Drama on water at Sharjah Light Festival

A 45-minute drama of light, sound and characters on water at Central Souq on Thursday night was the icing on the cake of the 4th Sharjah Light Festival (SLF) which concluded on Friday.

Dubbed as ‘Water Fools’, the show demonstrates daily life — which is no longer normal — as it happens in the water, not on land, and how a quiet village evolves into a sophisticated city as in a dream.

Produced by a team of French artists, the ‘Water Fools’ shows on water the common man coming out of a car that breaks down on the road, gets a newspaper and the things he reads about a modern city with all its burdens of wars and changes in lifestyle.

A respected king is seen on a red carpet greeting his people and the story unfolds showing the simple life of street cleaners, a pregnant woman until her child grows to become a soldier involved in the humdrum of city life, the high stature of the Queen as the time goes by represented by a wheel with a servant, the festivities with all fireworks and the arrival of boatloads of migrant people searching for a greener pasture to the once simple and tranquil village.

Dominique Noel, a French co-author and artist, told Khaleej Times that time flies so fast as the quiet places turn into the hustle and bustle of a city, represented by a boat with four iron wheels.

She said the red lights blinking on the boat carrying the immigrants signal the cries for help they want to get from Sharjah and any other well-developed urbanised countries such as employment opportunities, better life and experiences.

Brought to the Sharjah Light Festival for the first time, the show exemplifies the best there in the Sharjah now and before.

Bruno Schnebelin, artistic director of the show at Central Souq, has brought Water Fools to 
Sharjah upon the request of Nomada, one of the partners of Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA), organiser of the SLF for four years now.

Mohamed Ali Al Noman, SCTDA Chairman, said that the authority is keen to enhance the experience of Sharjah Light Festival, year after year, by expanding its activities and adding new features and sites.

lily@khaleejtimes.com