The Freedom Theatre’s summer camp has started and today, nine boys aged 9-14 are gathered in the cinema room. They have just finished watching Finding Nemo and are discussing issues that were brought up in the film. “Did you see how much Nemo’s father cared about him?” asks Kamal Awad, who is leading the group together with Motaz Malhees. “And how hard he tried to find his son?” Yes, the boys nod thoughtfully.
Kamal Awad and Motaz Malhees are long-time members and actors in The Freedom Theatre. They explain that they do different activities with the boys each day: drama, drawing, storytelling, dancing and group-building exercises.
“Tomorrow is going to be a really nice day”, Motaz says to the group. “We will ask you to paint stories from your lives and the day after we will start working on those stories, to make a small theatre presentation at the end of the summer camp.”
After the film, Motaz and Kamal take the boys to a nearby playground to help volunteers from The Freedom Theatre clean up the park, which is very rundown and covered with litter. The boys work until the sun comes down, collecting garbage, talking about what it means to take care of one’s environment, and going on the newly repaired swings.
When asked what the summer camp means to them, one boy replies: “We learn how to trust each other. We are brothers here.”
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