A life begun in gunfire and instability is brought to the stage. Fluid motions and words embody the resilience of the stateless—reframing a narrative of victimization to one of powerful actors, playwrights, and directors.

This is the everyday work of Parastoo Theater.

Located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, it is a rare refuge within a nation that has no legal protections for its 185,000 refugees, a number that is constantly growing (Vemulapalli, 2024). Malaysia is not a State party to the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention nor does it follow any protocol, leaving refugees vulnerable to exploitation through informal work with no legitimate form of securing livelihoods or accessing education and health care (Vemulapalli, 2024). As refugee, asylum seeker, and undocumented migrant status is not recognized, all are at risk of being subject to government deportation, arrest, or physical punishment (UNHCR, 2011). Waiting for a chance at resettlement is thus the only path to a better life, but amidst uncertainty, the arts can serve as a home.

Parastoo Theater has provided a dignified outlet for expression and advocacy since 2017 as a transformative initiative by director and playwright, Saleh Sepas. Forced to flee the Ghazni Province of Afghanistan due to the repressive rule of the Taliban, Saleh and his family arrived in Kuala Lumpur as refugees (Parastoo). He combined his theater studies at Kabul University with personal experiences to establish the only professional refugee theater in Malaysia. Among ongoing political disputes of borders and belonging, Saleh had the goal of introducing humanity to the indifference of policies, facts, and figures. Parastoo uses performing arts as a stage for addressing sociopolitical issues through visceral, moving stories of war, loss, and trauma. It uniquely seeks to bring about palpable social change by engaging audience members in discussion, as those watching may not comprehend the various and nuanced drivers of migration to Malaysia from Afghanistan, Syria, and Myanmar (Qarssifi, 2022).

Saleh Sepas (front) in a production of And Then Came Spring (2022)
Parastoo Theater

Saleh began by leading rehearsals in public parks, without a proper place to practice, and has expanded to include leadership and playwriting workshops. His recent bittersweet resettlement to Virginia has left Parastoo in the empowering hands of his sister-in-law, Farzana Yakta. Once a shy, twelve-year old with aspirations to be an actor, she is now the director of the theater troupe. Farzana made her debut starring in Screaming Silence, a passionate depiction of the human rights violations throughout the lives of young Afghani women (Ohlsen, 2019). Having secured community funding, Farzana will continue to give a voice to those who may have never had one as well as lead mental health workshops, with nearly 43% of refugees in Malaysia suffering from common disorders without access to treatment (Tay & Balasundaram, 2021). These workshops give refugee communities a chance to rebuild while acting manifests a true sense of hope and security among familiar faces.

Farzana Yakta (3rd from right) in a Production of And Then Came Spring (2022)
Parastoo Theater

The word Parastoo comes from the Farsi name for the swallow bird. “It’s always migrating and moving and always traveling. This is the fate of migrants,” explains Saleh (Ho, 2024). The actors may come and go, but their impact is everlasting.

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You can follow and support the theater and their upcoming performances on their website (parastootheater.com) and Instagram (@parastoo.theater), and look out for Farzana's inspiring documentary, Parastoo, set for release in Winter 2024.

Citations

Ho, M. (2024, January 31). Farzana Yakta on creating a safe space with Parastoo Theater. FirstClasse. https://firstclasse.com.my/farzana-yakta-on-creating-a-safe-space-with-parastoo-theater/

Ohlsen, E. (2019, July 5). Screaming In Silence, July 14th 2019. Penang Free Sheet. https://penangfreesheet.my/screaming-in-silence-july-14th-2019/

Parastoo Theater | A community-funded theater group for refugees in Malaysia. (n.d.). Parastoo Theater. https://www.parastootheater.com/

Qarssifi, W. (2022, June 19). In Malaysia, refugees discover that ‘theatre can be their voice.’ Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/6/19/giving-a-stage-for-refugees-in-malaysia-to-tell-their-stories

Tay, A. K., & Balasundaram, S. (2021). Mental health services for refugees in Malaysia during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lancet Psychiatry, 8(2), e7. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2215-0366(20)30525-3 UNHCR. (2011). Malaysia. https://www.unhcr.org/sites/default/files/legacy-pdf/4b0514119.pdf

Vemulapalli, B. (2024, February 8). In legal no-man’s land, refugees in Malaysia struggle to eat, pay rent. Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/7/in-legal-no-mans-land-refugees-in-malaysia-struggle-to-eat-pay-rent