Drama celebrates life of former refugees in NZ

MEDIA RELEASE
9 February 2009

Drama reflects and celebrates life of former refugees in New Zealand

Over the weekend, young members of Wellington’s refugee-background communities performed a drama about the challenges of feeling strong as a family in New Zealand.

Organised by ChangeMakers Refugee Forum and supported by Family and Community Services, the drama sought to reflect the stories of communities from Africa and the Middle East and raise questions about building strong families.

Performances in Newtown and Naenae saw an enthusiastic audience gather from Wellington’s Assyrian, Eritrean, Ethiopian, Sudanese and Somali communities.

The drama has been created over the last five months, led by professional theatre director Leo Gene Peters. Participants began by sharing stories from their own lives and those of their friends and families. These stories were adapted and form the basis for the show. Traditional dance and native languages are used as a chance to celebrate the cultures of the actors.

Peters - “We discovered there were profoundly difficult issues around leaving your home culture, often in distressing situations, and coming to New Zealand culture – which is so completely different. We learnt to imagine having to change your whole perspective on the world and what it would be like to have to reassess your core values as a person and as a family”.

Zerai Mewos, a New Zealander originally from Eritrea, says the drama skillfully tackles the issues of power, gender, different values and combining the cultures of the new communities with those of the “host” community. “Refugee-background families are no different from every other family in that we are all dealing with issues around power, gender, and the relationship between parents and children.

“We also have to deal with the fact that sometimes the values people bring with them that are acceptable back home are not acceptable here. It takes time, discussion and support from each other to work these things out. But people want the best for their families and they face their challenges with both courage and commitment.”

The drama aims to be a catalyst to spark discussion in the communities and will be followed with a DVD resource and other activities.

ENDS

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