West Bank, reality showcased by 'Freedom Bus'

The Freedom Bus, a project created by members of the Jenin Freedom Theater , is continuing its tour with the aim of bringing folk theater to the most remote villages of the West Bank. Founded by Israeli-Palestinian actor Juliano Mer-Khamis, who was killed a year and a half ago in front of the theater by an unidentified murderer, the Freedom Theater is not new to this type of initiative and has always used theater as a peaceful tool to aggregate and oppose Israels military occupation. The idea is very simple: we travel to a village, involve the community, mostly the youngest, listen to their stories and experiences relating to the occupation, and then turn them into improvised theater acts (playback theater), the projects coordinator Ben Rivers told ANSAmed. The effect on the public and participants is very powerful. Faisal Abu Alheja, an acting teacher at the Freedom Theater who presents the show, brings the microphone to members of the public (almost the entire population of the small village of Nabi Saleh, a few kilometers from Ramallah), asking them to tell a story on the occupation including tragic and funny tales. A few seconds later, actors with the Freedom Theater interpret the tale with the help of a drummer and an oud (Palestinian mandolin) player. The Freedom Bus includes actors, activists and Palestinian professors and has received the support o f intellectuals including Noam Chomsky and Nobel laureate Rigoberta Menchu Tum. From September 23 until October 3 the bus will stage performances across the West Bank in the area of Nablus, Hebron and Bethlehem and organize seminars on the occupation and cultural resistance.