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The young
actors and actresses of the Palestinian Al-Rowwad Theatre Group.
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Her
eyes and the tattoo on her hands are Palestinian,
Her
name, Palestinian,
Her
dreams and sorrow, Palestinian,
Her
kerchief, her feet and body, Palestinian,
Her
words and her silence, Palestinian,
Her
voice, Palestinian,
Her
birth and her death, Palestinian.
Those
verses of the great Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwich were the words Al- Rowwad
Theatre Group used as an introduction to all their performances in Cairo last
week.
“We
Are the Children of the Camp” opened with playful gestures. The young actors
and actresses of the Palestinian Al-Rowwad Theatre Group entered the stage
energetically greeting and jesting with each other in a carefree pantomime.
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Al-Rowwad
logo.
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The
actors are life-long residents of the Aida Refugee Camp in Bethlehem. Under the
direction and guidance of Dr. Abdel Fattah Abu Srour, the children of the camp
put up a “beautiful resistance” in the face of Israeli occupation.
“We
Are the Children of the Camp” juxtaposed video footage with live acting to
give audiences the opportunity to put a human face on the violence that often
seems so far removed from their realities.
The
performance began with a short video history of the Israeli occupation, which
was then retold orally with song and interpretive dance. It was the actors’
commentary on the video, and reaffirmation of the events successfully gave
context to the imagery. The most effective part of the performance in terms of
rousing the emotions of the audience was at a point in which the dialogue
between the actors and the video actually became an interaction. An explosion
rang out on the video projection and the children on the
stage
dived for the floor covering their heads. This very visceral exchange between
the abstracted sights and sounds of media and the all too human reactions of the
children on stage hit home with many audience members, leaving some in tears.
Al-Rowwad
Theatre Group was brought to Cairo through the efforts of Faculty for Palestine
at the American University in Cairo (AUC) and as a part of AUC’s Year of
Palestine initiative. Along with two performances of “We Are the Children of
the Camp”, AUC hosted an evening of “Testimonies by Al-Rowwad Children”, a
“Dabka Dance and Puppet Show” for children and an evening lecture with
Al-Rowwad director, Dr. Abdel Fattah Abu Srour.
Faculty
for Palestine has hosted many other guests as part of the Year of Palestine
initiative. Edward Said and Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwich have been among the
most esteemed. This is not to mention many other guests, art exhibitions and
performances that focused on cultural expression to understand and cope with the
Israeli/ Palestinian conflict.
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Children
living in the Aida Camp participate in something truly human in the face
of so much inhumanity.
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Al-Rowwad
Theatre Group was created especially for this purpose. Dr. Abdel Fattah Abu
Srour felt the need to give the children living in the Aida Camp an outlet for
creative, constructive expression and the opportunity to participate in
something truly human in the face of so much inhumanity.
"The
main aim of this declared year of Palestine has been to raise in permanent
consciousness the struggle that the Palestinians face everywhere in their daily
life," Nada Essa, a student in Faculty for Palestine told IslamOnline.
“It has also acted as a focus for action, including the gathering together of
a 4-truck strong humanitarian convoy, the funding of a permanent scholarship at
Birzeit University, and the Al-Rowwad project initiative itself,” Nada added.
The
initiative of bringing Al-Rowwad Theatre Group to Cairo was proposed in
September 2002. Since then a steering committee of Faculty for Palestine has
worked patiently and diligently to realize the dream of bringing them here.
When
asked at the lecture about the potency of art as a form resistance, Dr. Abdel
Fattah’s reply was one that affirmed his belief that there is more than one
form of resistance.
The
form of resistance he chooses for the children of the Aida Camp is a peaceful
one. Dr. Abdel Fattah understands that these children are going to grow up to be
the leaders of the country and will be better able to deal with conflicts in a
non-violent way if they are given way to express their fear and frustration in a
way that promotes understanding.
Dr.
Abdel Fattah also believes that it is very beneficial that the children in his
theatre group are able to travel and perform for audiences outside of the Camp
in order for audiences to better understand what the Palestinian children are
going through. Dr. Abdel Fattah also made it clear at his lecture last Wednesday
night that “These performances are not in the spirit of charity, but, rather
in the spirit of an exchange.”
And
in regards to the idea of exchange, he said, “Travel is important for the
children in the group to present a situation that better enables them to
understand the uniqueness and abnormality of their situation.”
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Al-Rowwad
is a place for life to flourish.
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It
is important for the children to perform for foreign audiences, but it has been
very difficult for them to gain permission to travel. In the year 2000,
performances were easily held in Sweden and Denmark, but organizing a visit to
Cairo took eight months along with two long months to get the children their
travel visas.
In
a special interview with the director of Al-Rowwad Center, Dr. Abdel Fattah Abu
Srour, he said that Al-Rowwad Culture and Theatre Center is located in Aida
Refugee Camp in Bethlehem.
“Our
goal behind building this center was to provide a focus for cultural, artistic,
and theatrical resistance to the Israeli occupation,” he said.
He
added that he was born in Aida Refugee Camp, then he traveled to France to
continue his studies. After he went back to Palestine in 1994, he found that the
children of the camp had no place to play, so they played in the streets, where
they become victims of the Israeli army and its bullets. So he started to think
about a place where the children of the camp would have an opportunity to learn
and play.
“I
do not want the child to die; I do not want to add a new number to the list of
martyrs. In those current circumstances, the death of another child won’t do
any good, it won’t liberate us. The thing that will liberate us is education
and arts and that is why we created this center in 1998 to resist, through it,
with the weapons of arts and education,” Dr. Abdel Fattah added.
The
children’s life-long residence, the Aida Refugee Camp houses some 4,000 people
from 35 villages, 40% of whom are children under the age of 15 years. In tightly
crowded facilities where there is insufficient housing, no clinic, 70%
unemployment, and no place for children to play, Al-Rowwad Center acts not only
as a theatrical training center, but also as a refuge for the spirit. Sprung
from a youth center that was housed at the beginning of the first Intifada in a
very vulnerable location, Al-Rowwad Center opened in April of 1998 at a safer
location in a two-room home in the center of the camp.
The
theatre group is only one part of Al-Rowwad’s mission. The children are
encouraged to explore many kinds of cultural and expressive activities. The
center sponsors art and craft workshops in collaboration with local artists,
English language courses, animation workshops, computer training, a public
library, and also hosts a number of outings.
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Aida
Camp
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The
main objective of Al-Rowwad Center is to “develop a cultural and theatre
training center in the camp and equip it with all the equipment and instruments
needed for it to function independently, so that it would not continuously
depend on donations. This will permit the center to help the children to
overcome and manage the recent stress and violence imposed on them and
encourages self-expression through peaceful means (drama and art) in a secure
and healthy environment, where they could also use the library and computers.
The long-term objective is to establish a complete and permanent cultural and
theatre training center in the camp.”
Ultimately
Al-Rowwad is a place for life to flourish and for children to be trained in
artistic modes of expression to help them to deal constructively and healthily
with their unfortunate reality. Ultimately, the outputs of the program hope to
allow these children grow up to be emotionally healthy individuals despite their
circumstances.
Dr.
Abdel Fattah has high aspirations for the future of Al-Rowwad, which are clearly
outlined in Al-Rowwad’s official web page. He hopes Al-Rowwad will construct
its own four-floor building which will house — along with the library and
computer center — a kindergarten, a health clinic, and a multi-purpose hall
that can be used for workshops and performances.
Al-Rowwad
still has a long way to go until it meets its material goal. In spirit, however,
Al-Rowwad is flourishing.
“It
is easy to go toward ugliness, but it is not easy to go toward beauty and
education,” Dr. Abdel Fattah Abu Srour.
For
more information about the Al-Rowwad center
contact:
Bethlehem
P.O. Box 989- Palestine
