KATHMANDU, Jan 29: January 27 was the International Day of the Commemoration of the victims of the Holocaust. The United Nations, the Delegation of the European Union, and the Embassy of Federal Republic of Germany and the Embassy of Israel in Kathmandu organized an event to commemorate the Holocaust Day.
The event featured a theatre performance, ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’ by One World Theatre artists and directed by Deborah Merola. The play is based on a touching story about a 13-year-old Jewish girl taking shelter in a secret annex for two years before being taken off to a concentration camp. During her stay in the secret annex, Anne kept a diary and wrote daily accounts of the Frank family. They lived in the annex along with another family, that of Otto’s business partner.
Watching the play, one can find bits of beauty, kindness, and even humor in the most unexpected places. Unlike other historical accounts of the holocaust, ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’ makes one realize that no matter how difficult or challenged our day-to-day life is, we all have those little pockets of joy that arise, and sometimes it is those tiny occurrences that make the rest of it bearable.
We can watch and listen to the hopes and dreams of these individuals as the months go by, unaware of their fate. We also get to witness change in interactions among family members and others in the annex, affected by their hiding out in such close quarters.
The poignant drama with all the moving parts is completely in sync, and through the actors’ powerful performances, along with limited stage props and seemingly crammed location, it has done a great job transporting audience to the tiny attic in Amsterdam in 1930s.
Culture of competition and collaboration
The play opens for the public on January 30 and February 1 at Hotel Vajra and at Yala Maya Kendra from February 2-4.
