The Horse of Jenin
The Horse of Jenin
03.09.25 — 04.09.25For the past two years, the life of Palestinian performer Alaa Shehada from Jenin has been turned completely upside down. Alaa is now in the Netherlands, and it is more important than ever that he shares his urgent story.
After a major invasion in 2002, a German artist travelled to Jenin to create an artwork with the children of the city: a five-metre-tall horse made of metal debris and rubble. The horse, an Arab symbol of freedom, was placed in the city centre and stood there for twenty years as a symbol of hope and resistance.
In October 2023, an Israeli bulldozer tore down the statue and removed it. Alaa wonders: What happened to the horse? Was it arrested? Did it tell the story of the day Alaa and Ahmed tried to ride it?
From fragments of memory, Alaa builds a new horse—infused with humour and imagination. A powerful tale of the resilience that imagination can bring.
Practical info
Duration
70 min
- This play is part of the TheaterFestival programme.
- An aftertalk will follow the performance on the 4th of September
Dates
They saw the play and said:
The way in which Jenin's complex history has been transformed into an intimate and personal performance is impressive
Jury TheaterFestival 2025