Article in the Sunday Leader about the rerun

The Sunday Leader, January 30th 2011

Rerun Of The Gaza Mono-Logues

We cannot glorify death, whether in the battlefield or otherwise. We, on the other hand, must celebrate life and we are fiercely committed to protecting and securing the sanctity of life, which is the most fundamental value without which all other rights and freedoms become meaningless.”
— Dr. Neelan Tiruchelvam, in Parliament (June 15, 1999)

Dr. Neelan Tiruchelvam was a scholar, a legislator, as well as a practicing lawyer, social scientist and politician who worked to resolve the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka through non-violent political means, including consensus building, negotiation and constitutional reform. He was the founder director of the International Centre for Ethnic Studies and The Law and Society Trust: two of Sri-Lanka’s leading research and policy organisations. Dr. Tiruchelvam was assassinated on July 29, 1999.

In his career as a public intellectual Dr. Tiruchelvam built bridges and sought common ground in a deeply divided society through scholarship, activism and politics. His thoughts and actions were animated by a personal philosophy of humanism, peace and non-violence. Firmly committed to change and reform for resolving deep-rooted problems of the Sri Lankan society, he sought to spearhead transformation through dialogue, tolerance and deliberation.

In keeping with the values that he lived and worked for – The Neelan Tiruchelvam Trust will commemorate the 67th birth anniversary of the late Dr. Neelan Tiruchelvam with the staging of The Gaza Mono-Logues – which brings into focus the issue of children growing up in contexts of war.Over the last 30 years, the young people and children of Sri Lanka have had varying experiences of war, conflict and violence. Geographic location and individual circumstances have shaped the disparate nature of these experiences and contributed to the varying degrees of understanding of the situation. These varying experiences however do not take away from the fact that while some children were impacted by the direct violence, loss of family and homes, every child’s life and psychology have been altered by being witness to war.

In 2010, supported by UNICEF, a group of Palestinian youth between the ages of 14 and 18 were trained in workshops using drama therapy and creative writing techniques. The first three months of workshop focused on the wounds of the Gaza attack of December 2008-January 2009, the individual experiences of each youth, their dreams, fears and hopes. The youth in these workshops documented their stories and experiences that led to creation of The Gaza Mono-Logues.

The Gaza Mono-Logues later developed into a global initiative for peace and non-violence with Ashtar Theatre in Palestine inviting theatre companies from its global artistic network to produce performances of the text with youth groups in 30 world cities. In October 2010, the Floating Space Theatre Company, based in Colombo joined the New York Theatre Workshop, The Pegasus, Oxford and companies based in Gaza Ramallah, Jenin, Hebron and Nazareth among others to produce the monologues.

Directed by Jake Oorloff, the performance highlighted the issues, experiences and tragedy of children caught in situations of war all over the world. Two sold out shows at the Goethe Institut in October 2010 was followed by positive feedback about the production and the awareness raised about the experiences of children in conflict.

For the second stage of the project, one cast member from the Colombo production, Tasmin Anthonisz of Ladies College joined an international cast which performed The Gaza Mono-Logues in New York at the General Assembly of the United Nations for its annual meeting on The Question of Palestine. At the UN, the 22 young international participants performed in 12 languages at noon at the Conference Hall, facing an audience of ambassadors, country representatives and NGO leaders, who gathered on November 29, 2010 to debate the inalienable rights of the Palestinian People. Various media channels covered the event. Another performance of The Gaza Mono-Logues took place that evening at the Lobby of the United Nations, during the inauguration of the photo exhibition of UNRWA Summer Camp in Gaza.

Floating Space believes that the process of children in Colombo working on the text and production – and the subsequent performance with the international cast – was an expression of solidarity with children in similar situations as experienced by children in Sri Lanka, and those who support initiatives for peace and non-violence. “As Sri Lanka seeks to recover from our haunting past, its recognition acknowledgment and validation is significant in an attempt to heal,” says Oorloff.

Directed by Jake Oorloff and produced by Iromi Perera, the rerun of The Gaza Mono-Logues will be staged at the Park Street Mews, at 50/1 Park Street, Colombo 2 on February 5th and 6th at 7.30 p.m. Tickets priced at Rs 500 are available at the Park Street Mews.

“The war ended on the ground but it’s still there in my head. I want to be like any other child in this world…” – Mahmud (Born 1995, Al Saftawi Street)