"Habous".. A Saudi text on the Palestinian stage tests the limits of freedom and constraint

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The Palestinian city of Hebron witnessed, on Saturday, September 26, 2026, the first performances of the play "Habous" by Saudi writer and playwright Dr. Saleh Zamanan, in a first experience for his texts on Palestinian stages, while the performances continue today, Sunday, at the "Child Happiness" theater affiliated with the Hebron Municipality.

The performance is produced by the "Yes Theater" Association in Hebron, led by Palestinian director Said Salama, with the participation of a group of Palestinian artists, and the performances will continue in the coming period at several theaters in Hebron, before moving to other Palestinian cities during the years 2026 and 2027.

"Habous" starts from a strange hypothesis imagining a person being taken out of his world, finding himself imprisoned within the imagination and body of another person, stuck in a consciousness that does not belong to him, carrying a longing that is not his, listening to thoughts he did not choose, and living daily life imposed upon him.

Through the intertwining of memory, voices, and desires, the performance tests the boundaries between the self and the other, the prisoner and the jailer, and raises questions about forms of imprisonment that may transcend walls and bars to memory, fear, thoughts, and settled judgments within the human being.

For his part, Dr. Saleh Zamanan confirmed to "Al Arabiya.net" that the text of "Habous" carries a symbolic weight that transcends the concept of physical imprisonment. He said: "The presentation of 'Habous' warns the audience in advance against reducing the concept of prison to walls and bars, as it reveals hidden imprisonments that may form in an unsettled memory, or fears that besiege life, or thoughts and judgments that settle in consciousness until they transform into internal cells. By blending strangeness and contemplation, the presentation raises questions about freedom, guilt, and human pain, leaving the audience to reflect on the delicate distance between restraint and liberation."

In parallel, Zamanan expressed his pride in the experience, which holds special significance for him as it is the first time his texts are presented on Palestinian stages, appreciating the role of the "Yes Theatre" Association in the city of Hebron, describing it as an artistic, humanitarian, and national project that confronts occupation and siege with art, drama, and beauty.

The Palestinian director Saeed Salama is producing "Habous," specializing in pantomime theater, or "silent mimetic acting." Throughout his career, he has presented performances on several stages in Europe, Asia, and Africa.

In the same context, the artists participating in the exhibition include Mohamed Al-Tayti, Raed Al-Shyoukhi, Samih Al-Amleh, and Khalil Nassar, while Natalie Houdli is responsible for the scenography, Hammad Amro for the technical aspects, and Dr. Mohamed Issa for production supervision.

The musical composition for the play is handled by the Palestinian composer Saeed Mourad, the founder of the Palestinian musical group "Sabreen," and the creator of several well-known works in the Arab artistic memory, including the operetta "Jerusalem, the Gateway to Heaven," the song "About a Human" by poet Mahmoud Darwish, and the song "The Pigeon is Coming."

"Habous" gains its uniqueness from the intersection of a contemporary Saudi text with a Palestinian theatrical vision, where elements of direction, music, scenography, and performance intertwine. The performance places the concept of freedom at the heart of its experience, by exploring forms of both visible and hidden constraints, within a Palestinian context where questions of siege, occupation, and freedom are strongly present.