Young Sidonians express themselves through theatre

CAIRO – 29 July 2017: Lebanese newspaper 'The Daily Star' highlights a troupe of young teenagers from Sidon, Lebanon as they come together and express their creativity and inner pain on-stage.

The youth theater project, SIBA, is run by “Minwal,” a theatre company based in Sidon and sponsored by the Arab Funds for Arts and Culture.

SIBA is currently on their final performance, "Dara Douwawa." Trained by Minwal for six months, the 11 young actors underwent intensive training to explore their lives, fears and inner thoughts.

The young troupe of 15-18 year olds had never even acted before, and some have lived difficult lives; one actor, Lubna is a Palestinian refugee who moved to Syria and was once again forced to flee, to Lebanon. Through acting here, these teens nurture creativity and gain the skills they need for the future, such as critical thinking and cooperation.

As 17-year-old actress, Dima Chamieh, tells the Daily Star, "We wrote most of the things, it's our experience and our lives. We're such close friends because we've really learned how to share ourselves and communicate."