waking up, a play in book 3, shaping

last updated: 22 December 2024

‘Welcome back to our live coverage,’ Mudiwa said into the camera, smiling. ‘We are in the courtyard of the Front House, just as the international team get ready for their presentation. The crowds are queuing everywhere, and with us now is Bülent Hamdi, author and husband, as he told us. Bülent, thank you so much for your time.’
‘It’s my pleasure. Thank you for having me.’
(…) Facing the camera, Mudiwa said: ‘While Bülent is not a member of the project team, he contributes as an author, and his new play: Waking up will premiere in our theatre, here in the Front House, this afternoon. Bülent, what can you tell us about the play?’
Bülent knitted his dark brows. ‘Our planet is in trouble. It’s dying and with it we die. But even though scientists have substantiated this trajectory with their research, many are still in denial, many still live in their personal bubbles, many push pretty much any topic while ignoring the topics we urgently need to address, many keep looking away. Waking up, the play, is about gently nudging people to see their bubble and to dare leave it. What will they see? How will they feel when the whole disaster we and our ancestors have inflicted upon our planet and upon ourselves overwhelms them? Hope enters the stage when the pain, frustration and anger about the state of our world turns into the determination to reshape and restore it. And somewhere on that road, we begin to understand that everything is connected, and that we can save ourselves if we all wake up, if we connect to each other and to our planet, and if we prioritise the issues that need to be addressed now.’
‘Strong words,’ Mudiwa said. ‘But how can someone who is in denial wake up?’
Bülent smiled a little. ‘By knowing that it’s safe to wake up. By knowing that waking up is not about blaming or about telling someone what a fool they have been but about coming together. By knowing that our actions can make a difference. By knowing that prioritising the future of the planet is the best we can do. By knowing that we are not the only ones who leave the bubble, but that waking up is something we do together.’