AMMAN: Zarifeh and Jaber are not your usual couple: She’s Palestinian, he is Jordanian, and no more is that difference apparent than when their rival football teams square off.
“Neither East nor West” brings to the stage with subtle sarcasm the rifts between East Bank Jordanians and those of Palestinian origin, or West Bankers.
The play spotlights proud East Banker Jaber and Zarifeh, his no-nonsense Palestinian-born wife, and their everyday differences often escalate into verbal duels.
Satirist Kamel Nuseirat said his play is the first to tackle a key taboo, as it reflects the social, political and identity dilemma that has faced the kingdom for decades.
“Jordanian society is divided. I can proudly say I have broken this taboo thanks to the Arab Spring” which tore down a wall of fear across autocratically ruled nations, he said. “Many officials have seen the show and applauded. I think they got the message.”
Back to the plot.
Jaber supports Faisaly, or “The Boss” as some people call the football team considered to represent East Bankers. Zarifeh is a staunch fan of archrivals Wihdat, or “The Green Giant,” named after a large refugee camp in Amman. “We’re playing at home,” says Jaber, sporting the red-and-white chequered keffiyeh of East Bankers, a rebuttal to the black-and-white head scarf made popular by the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
Their curtains are a stark example of the divisions that mar the household. Half of them are in Wihdat green, and the other half are Faisaly blue. But no matter how hard they spar over football, they also know deep down that the game is a strong bond between East and West Bankers. “Not only are many Faisaly players West Bankers, but the club’s founder, Suleiman Nabulsi, is originally a Palestinian,” Nuseirat said.
“But it is rare to find East Banker fans of Wihdat or vice versa.” When the two teams meet it is under tight security, and past matches have been called off after rioting.
“In all countries of the world, there are 22 players on a football pitch running after a ball. But in our country there are six million,” says Jaber of Jordan’s population.
‘Neither East nor West’ brings to stage Jordan’s key taboo
