    They should not think that the people from Ramallah are, what they call terrorists or mobs. This is not correct. We are not mobs, we are a nation, with all qualities found in others - and perhaps even more" said Palestinian performer Khaleifeh Natoor.
    The West Bank city of Ramallah, one of the main cultural and economic centres in the Palestinian territories, has been a centre stage not only for art but also for bloodletting.
    At least 466 Palestinians, 118 Israelis and 13 Israeli Arabs have been killed in the unrest.
    Al-Kasabe, which was first founded in Jerusalem in 1970 and later relocated to Ramallah, has two theatre halls, an art gallery and a restaurant. Al-Kasabe is seen by Palestinians as a place where people can enjoy art and culture, despite the current political crisis.
    "During the shelling of Ramallah, you can come to the theatre and see that the theatre is full with people -- seeing a play or listening to music or seeing a movie and the Israelis were shelling -- in the same hours -- Ramallah" said Ibrahim. "Under this shelling people want to come and live their life -- their cultural life and that is fantastic."
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