Theatre Wallay, in collaboration with Migrant Resource Center (MRC), performed its new production ‘Bhago – A Play on Illegal Migration’ at various venues in Gujranwala, Gujrat, and Mandi Bahauddin – 3 performances in each district. It toured the target districts in Dec 2019.
Illegal migration, helped by a network of human smugglers, is a decades old phenomenon in Pakistan. illegal migrants face immense difficulties and risk their lives while undertaking such a dangerous venture. However, general public does not know much about the hardships. Hence, more people fall prey to the human smugglers who lure them by promising wealth and prosperity in the far off lands.
‘Bhago’ aims at raising awareness about the hardships people face if they take the illegal path. It encourages them to take the legal path, provides basic guidance, and introduces MRC as a reliable source of information on migration related issues.
TW team developed a 30-minutes long play ‘Bhago’ based on true stories shared by MRC. It was performed in Gujranwala, Gujrat, and Mandi Bahauddin between 20 and 28 December this year. The target audience were primarily young boys and men – prospective victims of human smugglers. However, TW invited teachers, media persons, parents, and government officials as well. The play was seen by about 1,500 people in the three districts.
Theatre Wallay is grateful to the local collaborators who played critical role in mobilizing people, identifying accessible venues, and coordinating with the relevant officials for making it possible. We would particularly like to mention here:
- Mr. Abu Bakar Farooqi (University of Gujrat) for organizing three performances in Gujrat
- Mr. Abul Hasan Madani (Population Welfare Department, Mandi Bahauddin), for organizing three performances in Mandi Bahauddin
- Amir Tufail, Dr. Nazir Ahmad, and Babar Siddique for organizing a performance in Government Post Graduate College, Satellite Town, Gujranwala
- Professor Masood Ahmed Salik for organizing a performance at Government Commerce College People’s Colony, Gujranwala
- Professor Ahmad Raza for organizing a performance at Government Faqeer Muhammad College, Peoples Colony, Gujranwala
The Cast:
- Imran Iftikhar as Saleem
- Safeer Ullah Khan as Allah Bakhsh
- Sara Pasha as Shammo
- Adil Yousuf as Khawar
- Ahad Ali as Human Smuggler
- Umer Farooq as Changhez
- Fuzail Raza as Illegal Migrant
The Crew:
- Imran Iftikhar – Direction
- TW Team – Script
- Mustafa Hasan – Sound Design
- Aamir Ali – Sound Execution
