My Name is Inanna

“My Name is Inanna” is my new one woman play which I performed at Women and Theatre Program (WTP) Conference, Confronting the Silence: Building Bridges of Engagement, in July 30, 2008 at El Centro Su Teatro in Denver-Colorado

The main character Inanna, retrieved from the historical texts, the Sumerian goddess of love, justice and civilization, is a modern Middle Eastern woman who is in search of identity, justice and freedom, leaves her mother country, where she had been imprisoned there under the dictatorial regime for several years until she flees the country in search of freedom. After receiving a political asylum in the U.S., dreaming of democracy, she practices the expression of freedom of speech. But she faces new forms of sexism, racism and false-democratic slogans. It is a crucial historical moment after September 11, and she is being arrested for her opposition to war in the Middle Eastern region.

Handcuffed alone in a holding area, she speaks for 55 minutes, reliving her experiences of politics and incarceration in her native country, as well as those of her newly adopted country.

Photos by: Joel Simpson