Palestinian children watch a puppet show in the Yatta village, south of the West Bank city of Hebron, on May 19, 2022. (Photo by Mamoun Wazwaz/Xinhua)
An artist's mission "is not limited to presenting performances. He/she should carry a humanitarian, educational and eye-opening message to local communities," said a Palestinian artist who performs mobile puppet shows in the West Bank to entertain and educate children and parents alike.
by Sanaa Kamal
RAMALLAH, May 31 (Xinhua) -- It is hard to stay uninfected by the passion of Diana al-Suwaiti, a Palestinian artist, whenever she leads a five-member troupe to stage free puppet shows from one neighborhood to another in the West Bank, fascinating children and parents alike.
Their caravan, converted from a minibus and meticulously decorated, always attracts eyeballs when it rumbles past.
Once the venue was decided, they would put up a "refrigerator theatre," a mobile stage made of wood that could be quickly dissembled and put in the back of the vehicle.
Palestinian children watch a puppet show in the Yatta village, south of the West Bank city of Hebron, on May 19, 2022. (Photo by Mamoun Wazwaz/Xinhua)
The Hebron-based puppeteer told Xinhua she came up with the tour idea in 2019 after seeing many local neighborhoods lacked cultural places due to tensions and sporadic conflicts between the Palestinians and the Israeli army.
"For years, we have been suffering from a decline in cultural life, which negatively affected children's attitudes, given they are indulged in smartphones to have entertainment," said the 36-year-old woman.
"The results were disastrous as children became introverts and even violent. So I decided to found my handmade theater to give children an opportunity to gather (in person) and interact with each other," al-Suwaiti recalled.
Collaborating with local non-government institutions, the artist had succeeded in staging dozens of puppet shows in cities and towns across the West Bank, before her touring shows were forced to a halt in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Palestinian artist Diana al-Suwaiti (R) and her team prepare for their puppet show in the Yatta village, south of the West Bank city of Hebron, on May 19, 2022. (Photo by Mamoun Wazwaz/Xinhua)
Nonetheless, the artist took advantage of the unprecedented circumstances to improve her puppetry skills by joining intensive courses on performing arts in Belgium.
"In addition, I learned how to make and engrave wooden marionettes from a Belgian artist," she said, adding that "it helped me a lot to transfer the culture of making marionette dolls from wood to the local community once I came back to West Bank."
Al-Suwaiti said she came to understand that "an artist's mission is not limited to presenting performances. He/she should carry a humanitarian, educational and eye-opening message to local communities."
An artist should also pay attention to social ills, she said, adding that "unfortunately, there are many bad behaviors in the society, including bullying, violence, and encroachment on and polluting the natural environment," she added.
Palestinian children enjoy watching a puppet show in the Yatta village, south of the West Bank city of Hebron, on May 19, 2022. (Photo by Mamoun Wazwaz/Xinhua)
Last summer, al-Suwaiti finally got a chance to reopen her show and apply all her new experiences in front of the local audience.
To fully engage the audience in a joyful atmosphere, al-Suwaiti vividly imitates the tones of men, women, and children, with young viewers breaking into big applause.
"I always wait for her to visit my city and put on the show," said Muhammed al-Jabari, a 13-year-old boy from Hebron.
"When she put on the shows in my city, I feel as if I went to a huge and big theater like the one I see on television," he said, adding that he laughed a lot throughout the play.
Al-Jabari's mother Salma said she has seen the positive impacts of the show on her son, as he has become more social and cared about personal hygiene and the environment.
"We need to restore artistic and cultural life in our society," Salma told Xinhua.
Al-Suwaiti is now busy preparing multiple plays in the West Bank for the upcoming student summer break, but happy as well, as she will be able to "reach the largest possible number of Palestinian children." ■
