Sweet Afton—Corrib Theatre—Radio P

 

What Price Freedom?!

    This 20-minute radio play by Jaki McCarrick is directed by Tracy Cameron Francis and runs through September 5^th.  For further information, go to their site:   https://corribtheatre.org/sweet-afton 

    It has often been said…Freedom is not Free and the price you pay for it, can be a heavy one.  We see that now with the immigrants, especially children, at the borders between the U. S. and Mexico.  The loss of personal dignity, and often, all your possessions, is evident.      Our own Japanese-American citizens felt this humiliation during WWII, when sent to Internment Camps, simply because they were the “wrong” color.  There is no excuse for such bad behavior by governments but, I fear, it will continue for years to come.

    In this incarnation, we have the camp in Ireland called Direct Provision, a way of detaining and, perhaps, discouraging asylum seekers from becoming a part of the free world.

    Kazim (Shahjehan Khan) and his sister, Leila (Fatima Wardek) are from Afghanistan, looking for refuge in Ireland but are seeing resistance and, in consequence, have been in this camp for five years.  They do make a friend in Andrea (Lauren Bloom Hanover) and Kaz is encourage to run for a political office within the camp, as he wants to improve the situations of all refugees.  I can’t tell you how it turns out, so you will have to listen to it for yourselves.

    The plot, through some very simple but poignant dialogue, exposes the humanity of those concerned, emphasizing that immigrants are not some monsters or low-life’s, but just ordinary folks wanting to contribute to the betterment of Mankind.  The actors are all very believable and the director has endeavor to keep the characters realistic so that we can identify with them.  Well done.

    We currently are beginning the process of doing just that from that war-torn country and this play might highlight the humanity of those people, too, as they adjust to a new life here and elsewhere.  A timely and topical situation, to say the least.