Damascus-Sana
Twenty young men and women went into the depths of an authentic Syrian heritage rescue project, polished with a passion for shadow imagination, and their involvement throughout the war years with community work, and they were the pillars of establishing the first Mikhael team for the Syrian Shadow Fantasy Theater.
On the basis of preserving the Syrian intangible heritage and employing it in the development of Syria and the renewal of its societies, and on the occasion of the establishment of the "Shadows Team", the Syrian Trust for Development, within the "Living Heritage" program, organized a celebration of "Syrian Imams" in conjunction with the World Theater Day on the stage of the drama theater in Dar Al-Assad for Culture and Arts this evening.
The imagination of the Syrian shadow, or what is known as “Krakouz and Preachers”, was included by the UNESCO International Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2018 on the list of heritage that needs urgent preservation. This achievement comes as a result of a tireless “civil and governmental” community effort to preserve the identity A Syrian heritage cultural component and ensuring its continuity.
The celebration was an opportunity to introduce 24 personalities created by members of the Shadows team, bearing contemporary names that reflect the conditions of the Syrian society. They were chosen by young imaginations, demonstrating the importance of the shadow imagination theater component in the Syrians ’memory for its role in portraying their social lives and presenting positive messages targeting all groups and embodying their traditions and identity.
The celebration began with the presentation of a documentary film about the Imaginative Training Project, which included the stages of work that the Shadows team went through.
Sherine Nadaf, the supervisor of the project “Reviving and Developing the Shadow Fantasy Theater Element” in the Amanat’s Living Heritage Program, stated in her speech that the Secretariat started since the inclusion of Shadow Fantasy in the UNESCO Urgent Safeguarding List and through the Living Heritage Program, preserving this art as an intangible cultural heritage by training people to become professional imaginers. Within the framework of transmitting this component across generations.
She explained that the shadow imagination is a popular conscience and a living memory, and part of the peoples' stories and mission, and an endless piece of their history and civilization.
During the ceremony, a theatrical performance entitled “Shadows TV Station” was presented through which the shadow team learned about their characters, which were the result of training within a systematic theatrical framework. During the show, each character with their specifications, role and voice appeared alongside the characters of Kerkouz and Yawaz, who were presented by Mikhail Shadi Hallaq. The show included an inspired piece. Shadow Fantasy Theater music by percussionist Mazen Hamzah and qanun player Alaa al-Abdullah.
The ceremony was concluded with the distribution of certificates to the trainees, along with the dolls that they had manufactured, and souvenirs from the theater atmosphere. Each member of the Shadows team will be given a set of tools and equipment to continue their journey towards preserving the intangible cultural heritage.
On the sidelines of the ceremony, an exhibition of shadow imagination was held, which contained pieces of theater that were manufactured by the shadow team, in addition to a group of dolls in their form that symbolized the entities of the Syrian Trust for Development. They were manufactured as an initiative of those in charge of the training under the supervision of plastic artist Ammar Hassan and dolls that express the Syrian elements registered on the UNESCO lists, namely the Shami Rose And shadow theater characters.
In a statement to SANA, the supervisor of the Shadows Team Training in the field of story, writer and screenwriter Samer Ismail, explained that the training period lasted more than 3 months, during which the narration and storytelling templates for Shadow Fantasy Theater were approached based on old texts and techniques related to developing easy and likable plots for this type of theater. Multiple exercises. 30 stories related to stereotypical characters were constructed from the Syrian environments due to their multiplicity and diversity, to present new characters in addition to Kerkouz and Awaz.
The supervisor of the team’s training in the field of vocal performing arts, opera singer Fadi Attia pointed out that the training included techniques and methods of using imaginary voices in a variety of ways because it is a way for them to communicate with the public, stressing that we are facing important projects and distinguished talents.
The supervisor of the team’s training in the field of doll manufacture and shadow imagination traditions, Shadi Hallaq, stated that he was the last practitioner of this art in Syria, and today we are witnessing the graduation of a number of distinguished imaginations who have created contemporary characters that imitate the current time, pointing out that what distinguishes this experience is the introduction of the female component to become the imaginations of broken practices. Men's monopoly.
The event was attended by the Minister of Culture, Dr. Labana Mashouh, the Secretary-General of the Syrian Trust for Development Faris Klas, the Executive Director of the Secretariat, Shadi El-Ashi, representatives of government agencies, civil organizations, and a crowd of media professionals and those interested in Syrian heritage.
Rasha Mahfoud