Palestinian Play "I Am From There" Opens 19th "Hakaya" Festival in Amman
Translated & summarized from Arab48 by baba
Palestinian artist Amer Hleihil will open the 19th "Hakaya" festival in Amman, Jordan, with his play "I Am From There." The play explores Palestinian memory and the relationship with homeland, drawing on personal and collective experiences. The festival, dedicated to storyteller Hamza al-Aqrabawi, will feature various performances and evenings celebrating storytelling and Palestinian heritage, including a piece on Nakba stories and an event on land and olive narratives.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Palestinian artist Amer Hleihil opens the 19th "Hakaya" festival in Amman with his play "I Am From There."
- The play "I Am From There" explores Palestinian memory and the individual's connection to their homeland.
- The "Hakaya" festival is dedicated to the Palestinian storyteller Hamza al-Aqrabawi.
- The festival program includes "Tales of the Transients" about Nakba stories and "Stories of Land and Olives."
- The production of "I Am From There" was a collaboration with the Palestinian National Theater in Jerusalem.
Palestinian artist Amer Hleihil will open the 19th iteration of the "Hakaya" festival in Amman, Jordan, with his play "I Am From There." The performance is scheduled for 8 PM at the Orthodox Cultural and Educational Association Theater, organized by "Al-Balad Theater." This year's festival is dedicated to the Palestinian storyteller Hamza al-Aqrabawi.
The play takes the audience on a journey into primal memory, with Hleihil revisiting key moments from the life of a Palestinian individual and exploring the experiences, events, and contradictions inherent in their relationship with their homeland. The work aims to evoke the connections that bind the individual to their personal and collective memory, rather than presenting a direct autobiography. It delves into human experiences related to the homeland, encompassing its tragedies, poetry, and hopes, examining the interplay between individual memory and the broader Palestinian experience.
According to promotional material, the play is presented in response to a need to reclaim shared memory and consciousness, following nearly two years of painful events that have impacted Palestinian life. The production, a collaboration with "Al-Hakawati," the Palestinian National Theater in Jerusalem, was previously staged in 2025 in cities including Haifa.
The festival opening with this play is part of a cultural and artistic program celebrating storytelling, folk narratives, and memory. It will feature performances and evenings with artists and storytellers from Palestine and other Arab countries. Other festival events include "Tales of the Transients," which revisits Palestinian stories linked to the Nakba, based on a text by Palestinian writer Ziad Khodash, blending storytelling with music and song. The festival will also host an evening titled "Stories of Land and Olives," evoking narratives connected to the land and popular memory, with participation from storytellers across several Arab nations.