Islamic Trust Studies Emergency Lecture “Screening of ‘Prisoners of the Occupation’ and Lecture: Exploring the Potential of Solidarity with Palestine Through Theatre” will be held by B03 “Trust and Peace Building in Conflict Affected Areas” with Public Lecture “Connecting Languages to Society and Culture: Intercultural Communication for Global Engagement” of College of Intercultural Communication, Rikkyo University.

“Prisoners of the Occupation” is a theatre work co-created by Einat Weizman, an Israeli playwright, actor, and human rights activist, with Palestinian political prisoners. Last year, Theatre Office Natori, a Japanese theater company, staged the work as a double bill: “Prisoners of the Occupation” Tokyo version and “I, Dareen T. in Tokyo.” Video recordings of these theatre performances will be screened at this event.

Ms. Weizman has forged friendships with former and current Palestinian political prisoners detained by Israel and created a documentary theatre work from their experiences of inhumane treatment in prison. Her courageous creative activities have been highly acclaimed worldwide. Furthermore, the Japanese version of “Prisoners of the Occupation” incorporates the experiences of the Japanese creative team including actors who visited Palestine and Israel in January 2023.

The occupation has created an insurmountable divide between Israel and Palestine. Ms. Weizman’s efforts to resist the erasure of Palestinian narratives in Israel evoke a unique potential in theatrical art; to give body and voice to the lives of “others.”

Following the screening, Hiroyuki Suzuki, who has been in contact with individuals advocating against the division in Palestine and Israel, will discuss the invisible connections between the two sides and the current situation of the “prisoners of the occupation” since October 2023.

Additionally, theatre company Rational Eccentrics (Riseiteki-na-Henzintachi)will introduce a dramatic reading project titled “The Gaza Mono-Logues,” which will take place at Tucker Hall, Ikebukuro Campus of Rikkyo University on February 24. A few monologues will be read as part of the introduction.

Date & Time : February 23, Friday, 2024, 13:00～ 17:00 (Doors open at 12:30)

Venue : Conference room No. 7101, Ikebukuro campus, Rikkyo University

Program：
12:30 Doors Open
13:00　Opening
13:05～14:20　Screening 1 “Prisoners of the Occupation” Tokyo version
14:20～14:30　Break Time
14:30～15:40　Screening 2 “I, Dareen T. in Tokyo”
15:40～15:50　Break Time
15:50～16:20　Lecture by Hiroyuki Suzuki
16:20～16:40　Q&A
16:40～16:55　Introduction to “The Gaza Mono-Logues”（Rational Eccentrics [Riseiteki-na-Henzintachi])
17:00　Closing　

Language ： Japanese
Conditions： In-person meeting

Pre-registration：Please use this form. 

<Attention>
Please note that video recordings of “Prisoners of the Occupation” include depictions of violence and sexual abuse.

Cooperation： Theatre Office Natori

＜Profile of Lecturers＞
Rational Eccentrics (Riseiteki-na-Henzintachi)
A theater company exploring the contribution of dramatic art to the connectivity among people and seeking the ideal expression thereof. Consists of five women who have engaged in theatrical activities following their graduation from Tokyo University of the Arts.

Hiroyuki SUZUKI
Project Associate Professor of Sultan Qaboos Chair in Middle Eastern Studies, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo. After working as a JSPS post-doctoral Research Fellow (Japan Women’s University) and as a JSPS Overseas Research Fellow (Harry S.Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem), he assumed his current position in September 2019. His works include “The Mass Uprisings “Intifada”: Occupied Palestine 1967-1993″ (University of Tokyo Press, 2020), and his joint works include “60 Chapters to Know Palestine” (Akashi Shoten, 2016)

Contact：Masako Ishii (masang[at]rikkyo.ac.jp)

Co-organizer: Grant-in-Aid for Transformative Research Areas (A) “Trust and Peace Building in Conflict Affected Areas” (Principal Investigator: Masako Ishii), 20H05829); Public Lecture “Connecting Languages to Society and Culture: Intercultural Communication for Global Engagement” of College of Intercultural Communication, Rikkyo University

Cooperation: Theatre Office Natori