Twin Syrian refugees bring play from France to Kurdistan
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Mohammed and Ahmed Abas are twin brothers from war-torn Syria who immigrated to France six years ago. They recently showcased a play in the Kurdistan capital of Erbil.
The play tells the story of two refugees who fled conflict.
"My brother and I are the actors in this play and we wrote the play. Refugees suffer from many problems in Europe and France in general. In the play, we are telling their problems," said Mohammed Mlas.
He and Ahmed Mlas are co-directors and actors of the play entitled 'Two Refugees.'
"There are two actors in the play who do not share much in common. In the play, I am the younger character, but stronger one and the person who has a lot of energy for life and who is completely different from the older character," said Ahmed Mlas.
The play is being put on in coordination with the Erbil Fine Arts Institute and the French Institute in Erbil.
French Consul General to Erbil Dominique Mas was on hand for the play.
"Now that ISIS has ended, and the economy is starting to boom and Erbil-Baghdad relations are mending, we can draw in the people of the Kurdistan Region to engage more in cultural activities. We will continue with these cultural activities," he said.
Kurdistan and Kurds have a history of both hosting and being refugees. The Kurdistan Region has hosted 98 percent of Syrian refugees who came to Iraq since the conflict began in 2011.
"Our nation understands the suffering of being a refugee. The play and the subject benefited us, both for our students and teachers in general," said Younis Osman, the head of the Theater Department at the Erbil Fine Arts Institute.
This play has already been shown in in France, Oman and Japan. It will be showcased in many other countries.
The narrative of the play is based on a script by Polish playwright Slawomer Mrozek.
Reporting by Payam Sarbast
