Floris Baeke | In ‘Persians: Triumph of Empathy’, Chokri Ben Chikha and Action Zoo Humain bring together Israeli and Palestinian perspectives to mourn, talk, play and dance together. “The greatest challenge” they have “ever tackled” became a necessary and deliberate punch in the gut.
Adapting the oldest tragedy into political theatre about Israel and Palestine: Chokri Ben Chikha, who grew up with pro-Palestinian views, sought to explore the limits of empathy with 'The Persians'. He compares tiny Athens to Palestine and the mighty Persians to the Israeli regime, in order to view ‘the enemy’ with empathy, just as Aeschylus did.
Historical comparisons are always a balancing act. For Persians, Ben Chikha drew inspiration from Jerusalem-based Professor Zimmermann, whom he met on a study trip. How do you do that – look with empathy at a war in which revenge has eroded all humanity? In which it is ‘civilised people’ versus ‘barbarians’? At what point does theatre about something so sensitive and topical become disaster tourism or moral grandstanding?
"That is why what Ben Chikha and his team are doing is so impressive: they bring the tragedy into sharp focus through sublime dance and raw emotion, whilst at the same time taking a step back to create documentary theatre that inevitably provokes thought."
