World Culture Festival: Palestinian plight, war trauma take centre stage
Audience mesmerised by performances of "Body Revolution" & "And Here I Am" at festival sponsored by Geo and Jang group
October 25, 2024
Compelling and mind-boggling theatre performances, detailing impacts of war on mental health and life of a displaced Palestinian, took centre stage on the 30th day of the World Culture Festival 2024 at the Arts Council of Pakistan on Friday.
The day began with a musical theatre “Body Revolution” — an evocative piece explores the impact of war and violence on the human body.
Theatre-maker Mokhallad Rasem, alongside choreographer Ehsan Hemat, delves into how the body reacts to fear and violence, revealing a dancing soul between visible and invisible bodies.
The play was presented at ACP Auditorium 1 at 8pm today.
The day also featured a personal theatre performance “And Here I Am from Palestine”. Written by Hassan Abdulrazzak and directed by Zoe Lafferty, this play was performed by Ahmed Tobasi, with a translation by Eyas Younis.
The play traces the transformative journey of actor Ahmed Tobasi, from growing up in the Jenin Refugee Camp, his imprisonment, to his pursuit of freedom in Norway.
Against the backdrop of the Palestinian intifadas, Tobasi navigates themes of identity, resistance, and the cost of defiance, reflecting the larger Palestinian struggle and the resilience of the human spirit.
The play offered a raw and poignant exploration of culture as a form of resistance, blending personal narrative with historical and political context.
A day earlier, both children and adults revelled at the Arts Council of Pakistan as a mime play and a children's theatre captivated the audience.
The day began with Eurythmy West Mainland's "The Three Gifts of the North Wind" — a timeless fairy tale drama which enchanted both the young and the young at heart.
A mime play called "Inspiritus", created and performed by Sierra Camille & Dan Griffiths from the United States was also featured on the 29th day.
The performance, which is an enduring and ageless story of art, ran 45 minutes with no intermission, allowing the audience to understand art without any dialogues.
The festival features more than 450 artists from 40 different countries and will continue till November 2 at the ACP Karachi.
Geo and Jang group are the media partners of the ACP in the World Culture Festival. Tickets for the event can be easily obtained from the ACP and Ticketwala service.
