Theatre and Conflict

bristol | peace | event notice Thursday October 18, 2012 21:37 by Randell Brantley randellbrantley at googlemail dot com

“We do not have the luxury of despair, but the steadfast hope that we can make a change for our children and the generations to come that all of us can be proud of.” 

Theatre has long provided a way of exploring and challenging the world we live in, the stereotypes and prejudices that often shape the way we see others.  It is an emotional and sensory experience for performer and actor alike.  In places of war or conflict, in refugee camps, towns under curfew or cities occupied - theatre continues to provide a means of transformation and exploration for children and adults alike.

This evening's talk explores recent exhibitions and theatrical performances by children from the Alrowwad Cultural and Theatre Society at the Aida refugee camp, Bethlehem. The Aida refugee camp has a population of about 5,000 people who come from 41 of the 534 different villages that were destroyed or occupied in 1948 and 1967. The centre practices what  Dr Abdelfattah Abusrour, calls “beautiful resistance” against the Israeli Occupation and against patriarchy by offering after-school courses in dance, music, and theatre twice a week for middle- and elementary-school age children, as well as courses in video and photography, which Abusrour describes as a way to show “Palestine through Palestinian eyes.” Alrowwad also began the first fitness program for women and the first soccer team for girls in a Palestinian refugee camp.  Photos from the centre will be exhibited at the Parlour Showrooms between the 10th and 16th December, 2012.

The evening is hosted Dr Dawn Fowler of the University of the West of England.  Her main research and teaching interests are representations of war and conflict on stage and theatre and Human Rights.

Presented by Bristol Palastine Film Festival. At Hamilton House on Wednesday 24th October 2012 at 19:00.

Tickets £2 available on the door from 18.30 arrive early to avoid disappointment.

All proceeds go Friends of Alrowwad UK