By Chineka Assem Maumo
Revolution Days by Mariem Omari is based on her real life experiences as a former aid worker and explores the impact that conflict has on those deep within its trenches. The story follows Samira, a hopeful Scottish Aid worker who quickly finds that her aspirations to help as many people as possible may come at a cost she wasn’t fully prepared for. The play is a one-woman show performed by the fabulous Olivia Henmati, who gives us humour, outrage and anguish in a compelling performance. Whilst waiting for the show to start, the audience was able to watch a short pre-show film which championed the voices of the real people who were affected during the Arab Spring. Through this film, we feel and hear the weight that conflict has on those personally affected even if the rest of the world has decided to forget.
The play is non-naturalistic with Oliva playing multiple characters at any given time. In terms of genre, it could be argued its fictionalised nature lends itself towards tragedy with the backdrop of the Arab Spring. However, the best way to describe Revolution Days is that it is truthful in a way that we all need reminding of in our current times. Jen McGinely’s simplistic set design is effective as it pairs well with Samira’s nomad lifestyle. The set design shows how her accommodation is bare with only the necessities around her. Furthermore, the set was almost camouflaged by the lighting, highlighting the difference between Samira in her home and when she is outside. In the centre of the stage, there were crates and boxes haphazardly organised. A table off to stage left and a chair hidden behind a translucent curtain attached to a wooden frame on stage right, which is used in a beautiful confessional scene.
Nik Pajet-Tomlinson uses sound alongside a screen in the centre of the stage to project various types of media, which chillingly compliments Henmati’s performance and the play overall. Sounds of helicopters, gunshots; wailing, and protesting all reminding the audience of the reality that the play is emulating. A clip from Ex-President Obama’s speech on 23 February 2011, where he criticises the humanitarian crisis in Libya, is used in a thought-provoking way. Within his speech he condemns the Libyan government for their “failure to meet [their] responsibilities” in “respect of the rights of its people.” This speech acts as a harrowing reminder that as time has moved on, the world has only continued to fail in protecting people’s human rights.
The lighting orchestrated by Benny Goodman tells its own story. The warm yellow tones reflect the comfort of domesticity however short-lived it may be. It is with impeccable speed that we switch to cooler, interrogative lighting that makes us feel uncomfortably observed as Samira does as she passes by checkpoints with armed guards. Goodman’s command of lighting is beautifully shown through a colourful club scene, where pinks and blues adorn the stage in a combined sign of playfulness and melancholy. This scene acts as a reprieve that reflects how even during tumultuous times, humanity seeks joy and closeness.
Throughout the story we are privy to the combination of emotions that Samira feels towards the action happening around her. Henmati’s acting has a sense of verisimilitude. Her portrayal of varying emotions comes across in such a way that it feels as though she has lived through Samira’s hardship. Henmati brings a naivety to Samira which makes the audience fond of her and makes her subsequent erraticism all the more gut-wrenching. The dialogue is wonderfully conversational, almost confessional, which the levity in her speech helps to highlight.
Furthermore, the use of anecdotes and witty humour makes the audience relate to her human-to-human without undermining the seriousness of the play. In doing so, we as the audience are reminded that Samira’s story is one of many that we hear on the news. As the story develops, Henmati’s performance becomes more erratic as she switches fluidly between anger and desperation. As the stress of her occupation takes a toll on her body, with her hair falling out and developing “a witches eye”, Henmati’s performance continues to hook us in. We feel her grief and helplessness as she comes to the realisation that even with her best efforts, she is unable to completely transform the lives of the people so deeply affected by war. Her developing indifference to the stress on her body, and even to her assault of a woman on the road, shows the psychological toll that civil unrest causes on those who come to give aid.
However, Omari’s script shines light on the resilience of people even if they have been through horrific experiences. This play is not only about despair but also about tenacity. It reminds us not to consider people in conflict and those who come to give them aid as victims in distress, but as people who in the midst of all this terror can still laugh and live as humanly as possible. Omari highlights the importance of politics and people in such a sophisticated way. The take away is that we can learn about all the politics in the world and yet it holds nothing on the importance of the people. All in all, Revolution Days is an enjoyable and compelling play which is absolutely worth watching.