The Horse of Jenin

Written and performed by Palestinian actor and comedian Alaa Shehada, The Horse of Jenin tells a universal story of resilience and imagination. This show combines storytelling, mask and stand-up comedy to explore the everyday life of a boy growing up in Jenin in Occupied Palestine who, like every child in the world, just wants to play and have fun. Following a major invasion in 2002, a German artist travelled to the city to create an artwork with the kids of Jenin. They built a horse, five-metres tall, out of metal and debris from the invasion. The horse is an Arabic symbol of freedom, so the people of Jenin placed this statue in the centre of the city where it stood for 20 years to represent their hope and resistance. In October 2023, an Israeli army bulldozer entered the camp and the horse was ripped from its place and driven away. In this solo show, Shehada wonders what happened to the Horse of Jenin. With a powerful mix of imagination and comedy, he builds a new horse from the fragments of his memories and his hopes for the future.