This was an intimate play about three young women who become the heroes of their own story as they face the world and its society, raw and with their eyes open.
A story that didn’t move from one place, didn’t abandon the square the room was turned into, but somehow was more engaging, entertaining and educational than if it tried to fly higher.
Liberation Squares, tells the story of three British Muslim schoolgirls who experience a political awakening when they see themselves as targets of a government’s counter-terrorism strategy.
Throughout the 75-minute play, the limits of friendship are tested, facing a very much 21st-Century modern world of TikTok, phone addicts, school groups, bullies and the reality of what it means to be different from the standard white society.
Despite the constant laughs throughout the play and the young atmosphere, the story promotes sisterhood and freedom of speech and spreads the importance of caring and knowing about others.
Vaneeka Dadhria plays Ruqaya, a school girl who has been friends with Sabi (Asha Hassan) since childhood. The two friends were inseparable, always supporting each other’s dreams and facing adolescence injustices together.
Until their safe space — the library — is turned into a bibliotek and becomes posh. But then the duo meet Xara (Halema Hussain) who turns their world around with her famous Tiktoks and loud voice and will to be heard.
With constant beats, hidden powerful lyrics and activism, the unlikely friendship trio sees itself involved in a sisterhood workshop that turns out to be everything a young Muslim girl, coming out of her shell didn’t need to face - a state surveillance Prevent programme.
They go on a fight for their rights, their freedom and mutual respect at the same time that they face their loyalty to each other, the boundaries of friendship and what it means to live in such a closed face and scared society.
Liberation Squares is a play that doesn’t reveal all but leaves you questioning, laughing and debating whether the world is as open and free as we think it to be.
When one is put into someone else’s shoes, story and reality, despite the comedy side of it, the story is raw, real and fascinating.
Not fully sure of what I was going for when I first entered the small room, it took me by surprise, a strong, powerful and inspiring play capable of not only adding spice with the harsh truth but adding soft jokes, dances, the perfect lighting and enthusiasm to make 75 minutes go in the blink of an eye.
Somehow a political awakening towards activism was able to play it like a comedy, a thriller and an inspirational moment.
The play written by Sonali Bhattacharyya and directed by Milli Bhatia will be at Nottingham Playhouse until April 27.
