Playwright Dina Ibrahim brings her new play The Mother of Kamal to Upstairs at the Gatehouse, in Highgate. The play will run from 19th – 28th January 2024.
Based on real life events and inspired by Dina Ibrahim’s own father’s family memoir novel Um-Kamal (‘mother of Kamal’ in Arabic), the play revolves around the tumultuous events in the saga of a Jewish family, beginning in the slums of Baghdad in 1948 – where a dramatic new political tide was crashing in after WWII.
I caught up with Dina on the play’s themes, shining a light on untold stories and the added poignance of the play being performed in today’s world.
“Mother of Kamal is based on my father’s memoirs documenting his Jewish experience in a working class Jewish Arabic community in Iraq in 1948 and spans 50 years. I could see his novel on stage as a theatre play. That’s what’s exciting about theatre, you can turn the narrative in a number of ways. It tells the story of the Jewish community in Iraq. We don’t know so much about this period and the stories of people who have been living in exile as Iraqi Jews.”
Theatre seemed a natural progression for the book, which leaped off the page as a play after reading. “Theatre is such a powerful medium. You can say in 30 seconds what would take a whole book to say.”
“My father lived in Baghdad at a time without religious conflict however in the 1940s, things started to change with the rise of fascism from arbitrary imposed bureaucracy to judicial injustices.”
The play takes on an immersive quality brought from Director Stephen Freeman and Dina has incorporated what she has learned from stand-up comedy, with elements of clowning. “They combine to bring the audience closer to you” says Dina.
“There are intense parts but also lighter parts that hold you through the emotional moments. My background is in comedy and there is a sense of being held and relief. My family copes during difficult times with humour – even today my 80 year-old uncle loves to laugh and this has brought him through tragic time. There is also a sense of hope and family reconciliation in this play in recent history that people aren’t aware of.”
There are differences and parallels with today’s Israel Gaza conflict, where Dina draws on a time and place from where conflict wasn’t known to where it started. Dina adds: “I want to shine a light on a time when Iraq had an integrated community between Jewish and Muslim people, until people were forced to take sides, pick a camp, among those who were previously their neighbours and friends.”
“I wrote the play before today’s Israel Gaza conflict and I think this has created a new and different significance. It offers a shift that can provide the audience a chance to ask ‘why is that happening’ and relate to today. We have moved on from the period in history I’m focusing on, and the play asks what can we do to move forward.”
Initial response to the play has seen Jewish friends of Dina describe a sense of hope ‘particularly through the story of the brothers in the play who come back together’.
Dina’s father has played a vital role in rehearsals in ensuring the scenes stay true to the time. “My dad (Fawzi Ibrahim, the author of Mother of Kamal) has been really helpful in rehearsals. He has watched scenes and told me if they don’t ring true, and can fine tune the cultural references he remembers from the time. For example, whether the policemen would be so rude – he has helped us convey the finder details.”
In an added layer of connecting with the past, Dina takes on the role of her grandmother, which has given an opportunity to celebrate a woman who played a pivotal role in history that has been overlooked.
“I play my grandmother in the play. Stories she would say in Arabic that my aunt would translate has provided the context for writing scenes and it brings me closer to her. She couldn’t read or write, but she was very wise. She held the family purse, was a working class mother and wife and got drawn into politics. Her role was vital but overlooked at the time. She just did that selflessly as a teenager and was still able to smile.”
“It is a very powerful play but also really funny. A mystery is unravelled through a fantastic diverse cast, which is very compelling. It’s on in London which is a diverse community. There is a sense of displacement and being uprooted and it’s quite warming to see people get through that, which should be relatable to a lot of people. We all know someone like that, if not our own family. “
Dina’s new play “The Mother of Kamal” is coming to The Gatehouse Theatre in Highgate and will run from 19 – 28 January. Link to tickets here.
