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“The Invaders’ Fear of Memories” is a solo theatre piece based on the life and diaries of Yousef Nachmani - a Russian Jew who migrated from Tsarist Russia to Ottoman Palestine in 1907. Nachmani became Director of the Jewish National Fund in the Galilee, playing a central role in the forced displacement of thousands of Palestinians. The play offers a view into the origins of settler-colonialism, ethnic cleansing and apartheid in modern day Israel. It explores themes of loyalty, violence, ideology and grief. “The Invaders’ Fear of Memories” is performed by Benjamin Rivers, the great grandson of Nachmani. The play spans 4 decades with Rivers moving between 12 different characters.
Written and performed by Benjamin Rivers
Directed by Linda Wise
Movement by Carmela Bueno
Guest Actor: Elvira Arranz González
DATE
Wednesday 31st May 2024
TIME
5:45pm arrival
Doors close at 6pm
VENUE
Escola Oficial de Idiomas de Vigo
Av. de Emilio Martínez Garrido, 17
Semisótano 2, Lavadores
36205 Vigo, Spain
TICKETS
Free Entry
PARTNERS
> Escola Oficial de Idiomas de Vigo
> BDS Galiza
ABOUT YOUSEF NACHMANI
Yousef Nachmani was born in 1891 as Yousef Agranovsky to a Jewish family in Oleksandria, Russia (now Oleksandria, Ukraine). At the age of 15, Yousef, along with his father and brother, were arrested by Russian authorities for their involvement in Poale Zion, a militant group that advocated Zionist ideology. In 1907 Yousef fled to Ottoman Palestine where he joined an urban commune in Jerusalem whose members included David Ben-Gurion and other future Zionist leaders. In 1911 Yousef moved to the Galilee, where he became an early member of Hashomer, a Jewish defence organisation responsible for guarding Jewish settlements in the Yishuv. Yousef later went on to become a senior officer in Haganah and then Director of the Jewish National Fund in Eastern Galilee. In this role, Yousef acquired Arab lands for the Jewish National Fund, often secretly and with the assistance of Arab collaborators. From 1935, Yousef began a diary that documented his own involvement in the expulsion of Palestinians from their homeland. Yousef Nachmani is the great grandfather of Benjamin Rivers.
TITLE
The title for this play, ‘The Invaders’ Fear of Memories’, is a line taken from ‘On this Land’, a poem by the Palestinian poet, Mahmoud Darwish.
AUDIENCE REVIEWS
“The Invaders’ Fear of Memories” is a jaw-dropping tour de force through history that has never been more relevant. Ben Rivers deftly slips between characters to create a collage of voice and song that is both powerful and rich with devastating truth and subtly observed nuance.
– Emily Conolan, Author and refugee advocate, Australia.
"The Invaders' Fear of Memories,'' a one-man play by Ben Rivers, is both an urgently needed piece of history and an extraordinary work of art. Rivers, portraying twelve characters, brings to life his own great-grandfather's story, first as an oppressed Jew in Tsarist Russia and then his inexorable transformation into an active participant in the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from their homeland. With gorgeous, stirring songs in Ukrainian, Yiddish, Hebrew and Arabic woven throughout, "The Invaders' Fear of Memories'' confronts us with the tragic cycles of history in which we are still caught. It could not be more relevant in today's violent world.
– Jo Salas, Author and co-founder of Playback Theatre, New York.
As a Syrian refugee, this play hit me with the reality of a history we know too well - the painful, sad and frightening truth of an injustice that has been happening for more than a century. I believe “The Invaders’ Fear of Memories” should be on every stage in the world, telling the story of an occupied land called Palestine!
– Hane Alrustm, Psychoanalyst and human rights activist, Syria/Belgium.
“The Invaders' Fear of Memories”, is a difficult yet powerful piece and a must see for anyone keen on understanding how Zionism as a settler movement destroyed the fabric of Judaism. Based on the personal diaries of Yousef Nachmani, the play provides a personal lens on how Palestinians were brutally displaced and answers why the Zionist movement seeks to erase Palestine and the Palestinians.
– Reem Dajani, Mental Health Advisor, Palestine/Jordan.
"The Invaders' Fear of Memories" is strong medicine for Nakba deniers and defenders of 'good Zionist intentions'. Rivers does not shy away from the bloody truth; he peels back the legendary JNF mythic lie of 'making the desert bloom' through his great-grandfather's own words.
– Melissa Nussbaum Freeman, Spiritual & Cultural Life Organising Manager, Jewish Voice for Peace, USA.
To be in the audience of “The Invaders’ Fear of Memories” is to feel yourself simultaneously in the past and in the present. As Walter Benjamin might put it, this play blows us backward into the future– and both places are equally urgent, complex, and human. And while we may be “just” watching as audiences in a theatre, it is resoundingly clear that we are also all active participants in how the story is still– devastatingly– playing out today. As a performer, Ben brings this story to light with a simple intimacy and kindness, issuing an invitation to honour complexity and ambivalence while also giving us the opportunity to connect to feelings that connect us as humans: wild hope, fervent belief, impassioned outrage, enduring love, and deep and persistent mourning.
– Katie Pearl, Professor of Theater, Wesleyan University, USA.
“The Invaders’ Fear of Memories” by Ben Rivers, is a powerful account of the silent and violent periods of settler colonial expansion into Palestine, told through different generational accounts of Ben’s Family. I would definitely recommend watching this!
– Irfaan Mangera, Human rights activist and educator, South Africa.
“The Invaders’ Fear of Memories” gently draws us into its world, and then cracks open our hearts, awakening, longing for humanity to rise up and renew our dedication to Life. A powerful and difficult story told with love and compassion.
– Marya Lowry, Professor Emerita (Brandeis University) and award-winning actor, USA.
“The Invaders' Fear of Memories” is an extraordinary production coming at an extraordinary time. The fact that it was primarily written from diaries, makes it an authentic and personal experience of history. This is invaluable given the distortions written about the formation of the State of Israel. Over the course of the play, Ben Rivers moves cleverly from character to character, spanning generations and countries, over a period of 45 odd years. “The Invaders' Fear of Memories” evoked joy and sadness, bringing tears to my eyes and laughter as well. This play offers a crucial perspective on an important historical moment. A better understanding of the path Israel followed, can lead to a better understanding and empathy for the people of Israel / Palestine.
– Rina King, Chair of South African Jews for a Free Palestine, South Africa.
This play offers a powerful reminder of theatre's role in society as it gently but critically tackles the complexity of a major geo-political narrative. Through a considered weaving of characters' stories and observations, Rivers uses a focused Theatre-of-testimony style that invites audience members into a deep listening of the human perspectives and contradictions that underpin the Palestine-Israel conflict.
– Hamish Neill, Drama for Life Creative Research Hub Director, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Escola Oficial de Idiomas, Calexón de Rivera Atienza, 46, 36205 Vigo (Pontevedra), España,Vigo, Spain
Tickets
