:: Tuesday, May 6 – Workshop 5 ::

Monday 20th May

It’s Week 4. There’s been a few drop offs. The crew is taking shape now and we are starting to see and learn a little more about each other individually. The dynamic and ‘spark’ amongst us is comfortable. We are getting beneath the surface now and I’m sensing that people are starting to realize they are putting their personal experiences out to be heard and are not afraid of doing so. Trust is key now.

We get right into action on Tuesday and writing exercises are introduced to the group. We spread paper round the room and a whole bunch of pens. TJ plants the seed…. "Write down the last argument you had with your Mum or Dad"….

It’s immediately obvious who the writing buffs are… Mahroof and Ahab jump to it before TJ gets to the end of his sentence…there’s eager writer’s amongst us – it’s fantastic!

Mohammed (Izra’s bro). Aladdin, Matuse and Mohammed number 2 are up to perform the last argument Mohammed had with his Dad. And, it seems as though it’s a recurring one and one that’s close to home for the majority of us in the room. I know I’ve had many arguments to the same effect with my Dad (many years ago now but I still had them and they sounded a lot like Mohammed’s).

So the scenario is, it’s Mohammed’s birthday (Aladdin is playing the role of Mohammed). Mohammed wants to go out with his mates… they are going to the beach, to hang out, pick up chicks and just be boys – you know!. Mohammed’s at home and he says to his Dad…"I’m Bored, I’m going to Matuse’s place next door". He goes next door and the boys convince him to go and talk his Dad into allowing him to go out for the night. Mohammed returns home and asks, only to receive an immediate NO from Dad. This is where the argument comes in…. and the point where the entire group started laughing because it was the expected response that we are all so accustomed to hearing.… "Why can’t I go. I’m good. I look after my sister. I’m good at school…. you know who the boys are. They come from good families".

There’s a brief argument and it’s all over. TJ asks for a reality check again… we all ask for a reality check. Even though it’s close to home, we all know that there would have been much more arguing and Mohammed would not have given up until he was allowed to go. So Ali steps in from the audience to play the new version of Dad…and what a performance. He was spot on!

Ali represents the father as saying things like… "Son, you respect me and I respect you. What do you want to go tot he beach at 10pm. Why do you lie to me…. why do you hang around with these boys…who are these boys".

After tireless arguing, reasoning, questioning and comparisons to other ‘good’ kids, he lets Mohammed go out but on the provision that… "You get a job and you be good".

This comparison test that our parents place on us is a constant for many. It’s like, there is this mould of ‘shab muhtarim’ (the good Arab son), or ‘Benet emhasbi‘ (the perfect Arab daughter), and the criteria for each are defined by everyone else but our parents. They are so concerned sometimes with what other people think of their children because, of course it’s a reflection on them. Mohammed’s father didn’t want him to go out because, "What good, well respected Arab boy goes out to the beach at 10pm". This fired up intense conversation amongst us, many of us having similar experiences. It’s something we all relate to on a daily basis. There is a certain expectation and we have to live up to that to get ‘approval’ from our parents.

For more scenes, check out the scene/ story list for this week….

We are really seeing clear issues arising now that are prevalent in the everyday lives of almost the entire crew. Things like religion, education, definitions of respect that are specific for us Arab youth because of our culture, which is a beautiful thing. It’s really important for everyone that the patriotism is clear "We’re proud to be Arabs"…. everyone wants to make that clear, but at the same time, it’s clear that we all struggle at one point or another with the balance between our parents ideas of how to live life and ours. As Youseef says, "It’s all about balancing traditions and culture. You know the whole Australian way v’s Leb/ Arab way".

The crew argue with their parents about not being able to move out of home, because it’s ‘haram’ (not respectable – a shame). They argue about parents not pprobing of partners that are not of the same background or culture. They argue about money, they argue about all the kinds of things that everyone argues with their parents about, but whatever it is, it always seems to be about ‘respect’…..

Respect is paramount and it’s what makes us who we are!

:: Patrick 12.50 PM [+] :: ...