JORDAN: Jordanian comedy act perform satirical play 'Raise your voice' for Ramadan

Record ID: 406894

  • Title: JORDAN: Jordanian comedy act perform satirical play 'Raise your voice' for Ramadan
  • Date: 21st July 2013
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ACTRESS PLAYING KHADRA, RANIA ISMAIL, SAYING: "The play 'Raise your Voice' presents many ideas, of course it discusses the current difficulties we are facing in the country, and we reflect the reality of the Jordanian citizen. One of the issues we brought up was the 'Herak' movement and the protests and demonstrations taking place in the country. We support any movements that will lead to reform, and that will battle corruption and work to eliminate it."
  • Embargoed: 5th August 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Jordan
  • Country: Jordan
  • Topics: Entertainment,General,Politics,Religion
  • Reuters ID: LVA8WVEJHLBFS2DR6HBXKKYZKHA1
  • Story Text: Fans of the popular Jordanian comedy act, Zaal and Khadra, filled Amman's Royal Cultural Centre to watch their latest satirical play 'Raise your voice'.
    The comedy act have been a staple on Jordanian television and have put on a comedy show during Ramadan for the past nine years.
    One half of the duo, actress Rania Ismail, said that the play hopes to address political issues that Jordan have been facing over recent years, such as protests by 'Herak' (the popular protest movement), against what they say is corruption in the political system.
    "The play 'Raise your Voice' presents many ideas, of course it discusses the current difficulties we are facing in the country, and we reflect the reality of the Jordanian citizen. One of the issues we brought up was the 'Herak' movement and the protests and demonstrations taking place in the country. We support any movements that will lead to reform, and that will battle corruption and work to eliminate it," said Ismail, who plays Khadra.
    The play is divided into several sketches, each addressing a separate issue such as increasing commodity prices and refugees entering the country.
    One of the sketches discusses the recent influx of Syrian refugees into Jordan.
    In one scene, Zaal considers moving to the Zaatari refugee camp, which holds around 115,000 Syrian refugees, in order to avoid the high prices of commodities.
    Hasan Sabaileh, who plays Zaal and also wrote the play, says their act is not just about entertaining people, but also about commenting on society and delivering a political message.
    "Our goal is not to present a comedy for the sake of comedy, that's our motto. We try to present plays which deliver a message, and we hope that the audience will think of this message and act upon it. It is very important to us that our stage is the stage of the mind and to laugh, so our aim is that our audience understands the messages we present, and use it to try to change their lifestyle and habits," Sabaileh said.
    Due to high demand, additional shows of the play are expected to be scheduled throughout the holy month of Ramadan.
    The duo recently performed a play called 'Your Health is Everything' for an audience of 200 Palestinian refugees, as part of the the United Nations Relief and Works Agency's campaign to battle diabetes and high blood pressure.
    Jordan has been host to large U.N. camps for Palestinian refugees for more than six decades.
    Zaal and Khadra's next play will focus on raising awareness regarding traffic safety.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2013. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register