Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Coffee with Omar (or: My First Step to Understand Iraq)


I've met Omar by chance. To be clear, the Omar I've met was not the Omar I was speaking with about Iraq, Saddam, theater pigeons and war. The Omar I've first met was the one who sold me my first prepay Verizon phone. It was the day after I came back from Israel- overwhelmed by Boston's amazing weather- and needed to replace my cell phone that did not work anymore, due to a finished contract.

Omar (the one from Verizon) asked me where I'm from, and once I realized he's from Iraq, and that we're neighbors from the same troubled region, we developed a great conversation which had nothing to do with cellphones or Verizon contracts. He told me about his longing for his country, about his life as a refugee in the States, and I told him about my interests and ideas about home- that as much as I miss it, it's hard not to criticize its politics.

We part ways, and continued our summer- I had a new phone, and he continued his work at Verizon and his academic career at BU.

I started working at the CST, and as hard as I tried , I couldn't find any reliable books and references about Iraq, the Gulf war or the peculiar relations between Iraqi and pigeons... Everything is from a Western point-of-view; either from American reporter, or American soldier, and I didn't want it to be my ground for the research of the third vision in the play.

And then I had my Eureka moment- and I've decided that it will be a good idea to contact Iraqi people I know... and so, I came back to the Verizon shop in Harvard Square, and begged Omar to share some of his memories/thoughts/experiences/ favorite Iraqi writers with me.

Luckily, he did not think I'm a creep, and sent me an email with a list of his fellow Iraqi friends- who can help me with my research.

And that's how I've met the Omar. Omar Bazzaz. The first Iraqi I've met to talk about all I didn't know, and wouldn't have known, about Iraq.

We set in C3 in Central Square, I introduced myself, took out the play, and the then it started- one of the most interesting conversations I had in a while.

We started discussing about the play- what does he think about the 3rd vision, and if he found some faults in the play.

Omar told me that he really liked the play, and how it focuses on the suffering of the Iraqi people. When I asked him about the story of Ali, the character, and the misery he describes in the vision, Omar answered me clearly; that it was as bad as I can imagine, and in order to survive in Iraq at that time, you had to sell everything. Ali's description of the cheap books at the sidewalks, and the continues searching for food- are all vivid images that Iraqisneeded to go through every day under the sanctions that the Western world brought about as a punishment for Saddam's invasion to Kuwait.

Pigeons, Omar reveled, is a very common hobby in Iraq, and many houses inhabitant them. However, trading them is a costume of the poor societies in Iraq, and consider to be quite despicable. Omar added, that Iraqis who grow pigeons for trading, are been marginalized; for example, the Iraqi court doesn't consider pigeons traders as a reliable witness in court. People from the high class society, like Omar's family, used to have pigeons too- but only doves. He asserts that doves inhabiting was belong to the middle-upper class society- and therefore, he wondered about Ali and his pigeons, and if he came from a high class family or not (after all, Ali had many pigeons other than doves).

Another thing that struck Omar, was Ali's age. Omar believes that there is a great problem to solve about Ali due to Wallace's character description. According to Omar, in '91 there wasn't any general draft to the Iraqi army. If there was a general draft, and the play is taking place in 2000, Omar was supposed to join the Iraqi army at the age of 19, if in 2000 he is "at his late twenties." Omar thinks that that doesn't make sense, because Ali seems to come from a good socio-economical background- not from a family that has to send her child to the army at such a young age.

Although military service is mandatory in Iraq, educated men can get away from that pretty easily. Did Ali voluntarily joined Saddam's army? Why did he joined the army at such a young age? Did he receive his education before or after his military service?

There are many questions to answer about Ali, but at least I got more details about the daily lives of Iraqis under Saddam regime, and the cruel reality under the American occupation.

Omar told me that life under Saddam was miserable, but the American occupation is even worse. Ali reflects the misery and impoverished reality of Iraq under the sanction in the 90's. Omar confirmed it all: the story about the pencils is true, the kids in Iraq barely had papers to write on. Omar emphasized the great effort Saddam's government had made to compensate for the lack of food and water; differently from the lives under the American occupation, the Iraqi government provided basic food for the entire Iraqi population. The food was bad, but at least it was something.

When it came to health and medicine, things were more complicated. Saddam couldn't compensate for the need of medicine, and as written in Ali's vision, many people died due to the simplest reasons: small infection, or a flu. Iraq's ones best in the region medical facilities, became a place of horror and death. Doctors, if they could, fled the country, although there was no country to welcome them. Death and poverty ruled the streets, the economy was destroyed, and crime increased once people turned to desperate actions of stealing and murdering for food and money. Infrastructures were damaged or destroyed, people had no job. The average salary was one dollar a month.

It was fascinating to see how Wallace nailed so many details and politics into this vision, and how well she represents Iraqis like Omar- who grow up in Iraq and suffered both wars- the Gulf War and the American occupation. I would like to investigate further Ali's possible reasons for joining Saddam's army, and to question Omar's insights.I just need to remember that there's so much you can reveal about a character- you cannot have it all.

Omar gave me references to some Iraqi authors and singers that might help me as I continue my research, and I'll be looking for their books and web sites this coming week.

Meanwhile, you can join this FaceBook group OLD IRAQ, which is full of Iraqi nostalgia and longings to the country of palms and doves. As Ali says- "I remember. I remember. Everything we say these days begins with 'I remember'", and I guess many Iraqis feel the same. Maybe they truly feel that all that is left is the past, that the present is harsh, and the future is too distant and vague for them to look at.

Maybe this project is one of many that will change that.

Yours truly,
Renana


Wednesday, July 21, 2010

In Searching for an Old-New Land



" Yuval (in Hebrew, panicked): Oh my God.
Shlomo: Hey, I said where are we?
Yuval (in Hebrew): Oh my God. Oh my God.Oh my God.
(Shlomo slaps Yuval in the face to bring him around.)
Shlomo: Snap out of it. Let's talk about... Tel Aviv? Hu?
Yuval: Yeah. My folks came over from New York to Tel Aviv when they were kids.
Shlomo: Yes, let us start at the beggining? Tel Aviv is... ?
Yuval: All right, all right... Borrowed from the book of Ezekiel
Shlomo: And?
Um Hisham: He doesn't know.
Shlomo: Very likely the only city to be named after a book, Herzl's futuristic and--
Um Hisham: -- not very good, novel Altneuland. First published--
Shlomo: 1902, and translated as--
Yuval: Tel Aviv.
Shlomo: Yes. What useless facts we architects acquire. "
(Fever Chart- Vision One, p. 13-14)

Dear readers,

I couldn't hold my laugh when I've first read the lines above. It amazed me how "nonsensely" a heavy topic such as Herzl's Zionist vision can be. Wallace managed to sneak in such an intelligent note about the history of the Zionist movement through such a sharply funny pause.

However, not everyone can understand the story behind these lines, therefore, I decided to elaborate the following topics:
1. To portray Herzel's character and contribution to the Zionist movement (shortly...)
2. To explain what's inside his book Altneuland
3. Agree with Um- Hisham and her thoughts about the book:
It's not a brilliant book... Least to say.

So... let's accomplish the mission!

Theodor Herzel (or in his Hebrew name: Binyamin Ze'ev Herzel) was born in Austria in 1860, and was a journalist in his profession. All this time he wasn't really interested in his Jewish heritage or differentiating himself from his German nationality, until he witnesses the anti-semitic trail of Dreyfus- a Jewish lieutenant in the France army who was accused for betraying the French Republic.
Herzel was touched by the tragedy, and came to a deep understanding that Jews, no matter how loyal they were to their nations and governments, were always rejected and marginalized by their countries. Herzel realized that Jews should stand up as a nation, and demand a country for themselves. It was quite revolutionary because Herzel was one of the first people to declare Judaism as a nationality, and not merely a religious group.
Herzel's actions were phenomenal- he was anxiously addressing heads of countries and religious leaders; pointing out the crucial problems of the Jews and their need for a country. Just a reminder- we're talking about the begging of the 20th century, when the great waves of anti-Semitism just started. Imagine what would've happened if someone had listened to the guy... maybe we could prevent the Holocaust. Maybe my grandparents wouldn't need to run away from the pogroms.
Herzel died in 1904, and in his short life he established the Zionist Congress, and inspired many Jews to go to Palestine, and build their home in the ancestral land of the Jewish people.
His activities and aspirations brought him his title as the Visionary of the State (of Israel), and he is defiantly one of THE most important personage in the Jewish history and the history of Israel.

And that brings me to his... not so greatly written book: ALTNEULAND (German: Old New Land).
I should have read his book earlier, but I skipped that class in high-school. However, I've read it few weeks ago for my dramaturgy research, and let me tell you one thing-- Herzel might had some great revolutionary ideas, but his writing is... lacking. I must admit that it wasn't a fun read, and it was full of cliches, obvious ideas, and boring illustrations; but considering the fact that it's an Utopian book about the Jewish state, 50 years before it was actually established- it could have been worse.

The book tells about Freidrich, a young Jewish man from Austria, who goes on a trip to Palestine, falls asleep on board and dreams about the new Jewish state. Herzel describes his imaginary tour in Palestine, and the places and the ideas Freidrich encounters. Some parts of the book brings Herzel's suggestions for a nice welfare system in the future country: equal rights to all citizens, modern train system, great educational institutions and many more:

" In philanthropy... we created nothing new. Hospitals, infirmaries, orphan asylums, vacation camps, public kitchen... We are thus able to to care for every sick and needy applicant.There are fewer demands on public charity here because conditions- I have a right to say- are better on the whole"
(Altneuland, Theodor Herzel, Bluch Publishing, p, 77)

Although Herzel raises great ideas about the walks of the liberal Jewish society in the future, he doesn't spare his arrogant vision about the "local population" in the un-utopian Palestine:

" Jaffa made a very unpleasant impression upon them. Though nobly situated on the blue Mediterranean, the town was in a state of extreme decay. Landing was difficult in the forsaken harbor. The alleys were dirty, neglected, full of vile odors. Everywhere misery in bright Oriental rags. Poor Turks, dirty arabs, timid Jews lounged about- indolent, beggary, hopeless. "

(Ibid, p. 42)

I can't tolerate this sort of arrogant-Western writing. If Herzel pictured the European Jews as the "Western Salvation" who would win over the "vile odors" of the "Oriental rags" in Palestine- I would say he got the wrong picture.
It is funny that Herzel criticizes Palestine for being a "dirty oriental" country. When Herzel visited Palestine, the country was still under the occupation of the Ottoman Empire. How could the local population of Palestine prosper under a Turkish occupation, especially at the end of its era, when the Ottoman empire lost its power? Above all, calling them "dirty" is no less than racist and narrow minded.

If Herzel thought that Jews will come and set new rules over the Arab population of Palestine- his ideas can be titled as imperialist and nothing else. A "New Society" as he named it, should emerge from both societies, the Jewish and the Palestinian, and apply to both. Otherwise, it's no better then what happens in iraq nowadays: An American occupation in the name of Democracy, that destroys the local culture and history.
Herzel portrayed the idea of equal rights in his book, but failed to treat the Arab population with respect. That's one of the main reasons I didn't like his book, but I would love to share what I've scanned from it, and let you judge for yourself...

All the best,
Renana

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

The Continues Lost of the People of Gaza


Hello again,

Phil Berman, one of the dramaturgists who works with me in the theater, sent me this New York Post article about Gaza. I'd like to thank him, and to post it here.

This video talks about the desperate situation the people of Gaza are going through in their daily lives, for more than two decades, and especially now- more than a year after the Israeli operation of Cast Lead.


You need more than words in order to illustrate the lives of people who live there, in the occupied territory of Gaza... This video is one of these attempts. I hope you can use it.

Long live free Palestine and the end of the occupation.
Renana

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

The Right To Return- The Palestinian Exile


Dear family,

As promised, I'm dedicating this post for the sensitive subject of the Palestinian exile. Our play, intentionally or not, highlights this subject quit often, and therefore I'd like to explain it and bring some other artistic material about this topic.

Understanding the complex situation of Palestinians in and out of their land, is crucial for the actors who're playing Um-Hisham and Mourid. Both characters speaks out about the land they've been deprived of, their lost of their home lands, and their right to be back:

Shlomo: ... So, my good women, what do you see?
(Um Hisham looks across the land-scape)
Um Hisham: Palestinians.
Shlomo: Exactly! And we are?
Um Hisham: Lunatics.
Shlomo: Protection. Homa Umigdal (i.e. the Wall and Tower model that was built at the beginning of the jewish settlements in Israel R.G)
Um Hisham: The model was a machine of invasion... Nest and egg. Ha. Your Homa Umigdal houses had many little feet and they kept on coming. Another. Another (She counts the little houses she imagines). Another. Another. Another

(First Vision: A Shade of Innocence, p. 11-12)

In the play, Um Hisham is described as a women from Rafah- a city in the Gaza strip. But her family might arrived there after they've been escaped from Palestine after the Israeli invasion in 1948 or 1967. The passage above is a small statement she makes, a tease, that rise the painful topic of the Israeli occupation and annexation of the Palestinian territories.

Following Wallace's recommended readings for the play, I've started reading the incredible book by the German scholar Christoph Reute, My Life Is a Weapon. This book, regardless of its deep insight of suicide bombers around the globe, brings out the stories of families from Palestine that try to cope with the reality of the occupation. Once the production will start, I'll provide "our" Um-Hisham" the files, for now you can have a look at the introduction of the book:


In case of Mourid- the situation is far more complex. Mourid is from East Jerusalem- an area that until the 67 war was under a Jordanian governance, and from 67 till this day under the Israeli governance. There are 66,000 Palestinians in East Jerusalem, 44,000 of them were born and raised there before the israeli occupation, and 22,000 of them are Palestinian refugees who had to move there after the war at 67.

Although both East and West Jerusalem are under Israeli governance, Palestinians from the East side suffer from serious limitations on their freedom of movement (among all other limitations). That's why Tanya and Sami are surprised to see Mourid in a clinic in West Jerusalem- because he's basically not allowed there...

You're welcome to study the following timeline of the Nakba, provided by the website of Palestine Note:


There many organizations who work to revive and keep the memory of all the Palestinian villages who had been occupied during the war at 48, and their Palestinian residents needed to flee once the Israeli forces arrived. This organization is one of them:


Until my next post, you can follow the news and keep enriching your curiosity...

All the best,
Renana






Friday, July 2, 2010

Guilts (or: Why I Didn't mention Iraq?)


I would like to begin with an apology. Apology, because my first post did not mention Iraq: The suffering, the injustice, the Gulf war, pigeons, poetry, misery, US, Bush, oil, Saddam.
Nada.

This post wouldn't clarify anything about Iraq. I promise to write about it more once I'll find the right resources: books, people, songs, and pigeons' guides.

What is about to happen on this virtual spot of mine, is a tentative game that will try to connect the puzzle pieces from the play's visions about Palestine, and the vision from Iraq.

Confused? Please, be patience. I shall explain.

After deciding to dedicate this post to the Palestinian exile through poetry, I've noticed that Dear Ms. Wallace gave me a hint-a tip of a shoelace- where to find the connections between the visions, between the politics, between the nations of Palestine and Iraq.

At Ali's vision, the last one in the trilogy, he mentions his friend, Samir, great affection to al-Sayyab. (p. 62). In short, Badr Shakir al-Sayyab (1926-1964) is an Iraqi poet, who considers to be one of the poets who revolutionize the Arab poetry, due to his usage of mythical images in order to criticize politics and social issues.

During my research about Palestinian poets and their artistic responses to the Nakba (the Disaster/The Catastrophe in Arabic, the Palestinian term for their Exodus from israel after the war in 1948), I found that many poets in the Arab world created their own artistic expression to the Palestinian Nakba-- among them, al-Sayyab.

This Iraqi poet wrote one of the most significant poems that empathized with the suffering of the exiled Palestinian people. His poem, "The Caravan of the Wretched," emphasizes the importance of brotherhood among the Arab nations:

Cain! Where is you brother? Where is your brother?
Heaven asked him burning with anger.
Cain! Where is you brother?
The star curled up in a call.
Lying in the tents of the refugees.
...
Not only did they drive us out of our
villages and cities,
but also from the habitation of men.
Today caves are filled by us
howling for hunger,
and dying unnoticed,
with no graves left behind us.

(al Sayyab, Badr Shakir, Palestine and Modern Arab Poetry, Suliman Khalid A., p.112)

There are many Arab poets that criticized the silence of the Arab world, the US and Israel to the suffering of the Palestinian people, but Wallace's choice to mention one of them in the Iraqi vision, proves me that she wants us to link them all together, not only under a play, but also politically, socially, artistically.

Al-Sayyab was a revolutionary figure in iraq, and was deprived of his profession as a teacher due to his social-communists points of view. One of his great inspirer was Mahmoud Darwish, the national Palestinian poet, who I will write more about at my next post. Meanwhile, I'll leave you with an Iraqi lullaby from the great collection "Lullabies from the Axis of Evil": a great lullabies collection from Iraq,Palestine, Korea and many more...


Until next time,
Renana