Choosing passion over pain: Non-profit MATEEN encourages individuals to chase their dreams

AMMAN — As a young girl in the 1980s, Safa relished the time she and her father spent together. One day her father took her to see a live concert. On the stage was a child performer, an Arab like herself. 

Safa sat mesmerised by the young prodigy.  The stage presence and confidence the girl exuded intrigued her as she imagined what it must be like to command a stage and inspire people through her talent. 

This wonderment sustained her, and, despite the socially-established barriers she had to face while growing up with a disability, Safa maintained her determination to realise her dreams.

Then, in early adulthood, her father passed away.

“My father was my right hand,” she said. “When he passed away, I withdrew into myself and away from the community.”

As weeks drifted into months, Safa grappled with mourning. Then, one day, she noticed an advertisement inviting people to join a local theatre troupe called Art Theatre Troupe. It reminded her of her childhood dreams and the joy she felt watching that young singer. 

That advertisement would change her life.

Art Theatre Troupe is a community-based organisation funded by UNDP via MATEEN, which was founded in 2016 as the Kingdom’s first and largest non-profit network.  The network supports over 50 community-based organisations through grants promoting projects in women’s empowerment, municipal services, community building, health, local government partnerships, youth skills training and youth advancement.

Theatre Troupe is one such organisation that uses theatre to help people express themselves and build stronger communities. 

Without hesitation, Safa immediately applied to join the troupe.

“I was worried they might reject me,” she said. “I had been rejected for jobs in the past due to my disability. Most spaces are not disabled-friendly.” 

Fortunately, her fears were unfounded. The theatre community welcomed her and she soon found herself learning the art of expression through interchange alongside 24 other participants. 

Safa, now 32, explains what this meant to her.

“The project allowed me to engage with other people in a way I’d never done before,” she said. “The community had so many people of different religions, nationalities and backgrounds. For many of them, it was the first time they’d collaborated with a person with a disability. I inspired and got inspired by those around me.”

Theatre infused Safa with new skills and motivation. She found her voice and even wrote her first short sketch for a play called “The Maestro”. Performing it with the youth group before a live audience filled her with a sense of pride and accomplishment.

“I am not a failure! I am a girl, like all girls,” she said.  “I have a right to study, to work, to achieve my ambitions, and to live in peace,” she said in her sketch. 

Today, Safa dedicates her time to performing across the country and advocating for the rights of people with disabilities, most notably for their inclusion in the creative arts.

“People with disabilities can excel at anything. We just need an opportunity, much like the one I had.” she said. “Today, when I see myself in the mirror, I see a successful performer and an influential activist.”

(UNDP contributed this article to The Jordan Times)