Thoughts On Paris

The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Eastern Angles Theatre Company.

We opened Nativity Blues, a modern retelling of the nativity story, by Danusia Iwaszko last week in a disused space at Serpentine Green shopping centre, Peterborough.  Miriam and Yosef flee their war-torn home, Sikat, in search of peace in the UK.  Its message is one of peace and love between all people and all faiths.  

And now we are reeling from the attacks in Paris on Friday.  From their statements it would appear that I.S. wish us to live in a state of fear and mistrust, leading to discrimination against a faith that is, at its root, one of love.  It is now more important than ever that we stop and question our individual racial and religious prejudices and remind ourselves that the vast majority of Muslims do not support these acts of violence.

You cannot kill a weed by mowing it down; you must look to its roots.  And the roots of violence and hatred are deeply complex.  Just as Friday's attacks will not make people cower at home or convert to Islam, neither will war with I.S. stop future attacks.  Each person is more complex than their faith, their society and their culture and it is not for either side to dictate.  In Eastern Angles' production of Nativity Blues our three wise kings are a Buddhist monk, a Sikh and an Imam.  They follow the star as in the original, but as they travel they learn about each other's faiths.  They discover that although there are differences, there is one overarching similarity and that is that they and the faiths they represent share a single message, a message of love.

We must look to a common humanity with great courage; we must, in all aspects of our individual lives reach out to those who might otherwise be discriminated against; we must learn from history's lessons and find a way that involves acceptance not prejudice; we must prove our humanity in the face of atrocity.

"And when Herod heard that a Saviour, the King amongst Kings, had been born and was lying in a manger, he decreed that all children under three should be killed in case there should be a challenge to his throne."

Violence breeds more violence, responding to loss of life with aggressive revenge will leave the whole world blind.  We can be bigger than this.  We can be greater than this.

Poppy Rowley, Director of Nativity Blues