The Horse of Jenin

The Horse of Jenin, written and performed by Palestinian actor and comedian Alaa Shehada, tells a universal story. It is about a boy growing up in Jenin, but like every child in the world, he most wants to play and have fun. It is a story about the resilience that imagination brings.

In April 2002, a major invasion took place in Jenin. In the aftermath, a German artist came over for an art workshop. After four weeks, with the help of 15 Palestinians, he unveiled the result. He had built a horse as tall as 5 metres out of metal fragments, debris from the bombing. They rode the horse through the city and everyone was proud of it, people felt lifted by it.

The horse is an Arabic symbol of freedom, but this horse was also a symbol of peaceful resistance. It was a symbol of resilience. Last November, an Israeli bulldozer entered the camp and the horse was removed.

In this solo, Alaa wonders: what happened to the horse? Was it arrested? Did it go to court ? Was he able to defend himself? Did they put him in jail ? Was the horse interrogated? And did it then tell about the day Alaa tried to ride the horse with his best friend Ahmed?

With this solo, Alaa builds a new horse, constructed from the fragments of his memories supplemented with a huge dose of humour and imagination. A theatrical symbol of resistance and imagination. The performance is an ode to the power of imagination and the value of playing freely.

This show has been produced by Troupe Courage in the Netherlands, and is now brought to London by the PalArt Collective in collaboration with the Palestine Comedy Club.