Latest news with #Ansaf
Al Etihad
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Al Etihad
Metro Diaries transports you into the world of Dubai's diverse commuters
16 June 2025 00:36 ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)Get ready for an engaging theatrical journey that transforms the stage at The Black Box, The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi into a public transport setting, bringing to life the untold stories of Dubai's diverse Diaries, by the Filipino theatre group 63Kolektib, invites audiences to step into a world where movement and poetry intertwine, reflecting the rhythm of daily metro show runs on Saturday and Sunday, June 21-22, with performances at 2.30pm and evocative performances that blend spoken word, dance and live soundscapes, the experience unfolds in vignettes that capture fleeting connections, moments of solitude, and the universal search for the spontaneity of real metro journey, the passengers board, interact and part ways, each carrying a story. Some encounters are lighthearted, filled with warmth and curiosity, while others reveal the deeper struggles and resilience of migrant its core, Metro Diaries is a meditation on loss, hope, and grounding - three universal threads that bind all the travellers together, whether on a train or through the stage, Metro Diaries extends into the community through a series of free workshops. These sessions invite participants to share their own narratives, exploring the power of theatre as a means of connection and cultural expression.63Kolektib is an artist-led community committed to creating performances that amplify underrepresented voices, particularly those of migrant communities in the group was founded by artists with diverse backgrounds in theatre, poetry, and performance art, who share a passion for storytelling, movement and performers include:Trixie Danielle, a 2024 Numoo cohort member at The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi, is a multidisciplinary artist based in the UAE. Her work delves into migration, identity, and belonging, mainly through theatre, poetry, and storytelling, while exploring the Filipino diaspora and fostering connection across Gonzales is a Filipino migrant and multi-disciplinary performance-maker based in Dubai, and co-founder of 63Kolektib. He began his artistic journey in the Philippines, where he studied and practiced Duran Reyes is a theatre and performance-maker based in Abu Dhabi, dedicated to promoting Filipino culture through the lens of the migrant experience. He is a co-founder of 63Kolektib and member of Numoo Arts Programme, and has produced and contributed to numerous performance projects across both Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Rei Co is a 19-year-old professional dancer who began her journey at just six years old. By eight, she was training with Sima Dance Company, and by 12, she launched her professional career. At 13, Rei not only created her debut solo piece featured in Ansaf by Alaa Krimed, but also began teaching contemporary and hip-hop at Sima Performing Arts.
Al Jazeera
26-01-2025
- Al Jazeera
‘I'd crawl if I have to': Palestinians eager to return to northern Gaza
Nuseirat refugee camp, Gaza Strip, Palestine – At al-Nuwairi Hill, the closest point in Nuseirat to the al-Rashid coastal road, Ansaf Khadra sits on the ground with her family for the second consecutive day, waiting to be allowed to return to her home, or whatever is left of it, in northern Gaza. Ansaf, a mother of four, was one of thousands of displaced people in southern Gaza who immediately headed for al-Rashid on Sunday after the release of four Israeli captives as part of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal the day before. The plan was to head to al-Rashid and then try and get through Israel's Netzarim checkpoint. Beyond that, Gaza's north. 'I've been here since early morning with my husband and children,' Ansaf told Al Jazeera as she handed out sandwiches to her children sat on the ground. 'Last night I prepared whatever belongings we could carry and left many things to make it easier to walk,' she added. 'We couldn't even wait a minute. We want to return to our land in the north immediately.' The ceasefire deal, which began to be implemented on January 19 with the first exchange of Israeli captives and Palestinian prisoners, was supposed to allow for the return of displaced Palestinians from southern Gaza to the north after the second exchange of captives for prisoners, which took place on Saturday. However, Israel forcibly blocked Palestinian civilians from approaching Netzarim on Sunday, firing on the crowds on at least three separate occasions, according to medical sources, and killing at least two Palestinians, according to al-Awda Hospital, where the casualties were received. At least nine people, including a child, were wounded. Israel has insisted that another female captive, Arbel Yehud, should have been released on Saturday before Palestinians were allowed to return to their homes in the north. The delay has left Palestinians here frustrated. Ahmed Abu Dan puffed on the remnants of his cigarette as he sat alongside his family. 'We've been through so much during this war,' the 55-year-old said. 'When they told us we could return to the north, we were overjoyed, but Israel is intentionally souring our happiness by making us wait.' Ahmed isn't interested in the technicalities of the delay. His only concern is returning home to Gaza City's Shujayea neighbourhood, away from the memories of 15 months of war and displacement. 'What's another day or two,' he quipped with a laugh. 'We're staying here no matter what, until they let us through.' Ahmed and his family packed up their tent as soon as the ceasefire began, packing their essential belongings in preparation for the difficult journey back north. The family has been displaced 11 times since the war began, Ahmed said, explaining that his health and mental state had deteriorated after enduring so many months living in tents. The experience means that, if he does make it back to the north, he has vowed never to leave again – even if the ceasefire fails and war breaks out again. 'We were forced to flee to supposedly safe areas, only to be targeted there as well,' Ahmed said. 'I can't wait to kiss Gaza City's soil again. 'I miss my relatives and my home in Shujayea, even if partially destroyed. I miss my neighbourhood and everything there.' What is left? While the whole of the Gaza Strip, a coastal enclave only 41 kilometres (25 square miles) long, has been bombarded by Israel during its war, the north has been particularly devastated. Israel's far-right settler movement has even pushed for the permanent ethnic cleansing of Palestinians and the establishment of illegal settlements in the region, the home of the enclave's largest urban area before the war, Gaza City. Vast swathes of northern Gaza now appear uninhabitable, but Ansaf has heard that her home, whilse severely damaged, is still standing. 'According to my neighbours, only one room and a bathroom in my house remain intact, but to me, that's heaven compared to a life in displacement,' she said with a broad smile. 'I miss my home so much,' Ansaf added. 'We had only lived there for nine months before the war started, and I hadn't even finished furnishing it.' Unlike Ansaf, Nada Awadallah has no information about the condition of her home in Gaza's City's Tel al-Hawa. What she does know is that the area around her home was a closed Israeli military zone, and was hard to access. But that lack of information is not a confirmation that her home has been destroyed. And for Nada that is enough to try and return. 'I can't believe the day of return has finally come, the 65-year-old said, tears welling in her eyes. 'I'll endure the exhaustion. I've been here since last night, sleeping on the street, and I'm ready to stay until we're allowed through.' Nada had fled with her family – five children and several grandchildren – from Tel al-Hawa early in the war, eventually settling in a tent in southern Gaza's al-Mawasi. And all of those family members have decided, for now, to stay where they are. 'There was a debate among us about waiting longer before heading back, but I couldn't wait any longer,' Nada said. 'I told them I'd crawl if I had to. What matter is that I go back and check on my home.' Returning to the rubble Mahmoud Mohsen, a 57-year-old father of seven, visited his daughter's grave in central Gaza's Deir el-Balah cemetery before heading towards Netzarim. Mahmoud's daughter, along with her husband and three children, were killed in a bombing in Nuseirat in November 2023. Originally from Beit Lahia in northern Gaza, Mahmoud fled southwards to Rafah at the beginning of the war. After multiple displacements he eventually settled in Deir el-Balah. 'All I want now is to return to the rubble of my home. Nothing else matters,' Mahmoud said as he gazed towards the checkpoint. 'I'll stay here until I'm allowed through.' 'Just reaching this area has brought me back to life. I miss Gaza's air,' Mahmoud said. 'Our journey during the war was one of hardship after hardship. Enough of this hell.'
