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Written by ahmad
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Friday, 14 March 2008 |
Saturday 15th March,
7.30pm
Presentation by the people of 'The Freedom Theatre' in
Jenin
Using the arts as a model for social change, The Freedom Theatre is developing the only professional venue
for theatre and arts in the north of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The
aim of this project is to empower and give voice to the children of
Jenin Refugee Camp through a unique programme of workshops and
activities in theatre, supporting arts and multi-media, ranging in their
emphasis from the largely therapeutic and healing, to the presentation of
high-quality artistic products
Isolated from the world and subject to nightly
incursions by the Israeli Army, the children from Jenin Refugee Camp are growing
up amidst a seemingly endless cycle of violence and oppression. Living with
chronic fear, depression and often deeply traumatised, they are largely deprived
of a normal childhood in which to play, experiment, and develop a healthy and
meaningful sense of themselves and their surroundings.
The vision of The Freedom
Theatre builds upon a unique project, Care and Learning, run by Arna Mer
Khamis in Jenin Camp during the First Intifada and documented in the film
Arna's Children (2004). Arna's project
focused on using theatre and arts to address the children's immediate trauma,
chronic fear and depression resulting from the violence of the Occupation and
Intifada. At the same time, the fierce and energetic humanity of this woman, who
was born to a Jewish family and who had chosen to live and work among them,
challenged the children with possibilities for an alternative reality. The
Stone Theatre, which was built as part of Arna's project, was destroyed in
the Israeli invasion of the camp in 2002.
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