Theater Group Bridges Lebanese-Palestinian Divide
A group of young Lebanese and Palestinian thespians is using theater to spread messages of tolerance and peace. The young people live in marginalized communities that suffer from extreme poverty and tense intercommunal relations around the Nahr el Bared Palestinian refugee camp near Tripoli.
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| Youth from the Ribat Association perform a scene from a Lebanese musical about the personal struggles of daily life.
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The Ribat Association, a nongovernmental organization based in Beddawi, with support from USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI), is encouraging youth engagement on civic initiatives within these mixed communities. The group trained 50 Lebanese and Palestinian youth on civic education, leadership, and communication skills. Some of the participants explored theater and folk dance, while others studied project planning and implementation.
In their first foray together, the trainees joined forces to organize a series of ten performances around Nahr el Bared. The performances consisted of a combination of sketches, traditional songs, and folk dances addressing common problems facing mixed Lebanese-Palestinian communities—namely, poverty and violence—and communicating the importance of dialogue and overcoming differences to coexist peacefully.
Mona, a Palestinian participant, said, "Our community is mixed Lebanese and Palestinian, but because of past fighting we didn't like or respect each other. Once we got to know each other," continued the 20-year-old Beddawi resident, "we realized how similar we are to one another and became friends. We want to continue performing so we can help more people and communities learn what we've learned."
Building on the success of the performances in bringing Lebanese and Palestinians together, youth from the Association used their newly acquired project-planning skills to organize a basketball tournament, which drew large crowds of young people, as well as the mayors of Beddawi and Deir Aamar.
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"Our theater group is like a family of brothers and sisters. Because we are a mixed group of Lebanese and Palestinian actors, we provide an example for our communities and want to continue performing as a group, showing that we can work together for peace."
—Raed Talib, 27, theater group member
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The Association also designed and painted murals in Beddawi, engaging more youth from the community. "The murals we painted represent peace and solidarity between Lebanese and Palestinians," Mahmoud Soleh, 21, said. "I brought a lot of friends to come help with painting, and they now want to take part in all our activities."
Parents confirm that the activities have improved communal relations. The theater group is planning additional performances in the area and has aspirations to perform nationally.
For further information, please contact:
In Washington, D.C.: Eric Duneman, Program Manager, 202-712-0493, eduneman@usaid.gov.
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