Alrowwad Cultural and Theatre Training Centre
In Their Own Words
In Their Own Words
http://www.inplaceofwar.net/pages/alrowwad_cultural_centre_their_words.html
'We want our children to be open minded, educated, with wide horizons, ready to exchange with anyone based on respect and codes of behaviour that are internationally recognised as normal.' Abdelfattah Abusrour, Alrowwad Director - Interview
'[In devising We Are the Children of the Camp] they wanted to speak about their rights, that they had the right to live a normal life, that they had the right to have ideal schools that they have the right to play, to study, to learn, to go to school, to do whatever they want, to live wherever they want, to have beautiful gardens and so on. And that way we started to talk about history and what do you have to say about your country, you own history and what are the main points that your parents or your grandparents talk about, and so on.' Abdelfattah Abusrour, Alrowwad Director - Interview
'One of the puppet shows as well was about a Genie who gives gifts to excellent students and one of the students wanted a gift but they said 'no, you cannot have a gift if you do not study hard and be the first of your class.' So he said, 'Yes I will study hard and so on' and, and he became one of the excellent students and when the genie wanted to give him a magical gift he said, 'No I don't want one of your magical gifts, I want to continue getting up in the morning, study not to get a gift but depend on myself and make better of myself.' Abdelfattah Abusrour, Alrowwad Director - Interview
'We were hosted in a centre called Urban Spirit in a Black American neighbourhood and this is one of the main points also that Alrowwad focuses on. On one side creating links of exchange between children, so they can know that the other is not the enemy or the stranger. Whether Muslim, Christian or Jew, Baptist, Buddhist or whatever religion or race is, we are all human beings. And it is a world that emphasises on this relation of partnership and knowledge of the others to build a better future for all the children of the world since they would be the future of their countries and it's them who will build the politics of tomorrow [...] And on the same time mostly when children, Palestinian children are asked what they want, some of their answers come like, 'We want to live like the other children of the world.' As if all the other children of the world live happily. And it was important for us to take them to some of the poor neighbourhoods and in some cases they said, 'They are poorer than us.' And this was also an opportunity for them to realise that people all over the world have their own fights as well.' Abdelfattah Abusrour, Alrowwad Director - Interview
'And on the note of hope as well, it was important for us that they know that, what they knew, this beautiful resistance that they are doing against the ugliness of the occupation that we live here, is that this kind of resistance is not in vain. That there are people who would be ready to listen to what they have to say.' Abdelfattah Abusrour, Alrowwad Director - Interview
'We want our children to be open minded, educated, with wide horizons, ready to exchange with anyone based on respect and codes of behaviour that are internationally recognised as normal.' Abdelfattah Abusrour, Alrowwad Director - Interview
'[In devising We Are the Children of the Camp] they wanted to speak about their rights, that they had the right to live a normal life, that they had the right to have ideal schools that they have the right to play, to study, to learn, to go to school, to do whatever they want, to live wherever they want, to have beautiful gardens and so on. And that way we started to talk about history and what do you have to say about your country, you own history and what are the main points that your parents or your grandparents talk about, and so on.' Abdelfattah Abusrour, Alrowwad Director - Interview
'One of the puppet shows as well was about a Genie who gives gifts to excellent students and one of the students wanted a gift but they said 'no, you cannot have a gift if you do not study hard and be the first of your class.' So he said, 'Yes I will study hard and so on' and, and he became one of the excellent students and when the genie wanted to give him a magical gift he said, 'No I don't want one of your magical gifts, I want to continue getting up in the morning, study not to get a gift but depend on myself and make better of myself.' Abdelfattah Abusrour, Alrowwad Director - Interview
'We were hosted in a centre called Urban Spirit in a Black American neighbourhood and this is one of the main points also that Alrowwad focuses on. On one side creating links of exchange between children, so they can know that the other is not the enemy or the stranger. Whether Muslim, Christian or Jew, Baptist, Buddhist or whatever religion or race is, we are all human beings. And it is a world that emphasises on this relation of partnership and knowledge of the others to build a better future for all the children of the world since they would be the future of their countries and it's them who will build the politics of tomorrow [...] And on the same time mostly when children, Palestinian children are asked what they want, some of their answers come like, 'We want to live like the other children of the world.' As if all the other children of the world live happily. And it was important for us to take them to some of the poor neighbourhoods and in some cases they said, 'They are poorer than us.' And this was also an opportunity for them to realise that people all over the world have their own fights as well.' Abdelfattah Abusrour, Alrowwad Director - Interview
'And on the note of hope as well, it was important for us that they know that, what they knew, this beautiful resistance that they are doing against the ugliness of the occupation that we live here, is that this kind of resistance is not in vain. That there are people who would be ready to listen to what they have to say.' Abdelfattah Abusrour, Alrowwad Director - Interview
