And here I am

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“And here I am”: Ahmed Tobasi does theater to „stay alive “. It's not easy. This Palestinian, who was educated in theater in Norway, among other places, was born in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank – his home and the homeland of the Freedom Theatre, meanwhile under his artistic direction. Today, he stands on stage to tell of the reality of his people lives, distant from the usual clichés. Honest, committed and free – but without bitterness. The solo AND HERE I AM focuses on his personal life story, dramaturgically and authorially inspired by the Iraqi theater author Hassan Abdulrazzak’s fantasy. Tobasi brings his audience to cry as well as laugh when he garnishes unimaginable situations and stories with self-irony. He has been touring with this self-portrait since 2017; it begins in childhood and, from the beginning to end, presents the simple truth of an absurd adventurous daily life. His goal equates to a utopia: to one day live a self-determined life instead of constantly living in fear in a camp with 20,000 people per square kilometer. The vision of freedom brought Tobasi from street fighting to an involvement at the Freedom Theatre, possibly the only place where Palestinian youth can develop their own dreams. But in December 2023, the theater was attacked again; Tobasi and his team were arrested. Him standing on stage again today is a triumph in and of itself.