Newsletter No. 1376
News-Analysis
June 6, 2009

 

The following Newsletter has been contributed by Alex Calvo (Shingetsu Member No. 127), who currently serves as Professor of International Relations and International Law, European University in Barcelona (Spain); and Research and Teaching Fellow, OSCE Academy in Bishkek (Kyrgyz Republic).

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PLAY EXPLAINS CONTEMPORARY AFGHAN HISTORY

The Yomiuri Shinbun reported on June 5th that an English-language play titled “The Crossroads Country” will be staged at Space Zero in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, on June 16th and 17th. The name of the play comes from the fact that, due to its geographical location, Afghanistan has often been invaded by more powerful neighbors, being a land which connects Europe, East Asia, and West Asia, and it is based on an original script by Alexander Harris, a 37-year-old Briton who is also responsible for directing it. It is being performed as part of the celebrations to mark the 80th anniversary next year of diplomatic relations between Tokyo and Kabul. [1]

The project was first suggested by former Afghan Ambassador to Japan Haron Amin and his wife, and was taken up by Tokyo International Players, an amateur theater group with members from a number of countries, including the US, Great Britain, and Saudi Arabia, which performs English-language plays. [2]

The play provides a voyage through thirty years of Afghan history, beginning with the Soviet invasion in 1979, followed by the exile of many Afghans, resistance, Soviet withdrawal, civil war, the rise to power of the Taliban, their hosting of Al-Qaida, and their fall at the hands of US expeditionary forces in 2001, which gave rise however to an asymmetrical conflict still being waged.

This is not, however, just a historical play, but rather one designed to show the Japanese public “the preciousness of peace” according to an unnamed Afghan embassy official, and making sure “people won’t forget about my country” in the words of Amin, who believes that “international cooperation to help reconstruct Afghanistan is still insufficient.” This is done, according to director and script-writer Harris, without putting “the blame on any specific country or people.” [3]

Tokyo International Players claims that the play “incorporates thousands of quotations from hundreds of sources to provide a factual, eye opening, and above all, entertaining look at the history, horror, and humor that has gone into making Afghanistan one of the most important countries in the world today,” adding that it “combines music, innovative special effects.” [4]

Although Japan is one of the main donors to Afghanistan, having provided almost two billion dollars since 2002 and taken important steps such as paying the salaries of Afghan police officers for a six month period covering the next presidential elections, the Afghan government is worried about the Japanese public’s perception of the country, mainly shaped by war-related news to the detriment of a millenary culture. [5]

Space Zero is a “a reasonably-sized theater that seats 550 in relative comfort.” The premiere of “The Crossroads Country” will be attended by a number of personalities, among them British Ambassador David Warren, US Embassy Charge d’Affairs James P. Zumwalt, and Iranian Ambassador Seyed Abbas Araghchi.

A student’s performance at reduced prices will take place on June 16th at 13:30. Tickets for this and other performances can be purchased from the play’s website.

THE VENUE

Neighborhood: Shibuya; Address: 2-12-1 Yoyogi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 151-0053; Phone 03-3375-8741; nearest station, Shinjuku

NOTES

[1] “Depicting Afghan History via English Play,” Yomiuri Shinbun, June 5, 2009.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Tokyo International Players, “Thirty Years of Tumultuous History in One Evening of Theatre,” April 24, 2009.

[5] Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “Japan’s Assistance in Afghanistan: Achievements,” MOFA website, March 2009; “Japan to Pay Afghan Police Salary,” BBC News, February 24, 2009; and Afghan Embassy in Japan, “Interview with Mobacha.net,” Embassy website, February 19, 2009.