Why is Balfour Reparations an important story to tell?
More than a story, Balfour Reparations is a call for action for a brighter and just future. It asks audience members to take action during the performance itself, and invites them to hold onto such after the performance ends.
Do you think artists have a responsibility to respond to what’s happening?
I believe that art is political in nature, so it is indeed the role of art and artists to respond to Genocides, but most importantly to act and try to change what’s happening in whatever means they have.
Why are arts festivals such as the Fringe so important for international exchange?
You meet artists and programmers from all over the world that bring diverse content and form, which makes the exchange very rich and needed at a time when “the other” is becoming more and more criminalised.
Looking at this production, how would you say it links to previous work personally and thematically?
I have been unearthing hidden and suppressed Palestinian narratives since 2014, so this performance falls in the same category. It has also a participatory element, which I have been experimenting with in my previous works. The novelty is that the performance is set to take place in the future!
Have you got your eye on any other shows that are part of the programme?
I am co-organising Welcome to the Fringe, Palestine with other Scottish based artists and artworkers. We invited 16 Palestinian artists based in Palestine and the Diaspora to present shows that vary from dance to theatre to comedy to music to spoken word. The showcase will take place at Portobello Town Hall between 12-15 August.
Balfour Reparations, Summerhall, 13-25 Aug (not 19), 4.30pm