By Oliver Hjertum Jarsve (15 years old)

And Here I Am is a demanding but necessary story. 

Ahmed Tobasi alone on stage in “And Here I Am” is not just theater, it is a direct and raw story from a life we ​​fortunately do not know about here in Norway. The first thing that struck me was a deep sadness for those who have to experience this every day. It was also a bit challenging because he spoke Arabic with subtitles over it. This made it a bit difficult to follow what was happening while reading the text.

I experienced the performance as a kind of protest, while at the same time it was an important story. Some of the things that were said were so crazy to think about when we live in a country like Norway and don't experience anything like that. I think the message is to highlight how fucking bad it actually is there, and it's an incredibly important job to convey this message.

What made the strongest impression was how Tobasi told his story. He spoke about violence and death almost casually. He mentioned that one of his closest friends died, and said it as if it were everyday. For me, who lives in Norway, this is completely strange to hear, but it emphasizes how brutal life in a refugee camp must be, when death becomes such a common part of everyday life. 

While the message was painful and tough, Tobasi made it easier to follow by using humor. The humor gave us little breaks from the heavy, and it made his story more human.

Although the subtitles were a challenge, Tobasi managed to hold attention. He used a lot of movement and a loud voice on stage. When there were other people speaking in the story, he used the microphone to distinguish them.

 In addition, the use of effects was absolutely fantastic, like the sand when he talked about being in prison in the desert, and the smoke machine when it was like tear gas. These tools helped us in the audience to imagine the incredible situations he described, and made the story even more vivid.

And Here I Am is a necessary performance. It is demanding because of its sad story, but important because it gives us an unfiltered look at a reality far removed from our own.

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A performance that has never been more relevant

By Helle Daae-Qvale (15 years old)

And here I am is a captivating and important performance.

"And here I am" is a play performed by Ahmed Tobasi, based on his own life. It is written by Hassan Abdulrazzak. The play is narrated in Arabic, and Tobasi depicts his life from childhood to the present. He focuses on the conflict between Israel and Palestine, and presents this in an exciting and vivid way.

The stage Tobasi is on has many props lying around, everything from buckets of sand to hats and other items of clothing. All of the props are used during the performance, and help bring the story to life. They become an important part of the scenography.

He talks about what it was like growing up with his family in a refugee camp in Jenin, and at a young age he joined a resistance group against the Israeli authorities. Throughout his childhood he has always had a great interest in acting, but also talks about playing football and experiencing love and war. At 17, he ends up in prison, where the Israeli authorities demand that he give the name of the leader of the resistance movement, which he refuses to do. He is then sentenced to 4 years in prison. When he is 22, and finally free, he returns to his family in the camp. He becomes unemployed, but quickly returns to acting and theater, and is given the opportunity to travel to Belgium. From there he goes to Norway, where he receives a proper education in theater, and later receives a Norwegian passport. When he returns to Jenin again, he is greeted with posters of old friends, who died in the fight for justice. That's when Tobasi realizes that he wants to share his story with the rest of the world.

I thought this was an incredibly fascinating performance, where Tobasi managed to mix seriousness and humor in an exciting and unique way. For example, he showed the seriousness of being imprisoned and guarded by the Israeli authorities, while also telling about funny incidents he experienced in prison, and his experiences with other prisoners. He played with humor, sadness and rage, and you were drawn into the story when he told it so vividly. The seriousness of the situation became clear, and you started to ask the question "what could they have done today if they did not live under such circumstances?"

At times it was a bit difficult to follow both the English translation and what was happening on stage at the same time, and when Tobasi often changed the subject it was a bit easy to miss it. This performance is told and performed in a unique and captivating way, but it is also very relevant to the times we live in, and the theme of the performance is important to spread awareness and knowledge about.

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Lively performing arts with contagious energy

By Lucas Alexander Rikstad-Vindenes (15 years old)

Tobasi tells his own story.

In “And here I am”, artist Ahmed Tobasi mixes electric movements with sharp humor to tell his own story. He tells you about friends he has lost, time he has wasted, choices he regrets and what has shaped him into who he is today. From the stage he takes you on an explosive journey through war-torn Palestine. He introduces you to and you will get to know several people, through a very thought-provoking performance, which at least I, will not soon forget.

Throughout the performance, Tobasi plays several characters with several different accents and mannerisms, it is the way he does it; fun and talented that brings the whole piece together. Another key element in the performance is how he himself, with minimal use of props and scenery, manages to make you feel like you are there. He uses small details like sand on the floor to show desert or smoke to give you the idea of ​​the destruction, the rest he manages with the descriptions and the life he brings to the stage.

The power of theater

Something Tobasi returns to several times in the play is the idea that theatre can be as powerful as an AK-47. This idea has shaped his own relationship with performing arts and is about, among other things, the killing of Julian, who ran the theatre he worked at in Jenin. This becomes an important message for him throughout the performance and he tries to make us in the audience understand how powerful theatre can be.

“And here I am” is an important story, it sheds light on a very complex and long-standing conflict and does so in a phenomenal way.