After a hugely successful run last year, Palestine – Peace de Resistance has officially returned to the Edinburgh Fringe. The one-man show is written and performed by Sami Abu Wardeh, a Palestinian-British comedian with roots in both Ireland and Kuwait, a fittingly diverse background for tackling such a multicultural and complex show.
The show opens with a choral rendition of ‘The Day the Nazi Died’ which quickly transitions to Nancy Ajram’s iconic ‘Ya Tab Tab,’ immediately setting the show’s joyous and audacious tone. During the show, we follow multiple narrative threads, the key dynamic being the love story between Palestinian-born Merguez and Algerian freedom fighter, Fatima. It is through their relationship that we come to explore the nature of resistance and colonial trauma. Merguez’s Palestinian heritage and search for freedom comes to a head by the end of this story, with the characters and audience having to reckon with the pain of an erased history and disjunct cultural identity.
Abu Wardeh manages to connect with his audience on a personal level whilst simultaneously transporting them through space and time, moving from Italy in 1848, to Algeria in 1961, all the way to modern day British society. He really does not let your attention slip for even one moment, using a uniquely episodic formula to combine tense and thought-provoking dialogue with moments of dance-inspired physical comedy.
The show emphasises the power of storytelling in learning to heal, passing on cultural traditions, and maintaining resistance in tragedy. He explores the complexity of the Palestinian diasporic experience with an appropriately defiant humour that welcomes both joy and pain in tandem. This is clearest in the show’s climax, when Abu Wardeh proclaims “tomorrow I will take action, but tonight, art is my resistance.”
Having followed his career for a few years now, I can confidently say that Sami Abu Wardeh is a rare talent and master storyteller. His show is a heartfelt and unique approach to anti-colonial resistance that spans generations, cultures, and societies. I simply cannot recommend this show enough so make sure to grab your tickets for this limited run while you can!
Sami Abu-Wardeh: Palestine – Peace de Resistance is running until 27 August at Beside at Pleasance Courtyard. Buy tickets here.
Image by Dylan Woodley, provided to The Student as press material.
