A dance of freedom on social media

One in ten online comments are hate speech. But for dancer Ahmad Joudeh, social media was the way out of Syria and into freedom. The performance "Lik og del" aims to show us hate - and to prevent it.

- Social media has enormous democracy-building potential. Unfortunately, we are currently seeing the opposite happening. Social media is being actively used to break down democracies. This makes it even more dangerous to talk more for your own echo chamber than to understand each other," says Amalie Nilssen.

The theater manager is both scriptwriter and director of "Lik og del", which Kilden Teater is staging in February. The play is modeled on the successful "Anne Frank's Siblings", which involves playing out real stories from real life.

- "By using real people and real stories, we get even closer to the theme. The stories are so strong that it's unnecessary to make them up," says Nilssen.

The performance begins with Facebook statuses from five people who seemingly have nothing to do with each other. As the stories unfold, we see how their lives are nevertheless connected and affect each other.

"I want to convey that all people have the right to live"

- Dancing is my passport

Ahmad Joudeh has one of the main roles. He has dance - and social media - to thank for the fact that he didn't end up dying as a soldier or a victim of extremists. Joudeh grew up in a refugee camp in Syria, as a stateless third-generation Palestinian refugee. From the age of eight, he dreamed of becoming a dancer, and throughout his childhood he danced in secret. At the age of 16, he entered the Ballet Academy, completed his dance training at the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts in Damascus and has traveled throughout the Middle East with the best companies. 

- A lot of Syrian refugees had to cross the sea and many died, but we were super poor and couldn't afford to travel. I was supposed to do my military service, but because I had posted videos of my dancing on Facebook and YouTube, a journalist came to Syria and made a documentary about me. This led to me being invited by the Dutch National Ballet and flown to Europe. Dance is my passport, my identity," says Ahmad Joudeh.

Joining him on stage will be actress Ingrid Liavaag, who trained at the renowned French acting school Le Coque; actress Maria Mozhdah from Kristiansand, who received an Amanda nomination for her feature film debut in Iram Haq's Oscar-nominated film "What Will People Say"; actor Ghopi Prabaharan, who runs his own SoMe company and has a vision to show children of color that there is room for them on Norwegian stages; and dancer Tomos Young, who many remember as Terje Vigen in the 2017 production of Fjæreheia. Ahmad has big visions for the project.

- I want to convey that all people have the right to live. No matter who I am, regardless of nationality, gender or situation, I deserve to live freely. I want to show people themselves, put up a mirror for them, and let them see themselves in us on stage. It will be quite a job," he smiles.

Dialogue across differences

The stories in "Lik og del" are collected through dialogue between people who don't normally talk to each other. To achieve this, Kilden has enlisted the help of Plattform - the Norwegian Institute for the Prevention of Radicalization and Violent Extremism.

- Plattform has unique expertise in preventing radicalization. With them behind us, we can feel completely safe when we enter environments we would otherwise have chosen to stay away from. If we want to understand people we disagree with, we have to start by listening to them openly," says theater manager Amalie Nilssen.

Plattform is a collaboration between the police, municipalities and researchers and is located at Stiftelsen Arkivet in Kristiansand. Here, CEO and inter-municipal advisor Omar Sadiq, Rose Byremo Olsen from the police and researcher Kjetil Grødum work to provide skills-building measures on radicalization and prevention to everyone who works with young people.

- It's important for us to be involved in developing new channels to reach a wider audience, and the collaboration with Kilden is unique," says Sadiq.

The theater opens up completely new possibilities.

- Here we can reach out in a completely different way than through a seminar or course, and to a much wider audience. We reach the mind and heart better in the context of a play than through a tutor or instruction," says Byremo Olsen.

She hopes that "Lik og del" can make young people better able to understand and distance themselves when someone tries to recruit to radical groups.

- "Hate and intolerance are not punishable in themselves, but they are the foundation of extremism," she says.

Kjetil Grødum points to the potential of storytelling to create reconciliation and the potential of art as an instrument for the intuitive.

- If we are to succeed in combating these attitudes, we must see the common human vulnerability in the individual. This performance helps to create a counter-narrative that can open up conversations and reflection," he says.

Text Kristin Øygarden

Photo Annet de Graaf/Platform

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PREMIERE February 22

Played until April 30

Kilden Theater and Kilden Dialogue

Text and direction: Amalie Nilssen

Cast: Ahmad Joudeh, Maria Mozhdah, Ghopi Prabaharan, Tomos Young and Ingrid Liavaag.

Also played in Oslo during Heddadagene and at Arendalsuka in August.