“To limit the press is to insult a nation; to prohibit reading certain books is to declare the inhabitants to be either fools or slaves.”

 .....difficult times for artists and intellectuals in a world gripped by fear.

The Lebanese poster for "Wedding Day at Cro Magnons."

Wajdi Mouawad’s “Controversial” Wedding Day

.... Lebanese intellectuals’ defense of expat director warns of state chokehold on freedom of expression. published 7 June, 2024 • Elie Chalala

an excerpt:

Mouawad elaborated on his position in a recent television interview on LBCI Lebanon with Albert Kostanian: “If there is a place where I want to choose my side, it’s not between Palestinians or Israelis, between Lebanese Shiites or Lebanese Sunnis; it’s not between identities.” He quotes Sophocles’ Antigone, which he says forms the basis of his approach: “I was born to share in love, not to hate…If I want to choose my camp radically, it’s between these two words.” Mouawad’s choice is “love.”

The ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which he refers to as a “fratricidal war,” has alternated “assassins.” At the moment, the Israeli government is a government of assassins, just as Hamas’ doing on October 7 was an assassin’s attack, he says. Mouawad recognizes that many Lebanese would disagree with his position but firmly stands by “nuance”: “The moment you try to be nuanced, they will come upon you. The nuance is complicated to maintain, and even if it hurts very much, it is in the nuance that you must position yourself.” Mouawad believes in a humanist solution, stating there is no justice born out of the destruction of one nation or the elimination of a people.

https://themarkaz.org/wajdi-mouawads-controversial-wedding-day/ 

A good and more recent overview - where is Wajdi now?

Mouawad’s stories—and the tactics he employs to stage them—have always challenged his audiences to look closely at how the personal and the political intersect, though this does not always work out exactly as intended. His is an uncompromising vision, and in the past, the tensions between the moral dilemmas he brings to the stage and the possibilities that society is willing to accept have gotten him into trouble—Mouawad’s shows have faced political debate, censure, and cancellation. It may be one reason why, eight years ago, Wajdi Mouawad decided to leave Canada behind. 

from: A Controversial Playwright Takes On the Arab-Israeli Conflict
Eight years ago, Wajdi Mouawad left Canada after his plays faced censure and cancellation.   
Now he’s back.

by Dimitri Nasrallah
Updated 14:52, Dec. 1, 2023 | Published 14:26, Aug. 27, 2019