(Zahir Bassa, Tommy
Lee Delport & Hoosen Farouk Sayed)
Well-researched and in-depth story about the complexity of human
emotions. (Review by Keith Millar)
Sands of
Palestine is a weighty human rights drama which examines the misery and suffering
that is caused by the Palestinian/Israeli conflict.
Produced by GreenLight Productions, playwright Yusuf Haffejee’s latest
offering can be seen at the Seabrooke’s Theatre on the campus of Durban High
School.
The play tells the story of Abu Hamza, a simple Palestinian farmer
(impressively played by Hoosen Farouk Sayed) and his son Moosa (played by Zahir
Bassa) who are attempting to get to Jerusalem to claim an inheritance.
These two have lost everything. Driven off their land by the Israeli
army they now live in a refugee camp in town of Hebron. Abu Hamza’s other son
was killed as he was a suspected terrorist, and his wife died of a heart
attack. Although Moosa suggests that she died of heartbreak.
Despite all these tribulations, Abu Hamza remains a compassionate,
dignified and philosophical person with a surprisingly positive outlook on
life. He son Moosa on the other hand is not so forgiving. He is an angry young
man with militant tendencies who cannot accept what has happened to them.
They are detained overnight at a checkpoint by a young, nervous Israeli
soldier, Joshua, (played by newcomer Tommy Lee Delport). During the long night,
he begins to interact with Abu Hamza and shares a meal with him. Moosa,
however, makes no secret of his hatred for Joshua and the system that makes him
a stranger in his own country. The tension is heightened when Moosa’s hidden
agenda is revealed and the conflict between father and son on the one hand and Joshua
and Moosa on the other intensifies.
Playwright Yusuf Haffejee travelled to Palestine to research this
production and as a result has produced a work which has a good feeling of
realism. This is assisted by veteran theatre practitioner Vivian Moodley’s
astute direction and also by an impressive backdrop of a desolate boulder-strewn
desert.
All three actors give good honest performances and certainly don’t let
the production down. Most impressive is Hoosen Farouk Sayed who uses all his
experience in a convincing performance.
For me the production is too long at over two hours. I feel it could be
pared down considerably and not lose any of the impact, or the message of the
piece.
Sands of
Palestine is not just about the Israeli/Palestine dispute but is also a story
about the complexity of human emotions. It is an important production as it
gives well-researched and in-depth information about one of the sides in this
volatile conflict.
Sands of
Palestine runs until April 24 with performances from Monday to Thursday at
19h30; Friday and Saturday at 20h00 and Sunday at 18h30. Tickets R100 available
from Al Ansaar Book & Media Centre in Overport or through Vivian Moodley on
072 567 7201.
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