When the lights came up and the show was over the only word my friend and I managed to articulate was WOW.
There was contortion, dance, tragedy, live music and humour sprinkled throughout. All the while I kept thinking to myself how is it that these people who have seen such hardship, who have been through so much, are able to get up in front of this large group of people and talk about it. Not only talk about their painful experiences but speak about them in English which may be their 2nd, 3rd or 4th language.
I was in awe of their courage and resilience, their ability to expose themselves in such a profound way. Being able to share their stories, which no doubt are still very raw and tender to talk about, let alone perform in front of an audience.
This performance goes to show the potential of theatre as a powerful social force, shedding light on the valuable stories of asylum seekers which are often over shadowed by political spin and media hype.
The take home message of this performance for me was that no one chooses to be a Refugee and despite all our differences we all share one commonality – our right to a home that is safe and secure, where we have the choices and freedoms that so many of us including myself often take for granted.
Find out more about this performance and the other great work that the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre is doing http://www.asrc.org.au/events/asrc-arts-not-just-my-story/
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