Dalia Taha’s play explores
life under occupation

Keffiyeh/Made in China runs until April 26 – don’t miss it!

By Irwin Rapoport

April 17, 2025

Mississippi Burning, a powerful film from 1988, gave audiences a glimpse into what life was like for African Americans in the Deep South in the waning days of the Jim Crow era. I bring this up as African Americans, despite being liberated from slavery in 1865, were living under what can be described as a decades-long occupation by the white community that had the tacit approval of the federal government.

Plawright Dalia Taha’s Keffiyeh/Made in China, a play being performed by Teesri Duniya Theatre at Rangshala Studio, does an équally impressive job of highlighting how Israel’s occupation of the West Bank since 1967 has infiltrated virtually every aspect of daily life for its Palestinian residents. The play is moving, insightful, and offers a deeply human look at life under occupation, be it Palestine and other similar situations, past and present, where various peoples were not in control of their destinies.

Chelsea Dab Hilke – Image: Cole Hayley

Keffiyeh/Made in China, the final production in Teesri Duniya Theatre’s 2024-25 season, Staging Freedom: a theatrical response to war through the power of art, explores the full range of emotions from heartbreak to humour, along with poignant reflection and frustration.

The Canadian première of the play, directed by Chelsea Dab Hilke, is a must-see theatre experience as it delves into how a society strives to endure a sustained posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) situation and is unable to escape its pervasive impacts.

Rahul Varma, artistic director of Teesri Duniya Theatre, stated it perfectly when he told me after the performance that a central theme focused on “how a normal life cannot be normal.” He added that the play “seeks to foster dialogue, understanding and peace, promoting visibility for Palestinian theatre.”

The play is successful on many levels due to dialogue, acting, direction, audio, lighting and visual effects, but what really makes it special is the layout of the stage and seating.

… a must-see theatre experience as it delves into how a society strives to endure a sustained posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) situation and is unable to escape its pervasive impacts.

Rather than have the audience view the play through a traditional format, Dab created an intimate atmosphere based on a small rectangular stage with the audience sitting in rows on the left and right sides, placing them very close to the action and thus hearing every word and seeing every gesture and movement.

What made the performance unique for me was that on one end, you had a sculptural installation made from pieces of life, on which emerges hope, and at the other end, a space that looks like a quiet home life versus the jumble of pieces of home life at the other end. The play begins with a brief narration, followed by the actors walking onto the stage.

Keffiyeh/Made in China

The lighting was flawless, shifting on a dime to maximize the performances. With Diana Uribe taking care of set and costumes, Rehan Lalani, sound, Jordana Natale on lighting, and stage manager Abi Sanie at the helm, each scene comes alive.

And while the entire team is on top of its game, this play also demands an attentive audience. Every word, facial expression, and movement seamlessly fits into place. You don’t want to miss a single moment. The 100-minute performance takes us from one situation to another, with a finale you won’t forget.

Keffiyeh/Made in China has Basma Baydoun, Rahul Gandhi, Joy Ross-Jones, Hiba Sleiman and Aladeen Tawfeek playing a wide range and depth of characters in over thirty roles who have spent their entire lives in the occupied West Bank, trying to connect under the daily pressures that can slowly drive you mad.

‘Keffiyeh/Made in China reveals with heartbreak, humour and poignant reflection, how people cope with a decades-long occupation. Moments of loss, resilience and the spectrum of human experience are underscored by the daily realities.’

Here is a snippet of Redecoration, one of ten short plays:

Where is the boy? They put a picture of a boy’s room, and the boy is missing, and they think we will care about the product in the picture, they don’t know that we will start thinking differently, thinking ‘where is the boy? ’ Why isn’t he in his room? It’s a nice room, it has a carpet, a desk, and even a table lamp. Why would he want to leave such a room?

Dalia Taha is an award-winning Palestinian poet, playwright, novelist, and educator raised and living in Ramallah, a city in the West Bank. Keffiyeh/Made in China reveals with heartbreak, humour and poignant reflection, how people cope with a decades-long occupation. Moments of loss, resilience and the spectrum of human experience are underscored by the daily realities.

Here is a link to an article about the history of making keffiyehs, a ubiquitous piece of clothing worn by many people throughout the Middle East.

The art exhibition, Resurrected العائدون من الموت, will be up for the run of the show. It highlights works by Judy Afranji, a Gaza native who still resides there.

Keffiyeh/Made in China

Chelsea Hilke Dab and actor Aladeen Tawfeek responded to a few questions about the play.

WM: How did you prepare to direct the play, and how did you assemble the cast?

Dab: It was important to me to build a team that was invested in and committed to supporting the cause for Palestinian liberation. Curiosity, a desire to learn, and a commitment to the content and context were what I was expecting from my team and myself. The cast was selected by a traditional audition process, but I was also looking to hear from people on their connection and interest in the content. Casting for me is largely intuitive, so if I saw their interest in the material, an ability to portray multiple characters, and a playful spirit, I knew that person was the right fit.

WM: The play examines how individuals and a larger community are struggling to survive in a desperate situation. What is the key to telling these stories without being melodramatic?

Dab: The key to telling any story honestly is to dig deeply into the text and pull out what is screaming to be heard. If you really look and listen, a play will tell you how it needs to be performed. Sometimes there is room for melodrama!

WM: What do you hope audiences will glean from the play and its messages?

Dab: I hope audiences glean from this play the simple and significant reminder that Palestinians are human beings. They are under occupation and are being ethnically cleansed from their land. They are mothers, fathers, siblings, lovers, those who have been abandoned by governments, and those being exploited by governments. Palestinians are not casualties of war. They are people who deserve a joyful life and a loving future. With ten short plays, there are moments of profundity, pain, and fear, but also love, humour, and hope. I hope that people will leave with a deeper appreciation for the complexity and profundity of our human existence, and a desire to extend that horizon to those in Palestine and occupied lands all over the world.

‘… I hope people walk away with a more rounded understanding of Palestine, not just as a political issue, but as a lived reality; the recognition that Palestine isn’t just a headline, it’s people.’

– Aladeen Tawfeek, actor

WM: The Palestinian people in the West Bank are doing their best to survive and flourish under a decades-long occupation. How did you channel the many lived experiences and anguish, and hope of so many individuals?

Tawfeek: It’s an everyday, intimate reality. I approached this work with deep reverence. For me, it wasn’t about ‘channelling’ as much as it was about listening, really listening to voices that are often ignored or silenced. I held each character as a real person: someone with a history, a home, a heartbreak. My goal was to honour their humanity, not perform their pain.

The play explores survival, dignity and the weight of history. It’s notable how the playwright refuses to flatten Palestine into a singular narrative but rather offers the scope of human nuance. I hope people walk away with a more rounded understanding of Palestine, not just as a political issue, but as a lived reality; the recognition that Palestine isn’t just a headline, it’s people.

WM: What drew you to acting, and how would you describe your acting style and experience on stage?

Tawfeek: I’ve always been drawn to the quiet truths people carry, the unsaid, the in-between. Acting lets me inhabit those spaces. I’m not sure I can define my acting style, but I try to approach each role with honesty and emotional presence. I believe acting should be raw, vulnerable, and even uncomfortable at times, because that’s what allows us to truly reflect the human condition.

WM: Palestinians and Israelis have to find a way to live in harmony and secure a ‘peace dividend.’ Are you hopeful that there is a light at the end of the tunnel?

Tawfeek: I think we need to be careful not to present this as a symmetrical conflict. One side is stateless, under occupation, facing forced displacement, siege, and military violence, and the other is a nuclear-armed state. That imbalance matters. So while I believe in the power of justice, truth-telling, and human dignity, peace can’t come without accountability. I still hold on to hope, not because I see a clear path, but because to act, to create, to remember — is itself an act of hope.

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Images: Lardjane, unless indicated otherwise