“At this moment, no reality is more glaring than the continuing massacre of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, including thousands of children. This reality is an open wound on the world’s conscience,” stated the national theater, under the artistic direction of Pedro Penim, in a press release.
Emphasizing that “a theater is not an island,” the artistic direction asserts that “art and culture should not be complicit in omission or indifference,” and thus expresses solidarity “with all victims of this conflict, particularly the Palestinian people, whose collective existence is at risk.”
“We join in the demand for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, full access to humanitarian aid, international accountability for the crimes committed, the release of all hostages, and the recognition of the Palestinian State,” the press release reads.
This stance is made public at the end of the 2024/2025 season, with the national theater admitting it felt compelled “to break the silence.”
“For months, the Teatro Nacional D. Maria II did not express itself in the face of the unfolding tragedy in Gaza. A position that, given the failures of international diplomacy, over time and the worsening humanitarian disaster, became unsustainable and morally unacceptable,” it states.
The most recent phase of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered on October 7, 2023, with attacks by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in southern Israel, which resulted in about 1,200 deaths and more than two hundred hostages.
Israel’s retaliation for these attacks has already claimed over 59,000 lives, predominantly civilians, destroyed nearly all of Gaza’s infrastructure, and forced the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people.
In addition, it included the imposition of a blockade on essential goods to Gaza, such as food, potable water, medication, and fuel.
More than a hundred non-governmental organizations have warned about the advance of hunger in the Gaza Strip, stating that even humanitarian workers “are dying slowly.”
