Conflicted

From ’Something to do, Someone to love, Something to look forward to’ by Lee Brummer.
Photo: AdeY

The desire with Conflicted, a project which Lee Brummer is embarking on with the intent of longterm investment, is to share personal stories of Palestinian and Israeli individuals directly impacted by the conflict in the Middle East, not limited to the recent events. The project will lead up to the making of a new piece which will be based on interviews with individuals who have lost family members to the ongoing conflict and have chosen a pathway of coming together and grieving together, Palestinians and Israelis, and by doing so working towards a different and brighter future.

Counter to common knowledge, there are numerous initiatives and activities in which Palestinians and Israelis ‘practice’ this type of togetherness in every day lives. These groups and individuals are examples of how conflicts can be mitigated and people can come together despite and maybe even because of the pain. 

Through the research and making phases of Conflicted, Brummer and her collaborators also seek to develop a practice in which individuals on opposing sides of a conflict, ideologies or belief systems (beyond the specific Palestinian - Israeli context) can understand, support and trust one another, and thus proposing a practice of empathy and coexistence. This practice will be developed through exploring conflict resolution methodologies, understanding how to accept differing ideologies, and fostering empathy through a range of both movement and theatrical work.