Daily Times

Ajoka Theatre organised dramatic readings of testimonies of young Gaza victims of Israeli bombings and brutality on marking International Day of Solidarity with the people of Palestine on 29 November. The well-organized and curated event was held in Alhamra Hall 3 and included monologues written by Gaza teenagers, video songs and poetry. The artists who translated and presented the monologues were Feryal Ali Gauhar, Hafeez Tahir, Nirvaan Nadeem, Sadia Sarmad, Ahmad Bilal, Aisha Ahmad, Azkla Tahir, while Neelam Ahmad Bashir and Sophia Humayun recited their poems on Palestine. Naseem Abbas, Aniqa Malik and Usman Chaudhry presented Urdu translations of Faiz Ahmad Faiz and Palestinian poet Mehmoud Darwesh. The event was held on the call of Palestinian theatre group Ashtar.

The programme started with a message from Director of Ashtar, Iman Aoun who thanked the theatre community from across the world for responding to the Ashtar call. Ajoka General secretary welcomed the participants and thanked artists who had translated and recited the monologues. The programme ended with a new poem dedicated to the children of Gaza titled, “Write my name on my leg, mama”. Executive Director Shahid Nadeem, while introducing the event, said Ajoka has always supported the cause of justice and freedom through performing arts initiatives. And international solidarity. The Palestinian cause is close to our hearts and we are responding to the call of Palestinian theatre community. He also thanked Lahore Arts Council for collaborating for this event.

Similar events were held all over the world by theatre groups in solidarity with the Palestinian artists and Gaza victims of Israeli brutality.