Liberation Squares – Fifth Word / Brixton House, London

A new play by Sonali Bhattacharyya, Liberation Squares puts the government’s Prevent strategy under the spotlight as three Muslim schoolgirls find their path to confidence and self-determination.

Liberation Squares

There’s been a synergy in the theatre I’ve seen this week.  A shared preoccupation between SO THAT YOU MAY GO BEYOND THE SEA and Liberation Squares for the impact that living in an environment of hostile othering (whether racism, Islamophobia…) has on an individual.  Also, on a happier note, a commitment to creative and varied storytelling.

Today’s offering, Liberation Squares, is on at Brixton House.  It’s a story of three British Muslim schoolgirls and how they come to terms with an intervention from Prevent.  A programme they have to look up because they haven’t heard of it.  And yet one which, with little transparency on the one side or agency from the other, could have a profound effect on their future.

Have you heard of Prevent?  Likely yes if you’re in the UK, maybe not if you’re not.  Initiated in 2003, it’s designed to prevent terrorist acts through early intervention.  What does that mean?  Well, it means asking all civil servants to look out for signs of radicalisation and make a referral.  In theory, OK (maybe). In practice, it’s incompatible with the government’s duty to protect human rights.  

As there is no threshold for referral, a lot happen due to “gut feelings”. Sometimes, it seems, referrals can be retaliatory. Hard to say, though, when those who are referred often struggle to find out why.  Plus with things to watch out for including ‘need for identity, meaning and belonging’ or a strong desire for justice or for things to change, doesn’t that sound like most teenagers you’ve ever met? 

With this much human bias in the equation it doesn’t impact everyone equally, though: Muslim and neurodiverse people are more likely to be referred, with children under 15 making up 29% of the total, and Muslim children or children of Asian descent almost half of those.  Shocking and yet, sadly, not shocking. The images all this conjures are those of repressive secret police, or even the pre-crime policing of Minority Report. A pre-crime rap in Liberation Squares is funny partly because it’s so true.

Taking Back Control

Liberation Squares tells one such story.  Ruqaya (Vaneeka Dadhria) and Sabi (Asha Hassan) face Islamophobic bullying at school.  But they’ve got a close-knit friendship that gets them through.  At least until new girl Xara (Halema Hussain) arrives and things start to change.  Ruqaya is taken with Xara’s online content, and impressed with her role as an ambassador for Safe Sisters (a local programme trying to fill the gap where public services have disappeared).  The shifting friendships, insecurities and quick reactions are reminiscent of so many teenage girls, full of hormones and with still-developing brains.  But it seems one ill-judged video is enough to sweep them up in Prevent’s dragnet.

Ruqaya, Sabi and Xara each respond in their own way.  When and how to tell their families, and navigate the fear, humiliation and anger are questions they must face. But it’s by coming together that they start to take back their power as they attempt to regain control of their own stories.  The audience know where this is going from the start.  But that reveal is a funny moment so I’m not going to spoil it.

And, for a story about something so serious, there are a lot of funny moments.  Dadhria in particular has a great comic naivety and timing, as well as beatboxing skills that she makes good use of.  Liberation Squares is funny, sweet and ultimately an empowering tale.

Design-wise (Tomás Palmer), Liberations Squares is also simple yet clever.  The girls make use of three large whiteboards as backdrop and to set the scene.  An overhead projector also made an appearance (nostalgic for those of us who were in school long before the days of social media).  The stylised movement sequences took me away from the story from time to time but, as we’ve just established, age alone means I’m not quite the target audience here.  That being said, the message behind Liberation Squares is for everyone.  It’s like SO THAT YOU MAY GO BEYOND THE SEA reminded me the night before: standing by and watching is a choice, with moral consequences.

Salterton Arts Review’s rating: 3.5/5

Liberation Squares on until 11 May 2024.  More info and tickets here.