Syrian refugee children bring Shakespeare to life

They've lived the daily drama from one of the decade's most brutal conflicts and now some Syrian children are using the words of one of history's greatest writers to make a strong point.

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At the historic ruins of the Roman amphitheatre in Amman, Syrian refugee children are bringing to life the words of playwright William Shakespeare through an interpretation of his famous plays, King Lear and Hamlet.

Taking centre stage, is 13-year-old Bushra Humeid who fled Inkhil in southern Syria with her family over a year ago. She says she's always wanted to be an actress and now she can.

"I play Goneril, the eldest daughter of King Lear," she said. "I want to steal the King's possessions and I want to control the largest portion of the Kingdom. I don't want to allow my sister to have the largest portion."



Led by humanitarian group Suriyoon and the Qatari Red Crescent, Syrian actor and director, Nawar Bulbul says the play is designed to be a reminder that there's more to Syria than war.

"The purpose of this event is to prove the civility and the enlightenment of the Syrian people, who are able to understand and share different cultures of the world," he said.

"Today this performance is to prove that we understand what civility is and what culture and history."

Child stars, including Bushra Humeid, say they used the preparation time to pass the time in the Zaatari refugee camp.

"Before we came to Zaatari, we worried about how we would spend our time," she said.

"But now we have adapted, we spend our time practising for the play, we go to the various clubs, the mosques, schools. All our time is occupied, we have very little free time."

The show, which was first staged in Zaatari, has attracted hundreds of people in Amman, including Jordanians, Syrians and tourists.


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2 min read

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Source: World News Australia


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