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Don’t feel sorry for Ashtar Muallem. Ashtar found peace in her body through yoga and meditation and tells us that her body is her country. But if the country in question is Palestine, how many yoga sessions does it take to find that peace?
Breathe in, breathe out. This isn’t a special workout session. Just like on the YouTube videos, the fitness instructor talks about everyday things to keep you occupied and distracted from the physical strain. Only, everyday here isn’t a chit chat about your instructor’s cute dog running around and making you laugh. Here, you get a quick lesson not only in different yoga poses but also history of Ashtar’s home country, Palestine – entwined and twisted just like a resistance band that can end up uncomfortably strangled around your neck – a perfect metaphor for this ill-treated country.
Ashtar Muallem and Clément Dazin have created a timely (as well as, sadly, timeless) show about Palestine’s history, all beautifully wrapped up in the soft white fabric of Ashtar’s melodic movements which accompany the story of her childhood, religion and grandmother.
But no one is asking for your sympathy here. The beautiful, strong and smart cheekiness can easily put us all to shame as Ashtar cleverly uses her ‘foreignness’ to poke fun at Western laws and their hypocrisy. The mockery of the superficial rules we meekly follow to not stand out, in comparison to allowed ignorance of broken international laws of simply not killing innocents forces us to analyse our position and beliefs. As Ashtar calmly sums it up, ‘Different countries, different laws’ – the painful thought of it rings in my ears long after the performance.
Cosmos is a powerful lesson in the search for tranquillity using the tools at your disposal. It is a reminder that being oppressed does not mean being weak. Being pushed out of your country, forced to give up your nationality does not take away your identity. Just as we’re in control of our breathing, Ashtar rightfully takes control of her own narrative, the strength of her acrobatics on stage, equal to the strength of Palestinian resilience.
COSMOS will run at Summerhall from 1st till 11 August 2024
Words by Sonia Hadj Said
