Our partners, Ashtar for Theatre Productions and Training, presented their recent artistic production titled: “Abu Salma Play”, an interactive theatrical performance in the style of the Theatre of the Oppressed. The play addresses issues related to economic and social rights. It also discusses the phenomena of political and social bullying and presents dramatic scenes inspired by real life stories as seen firsthand by the work team during their field research. The play also demonstrates the importance of having strong and effective unions that protect workers’ rights, as well as tackling the issues of privatization and capital monopolization.
The first scene, titled “Abu Salma”, addresses the issue of capitalistic privatization and monopolization, which enabled private corporations to do price fixing and monopolize services that were supposed to be public but came to be controlled by corporations due to privatization policies.
In this play, Abu Salma is an ordinary citizen who sells beans and nuts and he inherited that job from his father. One day, he discovers that his monthly phone bill is extraordinarily high. For several months, he tries to inquire about that but to no avail. Consequently, he starts a movement to stop this dangerous phenomenon which affects many citizens. As a result of that, Abu Salma gets a lot of bullying and threats and is accused of being conspiring with suspicious parties.
The second scene focuses on workplace bullying and aims to provoke the audience to think about ways to confront this phenomenon. It also sheds light on the importance of unions in protecting workers and defending their rights and cases.
In partnership with Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung – Regional Office in Palestine and Jordan, Ashtar Theatre presented a number of theatrical performances in different West Bank cities and villages.