Valantina Abu Oqsa

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Valantina Abu Oqsa is a Palestinian actress, theater director, poet and playwright. She was awarded the 2012 Etel Adnan Award for Women Playwrights announced for her play I Am Free, [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Contents

Early life

Abu Oqsa was born in Mi'ilya village, in the Upper Galilee, in the north of Israel, on 3 December 1967. She lives in Haifa, Israel, with her husband and children. [6]

Career

Abu Oqsa is a member of the Managing Committee of the Tenth International Women Playwrights Conference (WPIC) [7] in Cape Town. In 1986, she started her career in theater with Al Hakawati theater Group [8] in Jerusalem after a year and a half of studying theater in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. At the theater, she is an editor, writer, director and producer. She participated in theatrical productions in Palestine, and performed in cities in Europe, the United States and Arab countries, in several languages. She is one of the co-founders of the Palestinian theater League [9] in Jerusalem.

On 9 April 2002, during the Battle of Jenin, a group of Palestinian activists tried to deliver supplies and medicine to the Jenin Refugee Camp. Abu Oqsa was among them and was shot in the left arm by an Israeli soldier, and as a result completely lost the use of her left elbow. She became known as the "Struggler artist" to Palestinians. [10]

Plays

Her play I Am Free was described as "poignant, realistic and cruel, it is a dramatic political statement. Her enchanting language, her full-fledged characters of unusual depth and her unique approach to a very important theme, arouse - or should arouse - the admiration of other playwrights, regardless of class, gender, taste and ethnicity." [11]

Actress

Writer and director

Theater festivals

Poetry

Abu Oqsa has written poetry since 1981. Her first poem was published in 1984, in Al Etihad. She had ten of her poems published in various Palestinian newspapers and in 1999 she published her first poetry book, فالنتينا أبو عُقصة. [13]

Film and television

YearTitleRoleNote
2005Mazeh Fee JadUmm SamiTV series
2008Laila’s Birthday [14] Woman in the queue
2008Pomegranates and Myrrh [15] [16] Mariam
2008My Simple StoryThe mother
2015Love, Theft & Other Entanglements [17] A blind woman

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References

  1. ↑ Qualey, M. Lynx (2012-09-16). "Palestinian playwright Valantina Abu Oqsa on 'I Am Free'". Egypt Independent. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
  2. ↑ "Valentina Abu Oqsa | Al Bawaba". www.albawaba.com. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
  3. ↑ "Valantina Abu Oqsa on the Theater, Awards, and How She Wrote 'I Am Free'". ARABLIT & ARABLIT QUARTERLY. 2012-09-17. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
  4. ↑ Schön, Margaretha (2012-08-17). "Valantina Abu Oqsa får dramatikerpris". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). ISSN   1101-2412 . Retrieved 2023-11-10.
  5. ↑ "Valantina Abu Oqsa blev årets vinnare av Etel Adnan Award | Riksteatern". via.tt.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2023-11-10.
  6. ↑ "Palestinian playwright wins 2012 Etel Adnan Award" . Retrieved 2016-07-07.
  7. ↑ Tenth International Women Playwrights Conference (WPIC)
  8. ↑ Al Hakawati theater Group
  9. ↑ Palestinian theater League
  10. ↑ "Valantina Abu Oqsa : : فالنتينا أبو عُقصة". www.valantina.org. Retrieved 2016-07-07.
  11. ↑ "Dramatikern Valantina Abu Oqsa prisad av Riksteatern". Sveriges Radio (in Swedish). 2012-08-17. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
  12. ↑ Rooted Moon International theater Festival
  13. ↑ "Valantina Abu Oqsa : : فالنتينا أبو عُقصة". www.valantina.org/. Retrieved 2016-07-07.
  14. ↑ Laila’s Birthday at IMDb   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  15. ↑ Pomegranates and Myrrh at IMDb   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  16. ↑ "Valentina Abu Oqsa - SFdb" (in Swedish). Retrieved 2023-11-10.
  17. ↑ Love, Theft & Other Entanglements at IMDb   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
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