São Paulo – The daughter of a couple of Lebanese immigrants, a middle-aged woman who lives in São Paulo, tries to go back to her origins seeking her identity, by means of her memory and imagination. This is the plot of the play As Folhas do Cedro (The Cedar Leaves), written and directed by Samir Yazbek, a son of Lebanese immigrants. The play will premiere on the 23rd at the Theatre of SESC Vila Mariana, in São Paulo. The play will be staged by the Arnesto nos Convidou theatre company.
To write the play, Yazbek took his cue from his origins and the stories of other immigrant families, from Lebanon and other countries. In Brazil, the Lebanese community, including immigrants and descendents, exceeds 6 million people, a figure higher than the population of Lebanon itself, which is around 4 million. The director claimed that the play is not autobiographical, it is a work of fiction. “The main experience is memories of my family, of the stories that I used to hear,” says Yazbek.
He explains that he had been imagining the text inside of him for a long time, and it all took shape three years ago. “That was when I started giving it for some people to read in São Paulo, to see whether they approved it. But a text is meant to be read, not staged, so it underwent several changes before it was ready,” claims Yazbek.
The plot of the play is narrated by a woman who interacted more with her mother than she did with her father. “An Arab woman, full of traditional values,” adds the director. It is through the stories that her mother used to tell that the daughter goes back to the past to seek memories of her father, who used to work as a contractor, in the 1970s, during the building of the Trans-Amazonian Highway, during the military regime in Brazil.
In these trips through time, the daughter of immigrants interacts with other characters, such as a contractor from Rio, a German manager, and an Amazonian native. “These other characters are mythical, we all have characters like them inside ourselves,” claims the director. According to him, “The Cedar Leaves” is a symbolism for the collective roots and personal memories of this daughter, who is searching for her identity. “The play has a very symbolic, poetical language,” he says.
According to the director, the play’s narrator seeks balance between the world of progress and reason, represented by her father figure, and the world of tradition, represented by her mother. “I project myself onto the narrator. I believe there comes a time in which everyone asks themselves who we are, where are we going to, and when there are no answers, we turn to a more poetic view, we seek our roots,” he claims.
To elaborate the play, lots of research was done on Lebanese culture and the construction of the Trans-Amazonian Highway. The mythologies of ancient peoples are also featured in the play.
The play’s stage and costume design are reminiscent of the desert landscape of Arab countries, which according to the author is a metaphor for the human condition. The soundtrack also combines Eastern and Western music, which represent the archaic and the contemporary.
After finishing the screenplay, Yazbek felt like getting to know Lebanon, and went there last year. “I am fascinated with that culture. I loved going there, and came back with even greater enthusiasm. It was a trip to inspire me and make sure that I was on the right direction,” he says.
“The Cedar Leaves” is part of a programme celebrating the 130th anniversary of Lebanese immigration to Brazil, an event organized by the Brazil-Lebanon Cultural Association. Even before the premiere, the Arnesto nos Convidou theatre company has been invited to perform in Beirut late this year.
Service
“The Cedar Leaves”
Date: July 23 to August 22
Time: Fridays and Saturdays at 09:00 pm, and Sundays at 06:00 pm
Place: SESC Vila Mariana Theatre
Address: Pelotas street, 141 – Vila Mariana – São Paulo
TIckets: 5 to 20 Brazilian reals (US$ 3 to US$ 11)
Age rating: 12 years. Genre: drama Duration: 70 min.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
