Tuesday 29 May 2012

Hath a Palestinian not eyes.


Shakespeareans for Poetic Justice present:

                   A SONNET FOR HABIMA

If all the world's a stage - why then, the stage

       Must play its part if we would change the world.

Whence this commotion? Why such howls of rage

        The moment that our banners are unfurled?


In Shakespeare's time, an audience was moved

       By speeches about justice and compassion.

The Bard, methinks, could only have approved

        Of protests carried out in such a fashion.

We'll take no lessons from those fools who claim

       That politics can't mix with the theatre.

If actors break the lawe, they are to blame.

       Perform in settlements? They should know better!

Now "Globe to globe" meets global Intifada.

- Sue Blackwell

" Let the Globe's audiences and Habima performers
squirm in discomfort and wonder what will happen,
let them feel for a few hours what most Palestinians
experience on a daily basis."

Habima is performing at the Globe Theatre as part of the Globe to Globe festival despite protests from over 30 actors, directors and playwrights, including the founding artistic director of Shakespeare's Globe Mark Rylance, and actors Emma Thompson and David Calder, who signed an open letter in March condemning the Globe for its invitation.

Habima has a history of performing for illegal settlements in the West Bank, and Palestinians living in the West Bank are prevented from attending due to Israel's policies of ethnic and religious segregation.

Sarah Colbrne, Director of Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said " We are asking people to boycott Habima in protest against their support of illegal settlements.

Being an artist does not remove your responsibility as a uman being to stand up against oppression. And Habima have been complicit in supporting that oppression by performing in theatres built on land illegally occupied by Israel, and performances which exclude Palestinians from attending.

Protest Habima at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre
from 6 p.m 28/5/  - Tues May 29th

Why we say "no" to Habima at the Globe - Miriam Margolyse


Protestors holdinga banner and forcefully removed from Habima performance



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