A unique play written by children from Palestine will be performed in Bristol next week. The play will be performed at the Malcolm X Centre, St Pauls as part of a larger literacy event featuring writers from across the South West.
Guests include Nikesh Shukla, Salena Godden, Noreen Masud, Vanessa Kisuule, Sukina Noor, among others who will share their own work or work by a Palestinian writer. The special event, Words for Gaza will take place from 5-8pm on October 13 with funds raised being used to support families in Gaza and Medical Aid for Palestine (MAP).
Figures on the death toll of children in Gaza released on September 30 by the charity Oxfam show that at least 11,000 have been killed in less than a year- the highest number of children killed in a 12-month period in any war over the last two decades. The Hands up Project has been working with children in Gaza for seven years and the play is the result of a series of short plays written by Palestinian children with narrators reading the harrowing accounts of their experiences since Israel began bombing them on October 7, 2023.
Speaking about the new play, ‘Welcome to Gaza’, Hands Up project founder, Nick Bilbrough said: “ We started running a playwriting competition in Palestine every year since 2017. We ask kids to write a five minute play with five actors in English.
“In recent years we’ve made them online, they are incredible. We connect children in classrooms in Gaza with volunteers all over the world.
“Peter Oswald is a longstanding volunteer and a playwright from Bristol. At the end of last year I got in touch with him and asked if he would like to make a play from various plays submitted over the years.
“The narrator will be reading out messages from children in Gaza over the last year. We have been getting a lot of harrowing messages from kids from what they have been experiencing in the last year.
“We’ve still got people writing plays in Gaza and drama plays operating in Gaza. Most of the short plays included were written by children in Gaza but there are also a few from children living in the West Bank.”
A spokesperson from Words for Gaza added: “We are a local grassroots movement dedicated to supporting the people of Palestine through literature and language. Our movement invites everyone in the southwest to this special event, which promises to be both inspiring and thought-provoking.
“Through the power of literature and performance, we will raise awareness and funds for the Palestinian cause and amplify its people’s voices. The Bristol event will be one of the largest literary events in support of Palestine ever hosted in the southwest and will feature a stellar line-up of renowned Bristol and Somerset poets, authors, and speakers.
“The evening will culminate with a play written by Palestinian children in collaboration with Bristol Palestine Alliance. This unique and enchanting performance will offer a poignant glimpse into the lives and experiences of young Palestinians.”
Words For Gaza takes place on Sunday, October 13 from 5-8pm at The Malcolm X Centre, City Road, St Pauls. You can find more information and book tickets for the fundraiser on Headfirst here.