“Why?” a Syrian mother asks. “Why do we suffer so much?”
This is a question that is repeated in the new play Under The Sky, which explores the pain, anguish, loss and frustrations of hundreds of thousands of refugee families.
Its creators hope the play will revive some sense of empathy among the general public over the plight of Syrian refugees.
“Emotions are universal, and are the best communicators across languages, cultures, classes and ages,” says director Maher Salibi.
The 50-minute one-woman play, which is at Ductac, Mall of the Emirates on Thursday and Friday at 8.30pm, has been written by Fadia Dalla and performed in Arabic. It stars Syrian actress Yara Sabri, the director’s wife, as a mother who has lost everything to the war in Syria, including her children. She shares her memories, good and bad, weaving into her story Syria’s history and recent events – and moments that have changed her life forever. As she visits her favourite places, she relives, through a mixture of reality and illusion, a myriad of emotions – love, hate, scorn and forgiveness.
“I am hoping people will be touched by the play and its themes and words, that they leave thinking about it and get inspired to help out in some way,” says Salibi.
For Sabri, the play marks a return to the stage after a break of nine years. “The stage is one of the rare places where you can truly connect with the audience live, where you take on the role of the ‘hakawati’ [traditional storyteller] and pass on the stories from the past and the present, and you leave the audience as the judges to come up with the future,” she says.
Maher Salibi adds: “Yara will sing, she will dance, she will cry, and she will laugh. It is raw and very human.
“Sometimes art can do what conferences and official gatherings and meetings can’t – it can be the honest tool of communication without pretence and lies that help expose things how they truly are.”
According to the United Nations, more than 4.5 million Syrian refugees, plus those who are unregistered and uncounted, have fled Syria. The world has become “jaded” about the images of death, destruction and misery in Syria, and that is something artists from the country such as Salibi hope to change.
“New blood and new life needs to be put into this issue,” he says. “The play represents the Syrian cause and how it is something that we can’t just ignore, and look away. Every bit – whether someone paints a single drawing or writes a single poem for it – Syria needs all the help it can get.”
Salibi, who has worked on several plays in the UAE, is an actor with more than 20 years of experience. His latest appearance will be in season two of the drama series Al Arrab this Ramadan in July. Always working, he and his wife feel strongly about giving back to their home country.
“We hope this production will lead to humanitarian collaborations with different entities that help those whore are suffering,” says Salibi.
Their family left Syria in 2012 and haven’t returned to the country. “We are lucky to be here as it is an international place where Arab artists from around the Arab world can showcase their talents,” he says.
• Under the Sky will be staged at 8.30pm on Thursday and Friday. Tickets, priced at Dh50 and Dh100, from www.ductac.org
rghazal@thenational.ae