Can a place ever be home without a connection to family and roots? asks Rukhsana Ahmad’s current show Homing Birds. Focussing on Saeed’s story, we learn about the journey of many Afghan refugees forced to flee their homeland to avoid the dangers they find themselves confronted with; a heartbreaking repercussion of this being the disconnection of families and roots. How can one even begin to trace their own history having lost that connection? Homing Birds will play at Tara Arts from late November for a limited run; ahead of the performance, Rukhsana tells us more about what inspired her to write this story, how she approached creating the show and working with Kali Theatre Company to develop this from a scratch performance first shown in their War Play season in 2017 into a full length production.
Established 28 years ago by writer Rukhsana Ahmad and the director Rita Wolf, Kali has blazed the trail for stories told by women of South Asian descent. Born from urgent beginnings, Kali’s legacy still lives on, their mission to ‘develop and present groundbreaking, thought provoking, contemporary theatre by women writers of South Asian descent that reflects and comments on our lives today’ the driving force of every production or initiative established. The company’s latest initiative, DISCOVERY recently created a platform for 12 writers to have their show’s produced for stage readings in London, Leicester and Birmingham. Kali’s Artistic Director, Helena Bell reflects on the initiative’s impact on the writers taking part and audiences responding to the works.
From 1939 up until 1945, World War II would impact the lives of many military personnel and civilians. Referred to as a global war, a total of 30 countries took to battle across various continents. The war would witness a conflict between the Allies (Great Britain, The United States of America, China, The Soviet Union and the Commonwealth) and the Axis (Nazi Germany, Empire of Japan and the Kingdom of Italy amongst other countries). There are particular figures attributed for the Allies’ victory and applauded for their efforts, however WWII is a war that involved the efforts of numerous specialists behind the scenes. Azma Dar brings us the story of Noor Inayat Khan, a trailblazer ruled by fighting for what she believes in.
An integral part of Tibetan’s history rests on its unquestionable devotion to Buddhism, a religion originating from North India between the 7th and 13th century CE. Another facet of Tibet’s history is its ongoing resistance against China. Currently ruled by the People’s Republic of China, significant leaders such as the Dalai Lama now find themselves expelled from their country of origin. Governed by communist rule, Tibetans face a situation whereby members of their own government currently reside in Daramsala, North India, a nation who have willingly accepted the arrival of a Tibetan refugees after the Lhasa Uprising against the People’s Republic of China in 1959.
