Just Drifting...

Heba, Contemplating from Gaza. 11.12.07. As a puppeteer moves his puppets without any consent or objection on their side, the situation in Gaza manipulates us, obliging us to live mechanically dealing with what we have on the ground. Hollow men we became! Do we have a single word regarding how to live our lives? Most certainly, not! We just live trying to pass through the day, not knowing how much disappointment and despair are awaiting us in the next morning. I remember when I watched the movie American Beauty, the thing that attracted my attention the most, was the picture of the plastic bag that drifted from one place to another in a windy day, totally powerless and utterly controlled by forces of nature. Now I feel the same and think many Gazans do even without knowing or without wanting to know. They are waiting for a word on TV about fuel sometimes, permits other times. Pilgrims of Gaza had their bags prepared for days waiting for one word only and when they were allowed to travel through Egypt , they had to stay 3 days on the road , no planes, no facilities .

And amidst this, I go to the theater to attend an acted play on stage! Isn’t that beautiful ? Life goes on or “the show must go on”. 1200 people attended the play , which was titled “In Reverse“ and was acted as part of a campaign conducted by the Women’s Affairs center- Gaza to celebrate the 16 day campaign of combating gender based violence. The play was about a writer who hates how women are treated in our society and wants to reverse gender roles. So he imagines 4 men, who are still dressed as men and talk as men but have all the problems of women. So the 4 men go, one at a time, to a fortune teller to tell her their problems seeking solutions. One was forced to do house chores and is hit on a regular basis by his wife. The other was deprived of his inheritance and is forced to quit school by hi sisters. The third was denied his right to marry the woman he loves and is forced to become a male spinster. And the forth had an affair and is afraid to be killed if his mother and sisters find out!!

And you know, the audience was interacting ardently, clapping, whistling, and shouting in discontent- as men could not tolerate seeing other men humiliated!. The play was rebellious and very entertaining. It really made me realize how many entertainment means we lack. Our people, basically, have no places to go to and in their continuous attempts to get their families’ basic needs fulfilled, they forget how to have a good time.