After the success of her drama therapy initiative with prisoners in Roumieh’s prison for men and the play “Twelve Angry Lebanese”, presented by the inmates themselves, who through their play drew the attention of both official authorities and the civil society to the necessity of implementing some laws, Zeina Daccache began a new workshop with the inmates of Baabda’s prison for women in mid-July 2011.
This workshop was initially scheduled to begin in 2012, but it was started ahead of its scheduled date after the performance planned to take place in Roumieh’s prison was postponed, due to the riots that broke out there last spring.
Daccache decided to move inside Baabda’s walls to take part in demolishing the walls of despair in the hearts of the women detained there. The hope her work brought made the inmates feel some freedom inside their tiny jail cells. Baabda’s prison, initially set to host 30 to 40 inmates, holds 60 to 70 detained women, most of which have been waiting for the judges’ sentences for many months!
The long theatre training sessions with the women inmates have been very fruitful so far. The prisoners are now more aware of their condition and have started to look differently at their situation. The stories told by the inmates about the events that shook their lives and the obstacles they have faced are an expression of their sincere desire to change their lives.
From these personal stories, the outlines of the new play have started to emerge. It is probable that the new play will be inspired by the tales of ’’One Thousand and One Nights’’. The inmates will then tell their stories, through monologues and short scenes, which they are writing themselves. The different scenes will focus on how difficult it is to be a woman in this country, and in general in the Arab world, which is governed by a patriarchal mentality.
The play will be shown during the early months of the coming year. Through the play, women will be given a new platform for expression, in light of the multiple developments within the Lebanese prisons. The inmates will use this opportunity to set a bridge that will make their voices heard by the Lebanese civil society in a constructive and artistic way.
Women residing in Baabda prison will be speaking for all female inmates imprisoned in women’s jails throughout the country (Tripoli, Zahlé and Barbar Khazen). They will also convey the voices of all women who are imprisoned by rigid and oppressive mentalities in societies which believe that women were born to always follow and never lead. The inmates are hoping that their play will be as successful and acclaimed as ’’Twelve Angry Lebanese’’, especially since the documentary based on that play won 8 prizes worldwide.
This project is implemented by Catharsis-Lebanese Center for Drama Therapy (founded and managed by Zeina Daccache) , and funded by the Swiss Foundation Drosos; it is supported by the appropriate Official Lebanese Authorities who have grown to greatly believe in the positive impact of ’’drama therapy’’ within prisons. This project also aspires to encourage and spread the idea of ’’drama therapy’’ in Lebanon and in the Arab world, which is in great need of such workshops. In addition to that, it is also noteworthy to mention that in January 2011, Catharsis is inviting famous American drama therapist Armand Volkas to Lebanon who will be directing a workshop inside Baabda’s prison and also conducting two other workshops aimed at those who aspire of becoming drama therapists one day: ’’Healing the Wounds of History’’ and ’’Playback Theatre’’.
Daccache decided to move inside Baabda’s walls to take part in demolishing the walls of despair in the hearts of the women detained there. The hope her work brought made the inmates feel some freedom inside their tiny jail cells. Baabda’s prison, initially set to host 30 to 40 inmates, holds 60 to 70 detained women, most of which have been waiting for the judges’ sentences for many months!
The long theatre training sessions with the women inmates have been very fruitful so far. The prisoners are now more aware of their condition and have started to look differently at their situation. The stories told by the inmates about the events that shook their lives and the obstacles they have faced are an expression of their sincere desire to change their lives.
From these personal stories, the outlines of the new play have started to emerge. It is probable that the new play will be inspired by the tales of ’’One Thousand and One Nights’’. The inmates will then tell their stories, through monologues and short scenes, which they are writing themselves. The different scenes will focus on how difficult it is to be a woman in this country, and in general in the Arab world, which is governed by a patriarchal mentality.
The play will be shown during the early months of the coming year. Through the play, women will be given a new platform for expression, in light of the multiple developments within the Lebanese prisons. The inmates will use this opportunity to set a bridge that will make their voices heard by the Lebanese civil society in a constructive and artistic way.
Women residing in Baabda prison will be speaking for all female inmates imprisoned in women’s jails throughout the country (Tripoli, Zahlé and Barbar Khazen). They will also convey the voices of all women who are imprisoned by rigid and oppressive mentalities in societies which believe that women were born to always follow and never lead. The inmates are hoping that their play will be as successful and acclaimed as ’’Twelve Angry Lebanese’’, especially since the documentary based on that play won 8 prizes worldwide.
This project is implemented by Catharsis-Lebanese Center for Drama Therapy (founded and managed by Zeina Daccache) , and funded by the Swiss Foundation Drosos; it is supported by the appropriate Official Lebanese Authorities who have grown to greatly believe in the positive impact of ’’drama therapy’’ within prisons. This project also aspires to encourage and spread the idea of ’’drama therapy’’ in Lebanon and in the Arab world, which is in great need of such workshops. In addition to that, it is also noteworthy to mention that in January 2011, Catharsis is inviting famous American drama therapist Armand Volkas to Lebanon who will be directing a workshop inside Baabda’s prison and also conducting two other workshops aimed at those who aspire of becoming drama therapists one day: ’’Healing the Wounds of History’’ and ’’Playback Theatre’’.
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