From Gregory Luce of Project 504: PRESS RELEASE BADBAADO!
UNIQUE ENGLISH-SOMALI IMPROV TO KICK OFF SOMALI NATIONAL WEEK ON JUNE 26 JUNE 21, 2002---Somali youth, professional actors, and social justice advocates have created a play that will premiere June 26 at the Pillsbury House Theater in Minneapolis during the first evening celebration of Somali National Week. "Badbaado!" a joint creation of Project 504, Pillsbury House Theater, and the Somali Youth Association, is a mixture of English and Somali improvisation set around landlord-tenant issues. It marks one of the first local theatrical productions created specifically for a Somali audience. "It is one of the only productions locally-and maybe in the country-that has been created in English and Somali, all around social justice issues that Somalis face," says Farah Nur, a community advocate with Project 504 who was instrumental in bringing the production to life. Badbaado is a Somali word that translates into English as"survival," and some have joked that the play-which is fast and funny with its reliance on improvisation-is the Somali version of the popular television show "Survivor." But there is an obvious serious side to the production, particularly in showing how Somalis deal with and learn from living in the Twin Cities during a time when lack of affordable housing has reached a critical level. "Home is the most important piece of life, and without a secure home a family's stability is in doubt," says Nur, who, apart from his work on Badbaado, advocates for Somali families who are trying to stabilize their housing situations. The play brings local Somali students together with professional actors from the Pillsbury House Theater, which is directing the production. The Somali youth play roles of landlords, tenants, elderly Somali women, and also recite Somali poetry, one of Somalia's known national treasures. After the play, two of the youth will facilitate a discussion of the play with the audience, many of whom will be Somali elders. Somali National Week celebrates the 1960 independence of Somalia from British rule. This year, local celebrations begin June 26 and last through July 1. Badbaado! will play at the Pillsbury House Theater on June 26 at 7:00 p.m. and at the Brian Coyle Community Center on Sunday, June 30, at 6:00 p.m. Two additional performances are scheduled for later in the year. Contact: Farah H. Nur at Project 504 (612) 221-1124 _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
