Poland in the 1980s

The worsening economic situation in Poland led to the creation of the Solidarity trade union in 1980, which was highly critical of the government at the time. A year later, in an attempt to quash mounting political opposition, the Polish government introduced martial law.

Hundreds of performers in Poland boycotted radio and television in protest of military rule, which lasted until 1983. Many of these performers were unable to obtain other work and could not qualify for food vouchers, so ICAF raised funds to assist them.

Equity also held demonstrations in London in support of Solidarity, and ICAF delivered a letter of protest written by our General Secretary at the time, Peter Plouviez, to the Polish embassy after the Polish government banned our sister union SPATIF (Society of Polish Theatre and Film Artists).

Myanmar military rule

Colonised by the British Empire for over a century, Myanmar has been under repressive military rule for many of the years following its independence in 1948. Equity has worked with Amnesty International to campaign for the release of Burmese performers imprisoned for speaking out against the regime, including the two members of comedy trio the Moustache Brothers who had been arrested in 1996 after criticising the government in a satirical performance, and were successfully released after six years.

Zarganar, the country’s most popular comedian and Honorary Life Member of Equity, was imprisoned in 2008 for speaking out against the government and faced a 59-year sentence. Equity and Amnesty mounted a mass postcard campaign calling for his release, and he was freed in 2011 in an amnesty of political prisoners. In 2021, following a military coup, Zarganar was once again imprisoned and Equity made approaches to the UK Foreign Office on his behalf. He has since been released.

ICAF has supported Palestinian theatre companies to be able to engage in art amidst violence in the Middle East. Among them is the Alrowwad Cultural and Arts Society, located in the Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem. A community theatre that works to empower through creative and non-violent means, it also offers a safe, child-centred community space and training programmes for women, but has been attacked and damaged by the Israeli military on various occasions.

Addressing Equity’s annual conference in 2021 via a prerecorded video, founder Abdelfattah Abusrour spoke about Alrowwad’s aims, saying that he hoped theatre could help children and young people to “express themselves through such beautiful, creative and peaceful ways – it would be a way to build their peace within themselves, to be peacebuilders in their community and in the world.”