Last night, we went to see the play “The Jungle”, based on the true story, at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn. Formerly a church, the space was transformed into the most realistic remake of the jungle that refugees from multiple different countries including Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Sudan, Syria, Palestine, and many other countries built on their own. Before being brought to my attention, I was never aware of the fact that the jungle existed, or the extent to the severity of the refugee crisis happening in the world. As you can imagine, having suddenly learned about this situation all at once, in addition to having the situation put to life before me at the viewing of the play, it definitely took an emotional toll on me. I had no idea what to expect before seeing the performance but in the end I was amazed by the entire show and completely moved by the messages sent out through it. I shed tears, I laughed, I was scared but also happy at times throughout the course of the play. It was probably the most powerful and moving show I have seen in my life, and I am thankful for having the chance to see it alongside my classmates as well.
One of the most powerful parts of “The Jungle” for me was when the French wanted to demolish the jungle, or the refugee camp, and the refugees had the chance to relocate. Most of them agreed to relocate, however Salar, the Afghan restaurant owner, felt he had put in too much hard work to forget about his restaurant that he built with his own two hands and start a new one. Salar told his most loyal helper in the restaurant that he should relocate with the others, because he deserved the chance to make it to the UK one day. In the end, all the members of the jungle stuck together with Salar and stood by him even when the police came in ready to demolish the camp site and the restaurant. This scene really struck me because although the refugees could have just relocated peacefully, they chose to stand together no matter what, and it gave me the sense that they were a real family.
Throughout the play, the refugees stuck together and created unity within the jungle, even though they were not from the same place. They created a family with members from all different countries and religions, and never let their differences get in between their unity. I feel this was one of the many powerful things about the jungle in itself. This play was truly an eye opener to me to the refugee crisis and allowed me to acknowledge and thank God for the life I have and to never forget the struggles others have gone through and continue to go through each day. Despite the horrible refugee crisis that all of these people were experiencing, they made the most of their situations and stayed true to their faith and beliefs through it all. There is so much to take out of the story of the jungle, and I am so glad I got to see the performance of the play because it was truly amazing.
Hi Alexandra,
I decided to read your blog because I knew that you were one of the people in the class who saw the full performance, and I wanted to hear what you had to say about it. I am so happy that I read your blog. I didn’t know about the background of St. Anne’s Warehouse, and after reading about it in your blog, I feel that it definitely adds something special to the production. I feel that you described the part about the relocation in detail, and that you captured the emotion of the scene. You did a great job.
Hi Alex,
I, like you, had no prior knowledge of the Jungle. As a result, I had a very similar experience as you during the play. Throughout the play my mind was in information overload.
I love how you pointed out the sense of unity that was created among the members of the refugee camp, despite the fact that they are all from different countries. I think that that sense of unity made the play all the more powerful. It was so awe-inspiring to see people who may have never even crossed paths with each-other, working passionately to a common goal. The world needs more of that unity and I think we’re the perfect place for it to start.