Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, the city of fear. Baghdad’s streets are permanently filled with music, music of a different sort. Ambulance sirens, loud explosions, the screams of civilians, and the cry of a relative who has one less to hold- these are the sounds of Baghdad, the music that the city sings. Many have gone to explore this capital, from Journalists, to politicians, to researches, to activists. One such individual who has taken the city’s voice and transformed it into a new kind of Journalism is Annet Hennenmen.
Annet Hennenmen, originally from Spain, is the founder, director, and actor of theatre group- Teatro di Nacosta, meaning Hidden Theatre. The theatre group was founded 14 yrs ago in order to create awareness amongst the world about the conditions of civilians in a conflict zone, economically unstable, or a war torn country. This genre of theatre uses art as a medium of journalism. Travelling through India, Iran, Palestine, Turkey, Jordan and Iraq, Annet tells real life stories from the perspective of the people who are living them. The theatre group was essentially founded for theatre reportage on refugees and asylum seekers.
In 2011, Annet decided her next project would be held in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. She spent 8 days with four Iraqi men whose stories spoke volumes about the conditions they were living in. The four men who essentially played the ‘Voices of Baghdad’ were Ali, Fouad, Mustafa, and Yasir. These men, regardless of the risk in doing so, performed this work of theatre reportage to remind their audience of the human lives behind all the statistics, the significance in human terms of yet another political or religious explosion. The men aged 28, have lived through three wars, namely the Iran-Iraq war, the Gulf war, and the recently ended American war.
The rehearsals were held in a building opposite ‘Our lady of Salvation Catholic Church’,’ where in 2010, a bomb blast left 52 people dead. The premier performance took place in Erbil on the 8th of October 2011. The audience included people from Basra, Baghdad, and Erbil, and it was said that intense emotion was felt through the hall at the end of the performance. It was at the end of the show, that Annet addressed the audience and said, “I wanted to share with the people because sharing creates understanding and that understanding can start to make little changes.”
‘Voices of Baghdad’ gave importance to the pain and suffering felt amongst the people of Baghdad, along with the sufferings faced during three wars and one internal revolution. The major problems underlined were the Al-Qaeda attacks, Kurdish rebels, and sectarian suicide bombers who attack all parts of the country. The scenes enacted showed the streets of Baghdad which were lined with unpredictable mines and explosives, as well as random gun firing. The theatre group also tackled the issue of the common car bombs that set off at places such as police stations, markets, hospitals, commercial zones, water treatment plants etc. They also stressed on the hygiene factor of the city mainly targeting the fact that many parts of the city are void of garbage collection. Water and electricity even if present, are available only for certain parts of the day, and this was another issue which was focused on.
Annet Hennenmen, stated that her close involvement with her actors, made her feel like she was playing the mother of South Iraq. The familiarity created due to sharing such intense stories of war, losing family members, of witnessing explosions, or seeing people die on the roads, made the actors her children who she wanted to encourage to speak loud and be heard. She realized in the course of her stay that while some left Baghdad, others decided to stay since even though it was full of danger, it was eventually their home. Annet said that even though once she left she knew the situation would remain the same, her theatre performances she hoped, would bring about a sense of empathy and understanding.
In her work, Annet ensured a feeling which made the people of Baghdad and Iraq realize that they were not alone in their moment of torture, in the solitude of their cell. Making one aware meant that by just the act of making them aware, meant that you had done something. Done something in a way which helped changed their understanding of the lives of people through war, or the ones who had escaped war.
One of the largest breakthrough’s for the actors of ‘Voices in Baghdad’ was the fact that they were amongst 30 performers, writers, artists, journalists, directors, and musicians from Egypt, Turkey, Palestine, Spain, Holland, Afghanistan, and the UK, to make their voice heard at the international meetings held in Volterra, Italy. The meetings held from 27th October to the 30th of October focused on making the public aware of people living through oppression, conflict, imprisonment, and poverty.
The theatre performance in Baghdad was important in a way which made people stand besides the tortured, living in the same difficult situation, and not above them. It helped in bringing an understanding between the victims and the audience as a feeling of ‘empathy’ rather than ‘sympathy’ was discovered. Creating such strong motivational links is important to create a network of change and progress. Baghdad needs the world to lend a helping hand, and what better way to do so than to see a performance which helps you fit in their shoes?
ZAHRA AMIRUDDIN-3742
No comments:
Post a Comment