Performance in the No-Man's-Land between the India and
Bangladesh borders.
"The harshest borders are created in the mind. If they
didn't exist in the mind first, they wouldn't manifest on the ground." – a participant from
India
Bond
Street Theatre has a long history of working in areas in conflict, most of
which are caused by perceived differences in ethnicity, religion or lifestyle… “otherness”. Through theatre
performance, we seek to break through the borders of the mind to create harmony
on our beleaguered planet. This belief
in the power of theatre has brought us to work with Rohingya refugees dispelled
from Myanmar, migrant workers in Russia and Malaysia, and with youth striving for
peace in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Now we have returned from India
where our dramatic performances created with Bangladeshi and Indian
actors, musicians and dancers illuminated the tragedy of borders. Tears
streamed down the faces of those in our audiences old enough to remember the
1947 partitioning of India and Bangladesh, which tore apart families and
friends. As Arts Envoys through the US Embassy, and with our longtime friends
and collaborators, Banglanatak, we learned so much more than the history books reveal.
Bangladesh and India share the
fifth longest border in the world, dividing towns, farms, rivers, and even
homes. But where is the “otherness”
here? The people are the same on both
sides, having lived side by side for years, eaten the same food, enjoyed the
same livelihoods. Our play illuminates
such a situation: two families, one Hindu and one Muslim, close friends for
years with youngsters growing up together, suddenly split apart and cast to
different misfortunes. In the end of the
play, the women are the heroines, finding ways to keep their families intact
despite the disruptions, although only able to visit each other through layers
of barbed wire barriers.
In our post-show discussions, I
recall stating how ironic I felt it is that religion was the basis for tearing
people apart when virtually every religion preaches love, compassion and
generosity toward one’s neighbor.
We brought our show to border towns,
including Petrapole, a major border checkpoint. Through the play, we reminded audiences
that people suffer on both sides of the divide.
"A border is not just a physical fence. These shared communities, shared experiences,
shared families, shared food... the border is in our heads." – participant
from Bangladesh
The process of creating the production was a
joy. We began with a series of exercises
to bring the group together into a cohesive team, and explore the full range of
issues attached to the partitioning. What
was truly inspiring to us was the diversity of skills in the group: filmmakers,
journalists, actors, dancers, athletes, visual artists, and media experts. With
such a talented team, I knew we would create a dynamic play with a message of
value.
Over the first three days, we created a selection of
short stories or vignettes that covered, not only the major issue of
separation, but the nuances of family life, occupations, economics, religious
rituals, local foods, politics, and the like. On day four, we put our stories
together and created the outline of our play, and day five was our first
run-through. Now the exciting part: the
musicians, singers, dancers, puppeteers, mask-makers and set designers
embellished every moment of the play with the flavor and dynamics of the
Bengali people, all borders aside.
The final play was rich with dance and music, visual
excitement, and the tragedy and drama that brought the audiences to tears in
some parts and to laughter in others.
When presenting a tragic theme, a comedic balance is essential. Most important, our presentations brought
home the idea that, although hate and fear makes
mending borders so difficult, theatre breaks down the borders of the mind and
reminds us that we are all the same.
"This theatre work has helped me really understand the
feeling of a refugee... now I know the pain of refugees and I will count them
as humans, not just refugees. Refugee is just a name."
- participant from
Bangladesh
"Border Stories" performance at the Kolkata College
of Music
