People of Stamps and Seals

By Aleksandra Krzyzaniak-Gumowska (Gazeta Wyborcza)

- “F…! - A tall man in a Muslim head cover is walking in circles and cursing out.
- “F…!, F…!, F…! When are they finally going to give me this fucking decision!? An Arab, Mustafa who’s waiting for a decision to his application for asylum, fumes during a rehearsal by Migrator theatre at the Ethnographic Museum yesterday:


Actors during the rehearsal of the "Race of Stamps"

The play is titled “Race of stamps”. That’s how its author Simon Mol calls people who don’t mean more than a stamp. At least for government officials. And that’s how, according to him, refugees and migrants feel.

Simon Mol came to Poland 6 years ago. Before then he escaped to Ghana from Cameroon. He’s editor in chief of the “Voice of exile” magazine, Secretary General of the Association of Exiles in Poland and a playwright writer. Race of stamps is one of his first play in which actors talk so much. His previous works contained more ethnic music, songs and dance.

“Race of stamps” is a political play, admits Simon Mol. “Politicians  treat people like numbers. I want to show that their decisions have influence on real people”. Students from different countries take part in the play. There are Poles, Africans from Sudan, Congo, Angola, Nigeria, and there’s also a Czech.

Mustafa’s real name is Czirkiew Mowlatgiri, and he’s not an Arab, but Ingush.
He’s been in Poland for one year and was given a tolerated stay, but just like the plays hero, he still doesn’t have a refugee status. He had a problem with his part because, being a Muslim, he shouldn’t curse. Stubbornly he insisted on saying “kurcze”.
-“We used to stop rehearsals and start discussions. This is not a professional cast, so we had to work individually with every person- says Mariusz Orski, director of the play, who met Simon at a meeting of exiles in London.

Discussions popped out when a Belarusian refused to say Amen; nobody could convince her, that it’ s a theatre and just a play. Most of the cast are amateurs, there are only three professionals. Some of them don’t even speak fluent Polish.

-“Mustafa didn’t want to learn Polish. But during three months work with the play, you can see the effects. He’s talking better and better, laughs Nada, who came to Poland 10 years ago, and though it was difficult, thanks to the knowledge of languages she found a job as an assistant. Now she’s writing her Master’s in Management and Marketing. In “Race” she plays Liengu, a girl whose files bureaucrats call “The Black hole of a black woman”— “ I was shocked reading that for the first time.”

“The plays advantage isn’t its professionalism, but truth. It’s written by a foreigner, foreigners play in it and it’s their story. It attracts attention to many of their problems and stereotypes- says Katarzyna Romanczuk, an actress cooperating with the Polish National Theatre. In “Race” she plays the role of an Arabic girl Aisha.

How do refugees, tired of eternal waiting see the reality around them?

Go and see for yourself on Sunday at 6 pm in Museum of Ethnography (1 Kredytowa St. ), February 16th in Piekarnia Club, February 17th in the Center for Creative Activities in Wlochy and later in Le Madame Club.

Comments

[aaron law]

Simon,
This play sounds great. Hopefully, I will be able to come to Warsaw at a time when one of your productions is playing. I read your My Story document and it reminded me of when I met you with Brady Reeves on Aleje Krakowskie Przedmiejscie. It was a great experience in my life to meet you, and I miss Poland for the great people there like you who work to make it a wonderful place. Keep on keeping on,

aaron law